Students in historically marginalized subgroups experience double-digit increases in proficiency with Zearn.

Researchers examined how elementary- and middle-school students performed on the spring 2022 state assessment. The research, which uses quasi-experimental matching techniques to isolate the impact of Zearn Math on student achievement, compared students who consistently completed three or more Zearn lessons each week with similarly matched students who did not consistently use Zearn. Unlike a standard correlational analysis, this method allows differences in outcomes to be more confidently attributed to Zearn and not to other variables.

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Researchers found:

• After one year of consistent Zearn usage, students in each subgroup in a large urban district in the south saw a double-digit increase in proficiency on summative district assessment, while similarly matched peers who did not use Zearn experienced declines in proficiency. Black and Latino students experienced a 27 percent point increase in proficiency on the end-of-year district summative assessment.
• Similarly, in a large urban district in the midwest, consistent Zearn usage resulted in a double-digit increase in proficiency on the 2022 state assessment for students in each subgroup, while similarly matched peers who did not use Zearn experienced declines in proficiency. Multilingual learners experienced a 22 percent point increase in proficiency on the state assessment.

While many factors influence student achievement, one factor is clear: consistent Zearn usage is strongly associated with outsized achievement gains for students in historically marginalized subgroups. As we work collectively to eliminate opportunity gaps that have only been exacerbated by the disruptions of the pandemic, this research study provides promising evidence that Zearn’s approach helps all students catch up and move forward in math.

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