IXL Math and ELA Efficacy: ESSA Research Report

Students using IXL experience significantly greater growth on the NWEA MAP assessments for math and ELA than students without IXL.

With this study, IXL Math and IXL ELA meet the criteria for Tier II evidence-based interventions set by the U.S. Department of Education's Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Predictive validity of IXL’s Real-Time Diagnostic

This study proved the predictive validity of the Real-Time Diagnostic, finding strong positive correlations between the Real-Time Diagnostic and the NWEA MAP Growth math and reading assessments.

Additionally, for both subjects, students whose Real-Time Diagnostic scores were on or above grade level were more likely to have MAP scores equal to or above MAP norm levels.

Impact of IXL Professional Development Programs

Schools that participated in IXL Professional Development programs showed a significant increase in student engagement with IXL.

Those schools also had higher proficiency rates on the Illinois state assessments for both math and ELA, compared to IXL schools that did not participate in IXL PD.

Smarter Balanced
Assessment Efficacy

IXL schools across 10 states outperformed the others by 4 percentile points on the Smarter Balanced Assessments for math and English language arts.

Low-income schools and schools with high numbers of English language learners made even greater gains on their standardized assessments.

California
Statewide Efficacy

IXL schools performed better than non-IXL schools on both the math and ELA sections of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP).

The expected number of students with proficient scores on the CAASPP would increase by 8.5% for math and 10% for ELA if students mastered one additional IXL skill per week.

Improving Outcomes in a Before-School Math Lab

IXL boosted scores on the math section of the California Standardized Test (CST) in a Title I elementary school by 23 points.

After the school stopped using IXL, the school saw a 24 point drop on 4th grade CST scores in math.

IXL's Impact on California Dashboard Rating

California schools using IXL have a higher probability of achieving the most desirable ratings (Blue and Green) on the California Dashboard for both math and ELA.

Over a three-year period, IXL schools outperform non-IXL schools by 8% on the Dashboard for math and 10% on the Dashboard for ELA.

Illinois
Statewide Efficacy

The proficiency rate on the PARCC in schools using IXL for one year was 5 percentile points higher in math and 4 percentile points higher in ELA compared to schools not using IXL.

Schools using IXL for two years had a PARCC proficiency rate 9 percentile points higher in math and 8 percentile points higher in ELA compared to non-IXL schools.

Texas
Statewide Efficacy

Texas schools using IXL outperformed schools without IXL on STAAR exams, by as much as 11 percentile points on math, 17 percentile points on reading, and 8 percentile points on writing.

Schools using both IXL Math and ELA received better accountability ratings from the Texas Education Agency (i.e., showed higher achievement, made more progress, and closed achievement gaps better) than similar schools using just one IXL subject.

Florida
Statewide Efficacy

Schools using IXL for at least one year had an ELA passing rate 7 percentile points higher on the Florida State Assessment (FSA) compared to schools not using IXL.

In schools using IXL for two years, the math passing rate on the FSA was 15 percentile points higher in schools compared to non-IXL schools.

New York
Statewide Efficacy

New York schools using IXL outperformed schools without IXL on the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP) and Regents Exams.

In 2013, schools using IXL for at least 3 years outperformed non-IXL schools by 13 points on the math Performance Index (PI).

By 2014, the PI gap between the same schools grew to 15 points. In 2015, the PI gap jumped to 18 points.

Virginia
Statewide Efficacy

Schools using IXL outperformed schools not using IXL on the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests, by 5 percentile points in math and ELA, and this positive effect was even higher in low-income schools and rural schools.

Schools that discontinued IXL usage showed a performance drop on the SOL math and reading tests, by as much as 7 percentile points.

North Carolina
Statewide Efficacy

Thirty-two percent of schools using two IXL subjects and 30 percent of schools with one IXL subject improved their school performance grades on the North Carolina EOG and EOC exams, compared to just 18 percent of non-IXL schools.

Schools using IXL Math for three school years demonstrated increasing gains over time, growing by 3 percentile points in the first year to a growth of 7 percentile points in the third year.

Indiana
Statewide Efficacy

Indiana schools using IXL outperformed schools without IXL in both math (5 percentile points) and ELA (6 percentile points) on the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus (ISTEP+).

The positive impact of IXL was even greater in low-income schools and urban schools.

