On March 12, a group of dedicated IXL volunteers braved stormy weather and partnered with the Pacifica Beach Coalition to clean up the beautiful Sharp Park Beach.

As waves crashed against the shore and wind whipped our faces, we fanned out across the beach in search of trash and debris. In addition to collecting obvious items, we scoured the beach for smaller, often overlooked items, such as cigarette butts and bits of Styrofoam or plastic, which fish, birds, and other wildlife often mistake for food. We paid special attention to clearing away cigarette butts, which have plastic non-biodegradable filters and contain toxic chemicals which can poison the environment.

In addition to removing smaller items from the beach, we cleared away construction debris, fishing line, a light bulb, and bottles. In total, we removed over 60 pounds of garbage from the beach in less than an hour! We left the cleanup feeling energized with the knowledge that cleanups like these not only make the beach more beautiful, they also help to preserve the environment and protect wildlife.

To learn about volunteer opportunities with the Pacifica Beach Coalition, please visit http://pacificabeachcoalition.org/.

By Amanda Chen, Senior Membership Specialist

    

Testing season is here in full force. You’ve spent the year preparing students as best you can, and now it’s time for them to show what they’ve learned. But even while they put their academic knowledge to the test, you can help them succeed with some of these tips to make students’ school day as conducive to testing as possible.

Keep parents in the loop

Good test scores start at home. While you can’t control many of the variables, you can make sure parents are aware of the testing schedule. Communicating with them about the importance of plentiful sleep and good breakfasts around testing time will go a long way toward ensuring your students are in peak form. It’s also worth considering reducing or eliminating the homework load during testing periods, so students can be well rested and focused on the task at hand.

Feed their brains

For the actual day of testing, there’s not much better motivation than the time-honored tradition of providing food. By offering a simple breakfast on testing days, you’ll give students something to look forward to, as well as giving them the energy and nutrition they’ll need to stay focused during the long days of testing.

Savor the scents

This one’s a little out of the box, but there’s some evidence that peppermint improves concentration, so during the test itself, you can hand out peppermints. Citrus fruits, aside from being a tasty and healthy snack, also alleviate stress and reduce anxiety. And, if you’re brave enough, you can even let students chew gum during the test. The novelty effect and the simple movement can help students focus, especially those with ADD/ADHD.

What are your standardized testing strategies?

    

We don’t want you to just take our word for it that IXL Math works. That’s why we’re sharing the evidence from two independent research studies: one from an RTI model in a rural Kentucky high school and another from a before-school math lab in a California elementary school. Read on to find out the results!

From “Needs Improvement” to “Distinguished” in a Kentucky High School

A case study was conducted at a rural Kentucky high school which had been designated as “Needs Improvement” based on low test scores compared to state averages. In 2011, the school was ranked in the bottom 5% of schools statewide and selected for intense, targeted intervention.

As part of the two-year turnaround program, the school’s Response to Intervention (RTI) program was overhauled and IXL Math was provided as the only program for additional math support.

As a result of these changes, the school made a dramatic about-face, rocketing from the bottom 5% of state rankings to the 97^th percentile. In 2014, the school was designated a “School of Distinction” by the state commissioner of education and now serves as an example for school improvement for the rest of the state.

The study authors point to the use of a committed RTI approach and differentiated instructional support for students as key factors in the turnaround—and IXL Math was a core part of this RTI model.

Improving Outcomes in a 4^th Grade Before-School Math Lab

In a recent study, 4^th graders using IXL Math in a before-school math lab demonstrated significant gains on the math portion of the California Standardized Test (CST). The math lab was implemented at San Joaquin Elementary School in California, and the program ran from January through April in both 2011 and 2012.

The study examined the impact of the program by analyzing test results of groups of students for the two years before the implementation of the lab, the two years during which the lab was in place, and one year after the lab was discontinued. In 2011, the year the math lab was put in place, there was a 10-point increase on the math portion of the CST. In 2012, CST results went up another 13 points, for a total increase of 23 points compared to pre-math lab results. In 2013, when the math lab was discontinued, the school saw a 24-point drop on 4^th grade CST scores in math.

The researcher concluded, “This data showed the clearest evidence that students scored significantly higher when the lab was available to them.” Since IXL Math was the only intervention provided during the math lab, the study provides strong evidence that IXL Math has a positive impact on standardized test scores, even when used for a limited time.

