On the web site of the publisher of “Investigations”, Pearson Education Inc., you can find plenty of examples of school districts who have adopted “Investigations” and subsequently seen their students scores on standardized math tests rise. Is this evidence that “Investigations” is effective, or more effective than what the districts were using before?
As this report from the Center for Education Policy documents, standardized test scores are rising nationwide, and have been doing so since the passage of No Child Left Behind in 2002. Whether or not these rising scores represent real gains in achievement is subject to debate, but presenting rising test scores alone as evidence of the effectiveness of “Investigations” (by people who should know better) borders on deceptive advertising. If I feed one group of kids lots of carrots and they grow at a rate of an inch per year, is that evidence that carrots promote growth? Maybe, but you’d have to strongly question that conclusion if other kids grow at a rate of two inches per year.
