FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Anna O’Sullivan
annao@zearn.org
AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 28, 2023 – A recent study shows that Texas elementary- and middle-school students who consistently utilized Zearn, the top-rated math learning platform, scored significantly higher on the 2023 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) math test. This was consistent across student groups including: Black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged, at-risk, gifted and emergent bilingual students.
Researchers looked at how more than 4,400 Texas fourth- through sixth-grade students scored on the STAAR® math test. They found that consistent Zearn usage increases STAAR® math scale scores by 53 points on average, with gains across student groups. Further, 62% of the lowest scoring students moved up at least one STAAR® performance level when using the platform consistently.
“These results exhibit the dedication and focus Texas teachers are having on student math learning,” Zearn CEO and Co-Founder Shalinee Sharma said. “It also emphasizes the importance of strong Zearn implementation- students completing three or more grade-level lessons per week-in achieving transformative results.”
To analyze the impact of Zearn on student growth on STAAR®, researchers used a quasi-experimental research technique to compare students who completed three Zearn Math digital lessons per week with a similar group of students who did not use Zearn. This research is designed to meet the rigorous standards set by the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) and qualify as an Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) evidence-based intervention.
During the 2022-23 school year, more than 330 districts, like the Judson Independent School District, engaged with Zearn flexibly to fit their local needs – through tutoring, after school, in the summer or through blended learning.
“I was looking for a resource that was aligned to the research on what we know is good math instruction,” said Jennifer Johnson, director of elementary curriculum, Judson Independent School District. “Teachers are seeing a level of excitement [from students] that they’ve never seen before. It’s magical.”
ABOUT ZEARN
Zearn is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization behind Zearn Math, the top-rated math learning platform used by 1 in 4 elementary-school and more than 1 million middle-school students nationwide. Zearn’s mission is to prove all kids are math kids. For more information about Zearn’s work in Texas or across the nation, contact Anna O’Sullivan, director of communications, at annao@zearn.org.