There are lots of IXL success stories, but these two demonstrate how valuable IXL can be, from elementary to high school and with a variety of implementation models.

To read the full research report, download it here.

    

This is no April Fool’s joke! The IXL Spring Learning Showdown is returning April 1^st. Challenge your class to answer as many questions as they can in one month for the chance to win prizes!

Last year, we had over 5,000 classes register and students collectively answered over 70 million questions! Prepare yourselves because we expect fierce competition again this year.

Nine classrooms will take home a prize: three elementary, three middle, and three high school. The classrooms with the highest average completed problems per student will win a pizza party! We’ll post leaderboard updates April 15 and April 22 so you can monitor your standing, and we’ll announce the winners on May 4.

Register your classroom here by April 30. Keep reading for the full contest rules and answers to frequently asked questions. Best of luck!

Contest Rules

Eligibility: All participating classrooms must register online by April 30 by completing the form here. Eligible registrations should include an accurate IXL username–IXL is not responsible for incorrect or incomplete registrations. Classrooms must be part of an active IXL site, special or classroom subscription at a public or private elementary, middle or high school.

Determination of winners: IXL will select the three PreK-4th grade classrooms, three 5th-8th grade classrooms, and three 9th-12th grade classrooms (9 classrooms total) that have completed the most average questions per student on IXL between April 1, 2016, at 12:01 am (PST) and April 30, 2016, at 11:59 pm (PST). Winners will be announced on May 4, 2016. Questions in all subjects on the classroom’s subscription (math, language arts, science and social studies) will be counted. Questions completed as part of a trial will not be eligible. For students in grades PK-4, questions in all grade levels will be counted. For students in grades 5-8, only questions from grade 3 and above are eligible, while for students in grades 9-12, only questions in grade 7 and above will be counted. Skills that are repeated after they have been mastered once during the contest period will not be counted. No more than 70 questions answered by one student in a single skill (prior to reaching a score of 100) will be eligible. The total number of eligible problems completed will be divided by the total number of students in each class as of their entry date. In the event of a tie, the classroom with the higher percentage of correctly answered eligible questions will win. This contest is intended to encourage students to practice their skills and gain confidence in their skills; any practice that does not conform to the spirit of the contest will be eliminated at IXL’s discretion.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check the number of questions my class has completed?

Sign in to your IXL account and visit the “Students Quickview” report, which can be found by clicking on the “Analytics” tab. You can also find it by visiting https://www.ixl.com/analytics/students-quickview. Once you reach this report, set the time range to “This month”, select the subject/s you practiced, and set the grade levels if needed.

Are problems for all subjects counted?

Yes, practice in all subjects on your subscription will be counted. We will not count practice in subjects for which you have a trial, however.

Is practice counted starting April 1, or starting when I registered?

Practice will be counted starting April 1, no matter when you registered—just make sure you register here by the deadline of April 30!

Will you be posting rankings so we can see where we stand in the competition?

Yes, we will be posting leaderboards of the top classes on April 15 and April 22. The leaderboards will be posted on the IXL blog (http://blog.ixl.com/) and on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/IXL). Winners will be announced May 4.

Will IXL count questions for previously mastered skills?

If the skills were mastered prior to the start of the contest, students can go back and practice them again, and those questions will count toward this contest. However, after they master the skill during the contest period, any further practice will not count.

Will IXL count incorrectly answered questions? Will questions practiced outside of the students’ grade level be counted?

Yes and yes! We encourage students to practice above or below grade level, and we want them to know that it’s okay to make mistakes and then learn from them. For students in grades PK-4, questions in all grade levels will be counted. For students in grades 5-8, only questions from grade 3 and above are counted, while students in grades 9-12 must practice in grade 7 or above.

If you have any further questions, please send an email to ixl-info@ixl.com.

    

Today, we’re bringing you a guest post by Ian Moore, an Educational Sales Consultant with IXL. In this post, he explains what a growth mindset is and shares his insights and expertise on how to cultivate this mentality in students.

The school year is quickly approaching its end! It’s evident in the number of teachers and students frantically preparing for End of Course tests. You, as the teacher, have done all you can, but you still have concerns that it’s just not enough. Your district has spent money on test prep books, bought the whole school “Rock the Test” T-shirts, and even hired the greatest motivational speaker your remaining budget could afford. But wait, there might be something missing…

1. Study guide… check!
2. Calculator… check!
3. No. 2 pencil… check!
4. Lucky T-shirt… check!
5. Mindset… uhh… mindset… umm…

After studying growth mindset for a number of years, I’ve discovered that the key to success in education has little to do with curriculum. What matters are the beliefs of the individual about their inherent abilities. Your students’ attitude, effort, and grades are the fruit of what they’re thinking, not a reflection of their intelligence. The most important factor in student achievement is rarely addressed in the classroom: moving students from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.

