Learning Gains from Online Math Practice at Varying Difficulty Levels: Prior Achievement Matters

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Wednesday 9:45am
  In Poster Session: Diverse Learners and Inclusive Teaching Practices

Abstract

Students within the same grade often differ widely in math achievement, yet little is known about how this affects the impact of online practice at different difficulty levels. Using data from over 37,000 K–8 students across 10 states, this study examined how the effectiveness of practicing below-, on-, or above-grade math content in IXL—a widely-used online learning platform—varied by prior achievement. Multilevel models showed that all students benefited from on- and above-grade content. Lower-achieving students benefited most from on-grade content, while higher-achieving students gained most from above-grade content. Below-grade practice helped lower-achieving students, but not higher-achieving students. These results underscore the need to align online practice with students’ zones of proximal development to support effective, differentiated instruction at scale.

Authors

• Erjing Zhang, University of California - Los Angeles

• Xiaozhu An, IXL Learning

• Mary Hargis, IXL Learning

• Christina C Schonberg, IXL Learning

• Bozhidar M. Bashkov, IXL Learning