Efficacy research determined by an independent third-party review to meet the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Tier III (Promising Evidence) level of evidence found that students, including the most at-risk, demonstrated significant mathematics growth after using ExploreLearning Frax, the adaptive and game-based program that helps learners develop a conceptual understanding of fractions.
The study compared 1,280 grade 3 and 4 students in a large, suburban California school district who completed baseline assessments (fall 2021) and follow-up assessments (spring 2022) using Renaissance Star Math® Assessments. The research examined overall math scale scores to determine the impact of Frax on students’ overall ability to perform grade-level mathematics over the course of the school year. Student scale scores were categorized into achievement levels correlated to the four Smarter Balanced assessment achievement levels.
Key finding: Students who used Frax demonstrated greater math achievement on spring assessments
When using Frax, students progress through missions structured as game-based challenges, allowing them to learn largely by doing through carefully scaffolded instruction. For both 3rd and 4th-graders, a positive, significant relationship indicated that students who completed more Frax missions had higher Star math scores in the spring.
Key finding: At-risk students who used Frax were more likely to achieve grade-level proficiency than non-users
Researchers also examined growth for the most at-risk students by studying the relationship between Frax usage and the likelihood of meeting proficiency on the spring 2022 assessment. For both grades, high Frax usage was associated with an increased likelihood of reaching grade-level proficiency. 4th-grade students who used Frax frequently were 2.3x more likely than non-users to achieve grade-level proficiency on their spring math test, while 3rd-grade students with high Frax usage were 1.4x more likely than non-users to achieve grade-level proficiency.
Additional ESSA Level II research found that Frax users were significantly more likely to reach or exceed grade-level proficiency in the spring, regardless of fall achievement levels. Using adaptive learning, Frax engages and motivates students every step of the way to achieve significant math gains in a short amount of time.
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