DCPS students gain an additional 11 weeks of math learning with Zearn

Researchers studied how DCPS students in Grades 1–6 performed on the i-Ready Diagnostic assessment across three academic years. The research study, which uses quasi-experimental matching techniques to isolate the impact of Zearn Math on student achievement, compares a sample of 990 students who consistently completed three or more Zearn lessons each week with a control sample of 990 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 Math and not to other variables.

Researchers found:

• Students who consistently used Zearn Math outscored matched peers by 7.5 points on the spring i-Ready Diagnostic, gaining 11 more weeks of math learning in one academic year.
• Zearn’s impact was even greater for students who initially placed two or more grade levels below; these students scored 17.4 scale score points higher than matched peers—equivalent to an additional 24 weeks of math learning in one academic year.
• Across subgroups, students who consistently used Zearn Math scored significantly higher on the i-Ready Diagnostic than matched peers who did not use Zearn.
• Black and/or Latino students, at-risk students, multilingual learners, and students in special education who consistently used Zearn exceeded the i-Ready Diagnostic interim assessment benchmark for typical growth, while matched students who did not use Zearn fell short of expected growth.
• Across all i-Ready Diagnostic placement levels, students who consistently used Zearn Math were more likely to improve their placement level on the spring i-Ready Diagnostic.