Changing a mindset is not something we can do overnight, but here are three strategies you can begin today to implement growth mindsets in the classroom:

• The Power of Images: Kids are inundated with strong negative images that help shape their thoughts about themselves and their abilities. To counter this, you can place positive affirmations and pictures of success throughout your class. It should be the first thing they see when they walk in and the last thing they see when they walk out. The more positive images are stamped in a child’s brain, the greater the chance they will believe that they can succeed in their educational pursuits.
• Watch Your Words: The spoken word has powerful consequences. As teachers, you have the opportunity to shape minds and that is an awesome duty! You must not be casual with your words, but intentional. You have power to lift students up or tear them down, and what you say has the power to last a lifetime, for good and bad. Saying things like “you’re just not good at math,” “you’re not that smart,” or “you won’t amount to much” has implications far beyond your classroom. Instead, use the power of your words with growth mindset in mind.
• More Than a Number: Technology can help you foster a growth mindset in the classroom. First, let’s take a look at a typical paper worksheet. When a student hands in an assignment with 20 questions and receives it back with 10 wrong, that student has been identified by their grade. They have failed, and they internalize that they are a failure. If this continues, the student creates in their mind an expectation of failure, and therefore, won’t try hard enough the next time. However, with an adaptive edtech tool like IXL, students now have the ability to become a master as opposed to being labeled a failure. IXL’s content and scoring system are designed so that it’s not about just getting a percentage of questions right; it’s about helping all students gain excellence, and allowing them to do so at their own pace.

As you think about your day-to-day work as a teacher, be mindful that there are things you can do that are far more powerful than your classroom work. You may be a great teacher with the latest, greatest curriculum, but the key ingredient is creating a growth mindset in your students. As the old axiom goes, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Let’s make sure that our students are truly ready.

    

Poetry can be a tough sell to kids and adults alike. But it doesn’t have to be! By exploring the power and emotion conveyed in just a few lines of poetry, you’ll get kids thinking critically about all sorts of topics. Short poems are the perfect way to warm up a class or to get a dinner conversation going. Read on for 10 poems that pack a whole lot of meaning in 10 lines or less!

1. “Fog” by Carl Sandburg

2. “The Red Wheelbarrow” by William Carlos Williams

3. “i shall imagine life” by e.e. cummings

4. “The Sun Sets in Molten Gold” by Li Ching Chao

5. “First Fig” by Edna St. Vincent Millay

6. “A House of Cards” by Christina Rossetti

7. “Parting” by Emily Dickinson

8. “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost

9. “XIV” from The Book of Questions by Pablo Neruda

10. “Risk” by Anaïs Nin

    

The world is a wide and wacky place, and what better time to introduce students to some of its wonders than Earth Day! IXL Training Specialist Kelly Oh has created four lesson plans, which use IXL’s science content, along with other resources, to teach third and fourth graders about weather, climate, and animal traits and adaptations. The lesson plans, as well as related worksheets and rubrics, are all available for download here.

As your students work through these four lessons, they’ll learn the difference between weather and climate and how climate can affect an animal’s traits and adaptations. Through the course of these lessons, students will get to design their own imaginary animals, built with traits or adaptations for specific climates.

Day 1

On the first day, you’ll introduce students to the concepts of weather and climate. By reading suggested texts and completing the accompanying Climate Study Sheet, students will discuss different aspects of climate. They can also practice these concepts through relevant IXL skills.

Day 2

On the second day, you’ll cover the term “traits” with students. Students will illustrate an imaginary animal on the provided worksheet, making sure to design and explain the traits that enable it to survive in an Arctic environment. Students will also use IXL skills to develop their understanding of traits.

Day 3

The third day focuses on adaptations. Students will use IXL skills to practice their knowledge by identifying adaptations and how they differ from traits. Following that, students will further explore adaptations through online text and video resources.

Day 4

On the last day, students will use their Arctic animal as a reference while brainstorming adaptations that a new animal would need to survive in a rainforest climate. Students will create and illustrate a modified rainforest animal on the provided worksheet. To close, students will have the opportunity to share their animal designs with the class!

