QuickSmart Intervention Research Program Data 2001-2008: Report to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations

Many tens of thousands of students in Australia struggle with Numeracy and Literacy during their middle years of schooling (ages 10 to 13 years). Current instructional activities do not appear to overcome the learning problems experienced by many of these students or lead to substantial improvements in their academic performance. In order to address this situation, the SiMERR National Centre has further developed and supported the growth of QuickSmart, an extensive research program aimed at narrowing the achievement gap between low-achieving students and their average-achieving peers. Between 2001 and 2008, QuickSmart has improved the academic performance of more than 2,000 students from over 90 schools across sectors and State/Territory education jurisdictions. QuickSmart has systematically addressed the learning needs of those middle-school students who often find themselves caught up in a cycle of continued failure in Numeracy (basic mathematics) and/or Literacy (reading, vocabulary and comprehension).