Abstract
In the Czech Republic, the Step by Step educational program (locally known as Začít spolu) has been implemented with the approval of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MŠMT) since 1994 in preschools and since 1996 in primary schools. Currently, the methodology of this program is applied to varying degrees in more than 150 kindergartens and 70 primary schools across the country.
Objectives: (1) To present the historical and pedagogical context in which the program originated. (2) The study partially addresses a research gap in the Czech context, where no prior quantitative evaluation of the Step by Step program at the primary education level has been conducted.
Methods: The study is based on data from student assessments conducted in 2022 in mathematics and Czech language (involving nearly 60,000 students), and in 2023 in reading literacy and learning-related skills (approximately 40,000 students). Supplementary student questionnaires and school-provided data on the participation of tested classes in the program were also used. Information about students’ participation in the program was obtained in 2022 for approximately 110 students from 9 schools, and in 2023 for approximately 360 students from 19 schools. Linear regression methods were employed to estimate the program’s effect, controlling for variables such as students’ socio-cultural background and participation in preparatory courses for entrance examinations to multi-year grammar schools.
Results: Students who participated in the Step by Step (Začít spolu) program continuously from grades 1 through 5 scored on average 5 percentage points higher in the tests than other students in the Czech Republic. Part of this difference can be attributed to the higher socio-cultural background of these students, and part to the apparently greater effectiveness of preparatory courses among program participants. After controlling for all available variables, the estimated net contribution of the program itself is approximately 1 percentage point.
Conclusions: Although standardized test scores are not a primary focus of the Step by Step (Začít spolu) program, students who completed the program in the first stage of primary education clearly do not lag behind in such assessments. On the contrary, the effect of the program appears to be slightly positive and borderline statistically significant.
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