The full lesson plans and related materials are available for download below:

Earth Day Lesson Plan

Day 1 Climate Study Sheet

Day 2 Build an Animal (Arctic) Sheet

Day 2 Animal-Building Rubric (Arctic)

Day 4 Build an Animal (Rainforest) Sheet

Day 4 Animal-Building Rubric (Rainforest)

How will you be celebrating Earth Day with your class?

    

Recently some of the engineers from our mobile team went on a field trip—back to school! Corey Zilli, an IXL Educational Sales Consultant, went along with them and is here to report the story.

A few weeks ago, I went with two engineers from the IXL mobile team to visit John Kelley Elementary School in Thermal, CA. The school graciously allowed us to come observe how their students use the IXL iPad app. John Kelley Elementary is a 1:1 iPad school and integrates IXL into their daily math practice. We were able to spend a couple of hours with Mr. Elizondo’s and Mr. Gutierrez’s fourth-grade students. And what we saw was amazing!

Each teacher taught the day’s lesson by using their document camera to project it on a screen while the students took notes. After the lesson, the class worked together on IXL, and then, each student took out their iPad to begin practicing. All of the IXL lessons that students were supposed to practice that day were written on the whiteboard under a section marked “Assignments.” In fact, every day the lessons are written in the same spot so every student can easily see the work for the day.

Meanwhile, the engineers and I walked around the classroom to observe how each student interacted with the app. As a former teacher, I was very impressed with the behavior of these students in both classrooms. The students quietly took out their iPads and notepaper and began working independently. Not only were the students using the IXL app to practice, but they were also learning to organize their work. Each student first had to show their work on the problem before submitting their answer. Once they mastered a skill, they took a screenshot and sent it to their teacher to view. Both teachers really embraced IXL in their classroom and used it as an integral part of their math curriculum.

One highlight for me was when I showed Mr. Elizondo how to enable the audio feature for grades 2–5. He and the students were both so excited. John Kelley Elementary has a high population of ELL and ELD students, so this feature is extremely helpful. Mr. Elizondo then explained how to use the feature to the students, and right away, they all reached into their desks to grab headphones, plug them in, and continue to work—so impressive.

As we spent time with the students, we heard their feedback on the app, including their likes and dislikes. Our engineers were able to take the students’ feedback to the rest of the mobile team and are using it to help make upgrades and changes.

Overall, we had a wonderful experience. The students and school staff were so welcoming and invited us to come back any time to visit. The students couldn’t believe that we were the “ones who made IXL” and asked us tons of questions. The mobile team had a great time seeing their hard work in action!

    

For most of us, the experience of learning to read is a distant, fading memory. It’s hard to put ourselves back in the shoes of young students as they painstakingly sound out words. Whether you teach kids who are just beginning to develop literacy skills or work with English language learners who aren’t yet literate in English, the following exercise can help you relive the process of learning to read and better understand the struggles your students face!

Are you familiar with the concept the “Curse of Knowledge”? It’s a term that refers to how hard it is imagine what it’s like to not know something. It especially holds true for something as integral and commonplace in our lives as reading. Because we already have a strong base in reading, the Curse of Knowledge makes it difficult to remember the lengthy process it took to acquire our reading skills.

We’ve created the following exercise to help lift this curse. You know your ABCs and aren’t likely to forget them, but you’re probably not familiar with alif, baa, taa (unless you speak Arabic, in which case, try this exercise with Russian or another language). So let’s jump right in, shall we?

First of all, you don’t expect students to memorize the alphabet in one sitting, and neither are we going to conquer the entire alphabet all at once. Instead, let’s learn the first three letters of the Arabic alphabet. They’re pictured below, along with the letter names.

Alright, you already know that when you read, you read right to left. What? That’s not the direction you read? Let’s back up a moment then. In Arabic, you read right to left, which means that alif is the first letter of the alphabet, baa the second, and taa the third. Now, how on earth do you pronounce these letters? Lucky for you, it’s actually pretty simple.

alif = long a, as in “father”

baa = b as in “bat”

taa = t as in “ten”

So far, so good. Just one last thing before we start reading some words. Arabic letters look different depending on their position in a word. You’ve already learned their independent forms, but some letters take on initial, medial, and final forms to connect with the surrounding letters. The chart below shows you these forms.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_alphabet

Ready to start reading? Try sounding out the following two words:

What sounds did you get? You should have read bab for the word on the right and ab for the word on the left. (In case you’re wondering bab means “door” and ab means “father.”)

