Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Technology topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Teachers and students praise IXL as Millcreek expands program to lower grades and some high school courses
Summary
After piloting IXL across grades 3'0, Millcreek administrators presented student and teacher feedback and said the district will expand IXL to grades 1'2 and select 11—2 courses; middle-school science and social studies will be available in 6— after budget negotiations.
District staff presented student and teacher feedback on IXL, a diagnostic learning platform the district piloted across multiple grades. Presenters and students described the product as highly diagnostic and engaging: staff said IXL ties to the district's assessments and provides immediate reports teachers can use to differentiate instruction.
District presenters said early results showed positive correlations between IXL usage and district diagnostic measures, including MAP testing and PSSA trends. Student testimonials played during the meeting cited substantial individual gains on the IXL diagnostic scale and described built-in instructional supports and videos as helpful.
The district said it will expand IXL down to grades 1 and 2 and expand into select courses for grades 11 and 12. For middle school (grades 6—), staff negotiated to continue science and social studies access for this school year (science paid, social studies provided at no cost through vendor negotiation). The presentation emphasized that usage expectations are set by building administrators rather than as a hard district-wide minute requirement; in some cases the district asked teachers to aim for a minimum of 10—5 minutes per week to maintain diagnostic momentum.
Administrators said the district will provide ongoing professional development and suggested principals and grade-level teams will set more specific implementation expectations. The district credited prior board approval of the IXL contract for enabling this expansion.
No formal board vote was required on the informational presentation. Staff asked the public to provide feedback during a 30-day posting period for other items (separate from the IXL presentation).
