OCPS research finds modest math gains from IXL, strong tutor results for Read to Succeed; board presses on fidelity and use

Orange County Public Schools researchers presented a set of recent program evaluations at the board's Dec. 16 work session, telling trustees that digital and tutor-based interventions can help when they're used as intended but that implementation varies widely across classrooms.

The superintendent's office said the district evaluated three programs in detail this year—IXL Math, Read to Succeed and SuccessMaker—and used a combination of internal and external methods to measure implementation and outcomes. "The IXL maths program is an online learning platform offering over 3,500 adaptive standards based mathematics skills," the research presentation said, and the evaluation focused on how implementation and teacher experience correlated with state assessment results.

On IXL, analysts reported "a small but consistent and statistically significant impact on student mathematics outcomes" for some courses after controlling for prior scores and demographic factors, with gains in grade 6 math, grade 7 math, grade 8 algebra, Algebra I honors and geometry in the evaluated year. The team…