Let’s keep reading! Just two more words:

These were harder, weren’t they? And what’s up with all those funny little w’s? The answer’s pretty simple: you haven’t had the chance to learn all the letters or all the rules yet. And it’s often frustrating to struggle with something we don’t understand.

This quick exercise is intended to give you greater insight into the challenges your students face on a daily basis, whether it’s learning to read or learning long division or what caused the American Revolution. It’s easy to forget that concepts often aren’t as simple they seem, but hopefully now, you can head back to the classroom with even greater empathy.

    

Wow! We’re already blown away by the number of classrooms who have entered and the amount of questions that have been answered. Check out the current standings below to see if your class ranks in the Top 20 of their grade bracket!

We’re amazed at the dedication and hard work students have put into this contest so far. We hope these stats will encourage your class to keep working to win that pizza party! And, without further ado, here are the current rankings*:

Elementary School (grades PreK–4)

1. Tracy Albiero’s class, Concord Christian Academy, Concord, NH – 4,770 questions per student
2. Charles Rogalla’s class, Tara Elementary School, Bradenton, FL – 3,294 questions per student
3. Matthew Laho’s class, CLK Elementary, Calumet, MI – 2,642 questions per student
4. Abigail Davis’ class, Clinton Central Elementary, Michagantown, IN – 2,589 questions per student
5. Donna Nixon’s class, Braden River Elementary, Bradenton, FL – 2,341 questions per students
6. Linda Lemons’ class, Galatia Grade School, Galatia, IL -2,280 questions per student
7. Mary Pekkala’s class, St. John’s Episcopal Parish Day School, Tampa, FL – 2,233 questions per student
8. Diana Ruiz’s class, Colegio Ingles, San Pedro, Mexico – 2,192 questions per student
9. Jan Ben-Rajab’s class, Mililani Mauka Elementary, Mililani, HI – 2,135 questions per student
10. Chris Friedrich’s class, St. John’s Episcopal Parish Day School, Tampa, FL – 2,071 questions per student
11. Marianne Paras’ class, St. John’s Episcopal Parish Day School, Tampa, FL – 1,980 questions per student
12. Chuck Chisam’s class, Lipscomb Academy, Nashville, TN – 1,956 questions per student
13. Kyle Reeves’ class, MSD Warren Township, Indianapolis, IN – 1,846 questions per student
14. Stephanie Lam’s class, Mililani Mauka Elementary, Mililani, HI – 1,830 questions per student
15. Robert Smith’s class, Brodgen Primary School, Mt. Olive, NC – 1,825 questions per student
16. Jyme Beth Powell’s class, Checotah Intermediate, Checotah, OK – 1,796 questions per student
17. Jenna Young’s second grade class, Bear Valley Elementary School, Moreno Valley, CA – 1,770 questions per student
18. Eileen Marinacci’s class, Hite Saunders Elementary School, Huntington, WV – 1,746 questions per student
19. Gina Marchionda-Schneider’s class, Lakeshore Elementary School, Fond du Lac, WI – 1,675 questions per student
20. Rick Gabler’s class, Jeffrey Clark School, Mickleton, NJ – 1,674 questions per student

Middle School (grades 5–8)