Georgia
Statewide Efficacy

Schools that used IXL for one year outperformed schools without IXL by 7 percentile points in ELA and 3 percentile points in math on the Georgia Milestones Assessment System (Georgia Milestones).

Schools that used IXL for two years demonstrated even higher gains, outperforming non-IXL schools by 16 percentile points in ELA and 6 percentile points in math.

New Jersey
Statewide Efficacy

Schools using IXL outperformed schools not using IXL on PARCC, by 4 percentile points in math and 6 percentile points in ELA.

The expected percent proficient on PARCC would increase 12% for math and 4% for ELA if students mastered one additional IXL skill per week.

Minnesota
Statewide Efficacy

On the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA), the proficiency rate for Title I schools using IXL was 8 percentile points higher in math and 13 percentile points higher in ELA compared to Title I schools not using IXL.

Minnesota schools with at least 30% ELLs using IXL had a proficiency rate 7 percentile points higher in math and 12 points higher in ELA compared to high-ELL schools not using IXL.

Hawaii
Statewide Efficacy

Hawaii schools using IXL Math outperformed schools not using IXL by 6 percentile points on the Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA).

The positive effect of IXL Math was even higher for low-performing schools (8 percentile points) and for schools located in towns or rural areas (12 percentile points).

Michigan
Statewide Efficacy

Elementary and middle schools using IXL outperformed schools not using IXL on the M-STEP for math and ELA.

Schools using both IXL Math and IXL ELA also received better accountability ratings in the Michigan School Index System (i.e., higher overall index value, proficiency index value, and growth index value).

Massachusetts
Statewide Efficacy

Massachusetts schools using IXL outperformed schools with IXL on the Next-Gen MCAS for math and English language arts.

The IXL effect was even greater in schools in urban areas and low-performing schools.

Impact of IXL Science in a Massachusetts School District

Students who practiced more on IXL Science performed better on the MCAS-Science and Technology/Engineering exam, by as much as 16 percentile points.

Specifically, when students spent more time, answered more questions, practiced more skills, and/or reached proficiency or mastery on more skills, they scored higher than students with lower usage of IXL.

Pennsylvania
Statewide Efficacy

Schools using IXL improved their performance on the PSSA and Keystone Exams for math and English language arts compared to schools not using IXL.

In addition, analysis showed that if students mastered just one more IXL skill per week, their school would increase their proficiency rate by 13 points in math and 15 points in ELA.

Ohio
Statewide Efficacy

IXL schools outperformed schools without IXL on Ohio's State Tests and the longer they used IXL, the more growth they experienced.

Schools using IXL were more likely to receive an overall school grade of A or B on the Ohio School Report Card than schools without IXL.

Students Show Greater Growth on MAP Test with IXL

After practicing on IXL Math for one school year, 5th grade students in Iowa demonstrated larger gains on the NWEA MAP test, with 65% of IXL students exceeding normative growth, compared to only 41% of students who did not use IXL.

English language learners and students in special education programs made the most improvement compared to students without access to IXL.

IXL Improves Math Skills in Title I School

With the support of IXL Math and intervention groups, 4th grade students in a Title I school in Washington outperformed their peers and exceeded the district average on the Smarter Balanced assessment (SBA).

88 percent of students who used IXL met or exceeded grade-level standards compared to only 49 percent of students from the other Title I elementary schools in the same district.

IXL Drives Student Achievement in Math

IXL's effect on the Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (OAKS) math test scores is equivalent to 6.2 weeks of extra instructional time each year, according to results from a study conducted in an Oregon school district.

100 percent of teachers surveyed said that their students' confidence in learning math increased.

IXL for RTI Leads to School Turnaround

By incorporating IXL into their Response to Intervention (RTI) strategy, a rural high school in Kentucky skyrocketed from below the 5th percentile in state rankings to a 97th percentile state ranking in just two years.

By the second year, 30 percent of the high school Individualized Education Plan (IEP) students passed the state end-of-course assessment for Algebra I, compared to 15 percent statewide.

Alabama
Statewide Efficacy

Schools using IXL STEM products (IXL Math and/or IXL Science) outperformed non-IXL schools on the corresponding Scantron assessment (8 percentile points in math and 4 percentile points in science).

Schools that used IXL Math and/or IXL Science were also 1.79 times more likely to receive letter grades of A or B than schools that did not use IXL.