La Joya ISD reports strong use but mixed mastery of digital math and literacy supplements

La Joya ISD leaders updated the Board of Trustees on May 20, 2025, about implementation and early results for digital supplemental learning tools Zearn, Mathia (for Carnegie Learning) and Lexia.

District officials said students exceeded weekly usage targets for several programs but that higher usage has not always translated into consistent mastery, creating a focus for next school year on teacher coaching and tighter principal oversight.

What the district reported

- Elementary math (Zearn): Dr. Little and presenters said the district set a target of 90 minutes per week in Zearn; every elementary campus met that usage target. The auditors of implementation noted, however, that the percentage of students completing lessons — a stronger indicator of learning — did not meet expectations at all campuses. "You could spend 90 minutes this week in Zearn, but you may not have completed a single lesson because you're really struggling with that concept," Dr. Little said, explaining why lesson completion is a priority metric.

- Middle school math (Carnegie Learning / Mathia): The district set a 90‑minute weekly target for Mathia as well. Most campuses were close to the time target and many reached an 80% syllabus completion target; when measured for mastery via the APPLAUSE score, some campuses met the mastery threshold and others did not. Mathia presents adaptive, AI‑driven pathways that give students individualized practice, and district leaders said teachers must intervene when the platform indicates students are not mastering a workspace.

- Literacy (Lexia): The district said usage targets for Lexia products were met across elementary campuses. Presenters reported large midyear gains for kindergarteners in Lexia Core5: kindergarten students identified as on grade level rose in district Lexia reports from 26% at the start of the year to 96% at midyear, and first‑ and second‑grade cohorts also showed measurable gains. Middle‑school PowerUp usage met the district’s intervention target (35% of students) and decreased the share of students at foundational levels in word study from 64% at the start of year to 19% at midyear, according to district slides.

Principal and teacher roles

Principals have dashboard access to view student progress by name and receive weekly emails summarizing campus‑level usage and outcomes, Dr. Little said. The district is pressing principals to use those reports to coach teachers and to monitor not only minutes spent in a program but whether students master lessons. "These are conversations with each other," Dr. Little said of teacher‑principal coaching cycles. "The teacher is driving this instruction for the student."

District view of next steps

Presenters said the first year was focused on getting teachers and students to use the tools; next year the district will shift emphasis to outcomes and coaching. The presentations also noted that the district will adopt a new core math curriculum (Bluebonnet) in K–8 next year but that Zearn and Mathia will remain aligned as supplemental tools.

Community access and parent engagement

Presenters said parents can access these platforms at home and that campuses distribute six‑week parent communications explaining weekly learning targets and resources. Officials said they would continue working to strengthen teacher‑parent communication so family members can support students who struggle with platform workspaces.

Ending

Board members praised early adoption and asked for clearer coaching frameworks so weekly usage produces consistent mastery. District officials said they will report map and STAR assessment outcomes in coming weeks to show whether weekly usage and mastery are translating to growth on standardized measures.