1. Kalynn Viramontes’ 6th Grade Girls class, RCMA Leadership Academy, Wimauma, FL – 3,943 questions per student
2. Kalynn Viramontes’ Algebra class, RCMA Leadership Academy, Wimauma, FL – 3,668 questions per student
3. Kalynn Viramontes’ 6th Grade Boys class, RCMA Leadership Academy, Wimauma, FL – 3,605 questions per student
4. Kalynn Viramontes’ 7th Grade Math class, RCMA Leadership Academy, Wimauma, FL – 2,809 questions per student
5. Danira Ortiz’s class, Dr. Earl Calcutt Middle School, Central Falls, RI – 1,780 questions per student
6. Jileen Flynn’s class, Warwick Valley Middle School, Warwick, NY – 1,564 questions per student
7. Genevieve Kurian’s class, RCMA Leadership Academy, Wimauma, FL – 1,336 questions per student
8. Matthew Ferrara’s Math 7a class, Saint Pius X School, North Caldwell, NJ – 1,322 questions per student
9. Geoff Mahan’s class, Wheeler Elementary School, Salmon, ID – 1,302 questions per student
10. Sharon Sharp’s class, Harkers Island Elementary School, Harkers Island, NC – 1,282 questions per student
11. Ashlie White’s 8th Grade Language Arts class, Friend School, Chickasha, OK – 1,242 questions per student
12. Cathy McCune’s Language Arts 2 class, Sebastian Middle School, Jackson, KY – 1,216 questions per student
13. Ginny Clasby’s ELL History class, Concord Christian Academy, Concord, NH – 1,213 questions per student
14. Roberto Barboza’s August class, Rice Elementary School, West Covina, CA – 1,164 questions per student
15. Lisa Patterson’s Honors 71 class, Thomas G. Pullen School, Landover, MD – 1,143 questions per student
16. Veronica Crawford’s Math Wilson class, Arlington Elementary School, Arlington, OH – 1,123 questions per student
17. Heather Russler’s 5B class, St. Benedict Cathedral School, Evansville, IN – 1,122 questions per student
18. Warren Lee’s 5th Grade class, RCMA Academy, Wimauma, FL – 1,109 questions per student
19. Michelle Wilcox’s class, Cordelia Hills Elementary School, Fairfield, CA – 1,092 questions per student
20. Amanda Ervin’s Tussing 6th Grade class, Phoenix Christian School, Phoenix, AZ – 1,078 questions per student

High School (grades 9–12)

1. Mary Lingenfelter’s Algebra 2 class, Wausa Public School, Wausa, NE – 1,108 questions per student
2. Kevin Rawson’s class, Palma School, Salinas, CA – 823 questions per student
3. Elizabeth Thompson’s Room 309 class, Walt Disney Magnet School, Chicago, IL – 741 questions per student
4. Kory Schweiss’ 5th hour Algebra 1B class, Central R-3 High School, Park Hills, MO – 607 questions per student
5. Kory Schweiss’ 3rd hour Algebra class, Central R-3 High School, Park Hills, MO – 585 questions per student
6. Tammy Robbins’ ELA 7A class, Crothersville Junior-Senior High School – Crothersville, IN – 579 questions per student
7. Kory Schweiss’ 2nd hour Algebra class, Central R-3 High School, Park Hills, MO – 569 questions per student
8. Melanie Brown’s 2nd Block PreAlgebra class, Jackson Christian School, Jackson, TN – 528 questions per student
9. Elizabeth Thompson’s Room 304 class, Walt Disney Magnet School, Chicago, IL – 523 questions per student
10. Ramona White’s Geometry First class, Zwolle High School, Zwolle, LA – 512 questions per student
11. Rod Brenize’s Honors Pre Calc Block 3 Spring 2016 class, Manheim Central School, Manheim, PA – 511 questions per student
12. Kory Schweiss’ 6th hour Algebra 1 class, Central R-3 High School, Park Hills, MO – 506 questions per student
13. Beth Delp’s 2nd CHS class, Cloudland High School, Roan Mountain, TN – 503 questions per student
14. Kathy Rolfs’ 9th grade F Block class, Maclay School, Tallahassee, FL – 501 questions per student
15. Diane Ashour’s 9G class, The Highlands School, Irving, TX – 491 questions per student
16. Jamie Moodie’s 8A class, Colegio Jorge Washington, Catagena, Colombia – 489 questions per student
17. Kory Schweiss’ 4th hour Algebra 1 class, Central R-3 High School, Park Hills, MO – 487.2 questions per student
18. Kathy Rolfs’ 9th Grade A Block 201516, Maclay School, Tallahassee, FL – 486.8 questions per student
19. Melanie Brown’s 1st Block PreAlgebra class, Jackson Christian School, Jackson, TN – 478 questions per student
20. Krishaun Adams’ 1st Block class, Dixie High School, Due West, SC – 471 questions per student

The contest runs until April 30, so your class still has time to practice and take one of the top spots!

If you haven’t already, register your classroom here by April 30, and read the full contest rules and FAQs in our original post. If you have any further questions, send an email to ixl-info@ixl.com.

*Results as of April 14, 10:45 a.m. Pacific Time. Due to large number of entries, we are unable to share rankings for classrooms outside of the top 20.

    

It’s no secret that English spelling is complex. What’s often forgotten is that it takes children a long time to master the skill, and let’s not kid ourselves: plenty of adults still grapple with it too (to? two?). In light of these reasons, some people are advocating for a reform of the system, whether through a complete overhaul or more targeted changes. So is there any weight to their (there? they’re?) argument?

What’s so weird about English spelling? Well to start with, it has 205 ways to spell just 44 sounds. Then it has the quirk of both representing the same sounds with different letters (neighbor, way, whey) and of representing different sounds with the same letters (cough, through, furlough, bough). Then there are homophones—words that sound the same but have different spellings—like weight and wait and heteronyms—words that sound different but have the same spelling—like read. In fact, by one analysis, of the 7,000 most common English words, 60 percent of them have one or more unpredictably used letter.

This system requires abilities that most kids don’t develop until middle or late elementary school. There’s no systematic way to become literate in English; it entails lots of memorization. Plus, with a system that’s hard to master, not everyone is able to conquer spelling and achieve a high literacy level.

And in case you’re thinking all languages are like this: they’re not. Languages like Finnish or Korean, and to a lesser extent Spanish, have very regular spelling systems that children are able to pick up quickly. According to one study, children in most European countries needed just a year or less to master the fundamentals of reading and writing; by contrast, English-speaking children needed about three years. Furthermore, English-speaking children generally need at least 10 years to reach moderate proficiency in spelling.

So, what do you think? Is the English spelling system in need of reform? Or is it fine just the way it is?

For more information on this topic, check out this great piece from The Atlantic.

    

We’re nearing the finish line for this year’s Spring Showdown, and your classes continue impressing us with their dedication and drive to win! Here’s the second leaderboard update—take a look to see if your class is in the Top 20*!

Elementary School (grades PreK–4)

1. Tracy Albiero’s class, Concord Christian Academy, Concord, NH – 6,362 questions per student
2. Charles Rogalla’s class, Tara Elementary School, Bradenton, FL – 5,203 questions per student
3. Donna Nixon’s class, Braden River Elementary, Bradenton, FL – 4,226 questions per students
4. Matthew Laho’s class, CLK Elementary, Calumet, MI – 3,806 questions per student
5. Linda Lemons’ class, Galatia Grade School, Galatia, IL -3,389 questions per student
6. Mary Pekkala’s class, St. John’s Episcopal Parish Day School, Tampa, FL – 3,348 questions per student
7. Abigail Davis’ class, Clinton Central Elementary, Michagantown, IN – 3,316 questions per student
8. Chris Friedrich’s class, St. John’s Episcopal Parish Day School, Tampa, FL – 3,159 questions per student
9. Jenna Young’s second grade class, Bear Valley Elementary School, Moreno Valley, CA – 3,087 questions per student
10. Diana Ruiz’s class, Colegio Ingles, San Pedro, Mexico – 2,799 questions per student
11. Rebekah Dozier’s Blue class, Coles Ferry Elementary, Lebanon, TN – 2,666 questions per student
12. Jyme Beth Powell’s class, Checotah Intermediate, Checotah, OK – 2,664 questions per student
13. Regina Marie Muna’s Math 4 class, Noblesse International School, Angeles City, Philippines – 2,651 questions per student
14. Pam Wimer’s Grade 3 class, St. Mary’s School, Moscow, Idaho – 2,640 questions per student
15. Marianne Paras’ class, St. John’s Episcopal Parish Day School, Tampa, FL – 2,631 questions per student
16. Kyle Reeves’ class, MSD Warren Township, Indianapolis, IN – 2,558 questions per student
17. Robert Smith’s class, Brodgen Primary School, Mt. Olive, NC – 2,489 questions per student
18. Rick Gabler’s class, Jeffrey Clark School, Mickleton, NJ – 2,457 questions per student
19. Jan Ben-Rajab’s class, Mililani Mauka Elementary, Mililani, HI – 2,401 questions per student
20. Gina Marchionda-Schneider’s class, Lakeshore Elementary School, Fond du Lac, WI – 2,373 questions per student

Middle School (grades 5–8)

1. Kalynn Viramontes’ 6th Grade Girls class, RCMA Leadership Academy, Wimauma, FL – 5,664 questions per student
2. Kalynn Viramontes’ 6th Grade Boys class, RCMA Leadership Academy, Wimauma, FL – 5,437 questions per student
3. Kalynn Viramontes’ Algebra class, RCMA Leadership Academy, Wimauma, FL – 5,045 questions per student
4. Elayne Santos’ 707 class, JHS 80 Isobel Rooney, Bronx, NY – 4,436 questions per student
5. Kalynn Viramontes’ 7th Grade Math class, RCMA Leadership Academy, Wimauma, FL – 3,840 questions per student
6. Mafe Maldonado’s Fifth class, Montessori Academy (grades 3-5) – 3,520 questions per student
7. Joe Solomon’s class, St. Mary School, Charlevoix, MI – 3,465 questions per student
8. Jessica Weber’s class, Two Springs Elementary, Bellevue, NE – 3,462 questions per student
9. Brenda Foster’s class, St. Paul Elementary & Middle School, Saint Paul, AR – 3,319 questions per student
10. Katrina Verge’s 7th grade class, East Middle School, Tullahoma, TN – 2,966 questions per student
11. Melissa Rizza’s Section 8 class, ACES Thomas Edison Middle School, Meriden, CT – 2,892 questions per student
12. Danira Ortiz’s class, Calcutt Middle School, Central Falls, RI – 2,824 questions per student
13. Ashlee Dixon’s 5^th Grade Math #1, Montpelier Elementary School, Montpelier, IN – 2,727 questions per student
14. Elayne Santos’ 706 class, JHS 80 Isobel Rooney, Bronx, NY – 2,705 questions per student
15. Susan Lafferty’s 1st Period class, Montverde Academy, Montverde, FL – 2,696 questions per student
16. Alyson Stiles’ class, Riverview Middle School, Rio Vista, CA – 2,640 questions per student
17. Michelle Wilcox’s class, Cordelia Hills Elementary School, Fairfield, CA – 2,498 questions per student
18. Eileen Marinacci’s class, Hite Saunders Elementary School, Huntington, WV – 2,485 questions per student
19. Ashlee Dixon’s 5^th Grade Math #2, Montpelier Elementary School, Montpelier, IN – 2,403 questions per student
20. Nathan Smith’s 6th Grade class, The Human Experience Orlando, Orlando, FL – 2,395 questions per student

High School (grades 9–12)

1. Kevin Rawson’s class, Palma School, Salinas, CA – 1,623 questions per student
2. Mary Lingenfelter’s Algebra 2 class, Wausa Public School, Wausa, NE – 1,561 questions per student
3. Elizabeth Thompson’s Room 309 class, Walt Disney Magnet School, Chicago, IL – 1,030 questions per student
4. Ramona White’s Geometry First class, Zwolle High School, Zwolle, LA – 833 questions per student
5. Kathy Rolfs’ 9th grade F Block class, Maclay School, Tallahassee, FL – 785 questions per student
6. Kathy Rolfs’ 9th Grade A Block class, Maclay School, Tallahassee, FL – 779 questions per student
7. Tammy Robbins’ ELA 7A class, Crothersville Junior-Senior High School – Crothersville, IN – 766 questions per student
8. Ramona White’s Geometry 4th class, Zwolle High School, Zwolle, LA – 752 questions per student
9. Nicole Metzgar’s ELA LV10 class, Tanalian School, Port Alsworth, AK — 746 questions per student
10. Diane Ashour’s 9G class, The Highlands School, Irving, TX – 690 questions per student
11. Kory Schweiss’ 5th hour Algebra 1B class, Central R-3 High School, Park Hills, MO – 686 questions per student
12. Kory Schweiss’ 3rd hour Algebra class, Central R-3 High School, Park Hills, MO – 684 questions per student
13. Rod Brenize’s Honors Pre Calc Block 3 class, Manheim Central School, Manheim, PA – 672.6 questions per student
14. Mary Gardner’s class, Craven Early College, New Bern, NC — 672.0 questions per student
15. Kory Schweiss’ 2nd hour Algebra class, Central R-3 High School, Park Hills, MO – 664 questions per student
16. Elizabeth Thompson’s Room 304 class, Walt Disney Magnet School, Chicago, IL – 658 questions per student
17. Kathy Rolfs’ British Lit class, Maclay School, Tallahassee, FL – 641 questions per student
18. Krishaun Adams’ 1st Block class, Dixie High School, Due West, SC – 637 questions per student
19. Tia Shamoon’s Period 3 class, Clinton Jr. High School, Clinton, AR — 628 questions per student
20. Charlette Barnes’s Strategies for Success class, Lumberton High School, Lumberton, NC — 626 questions per student

There’s just a little over a week left in the contest: the last day is April 30. So, encourage your class to finish strong and win that pizza party!

If you haven’t already, register your classroom here by April 30, and read the full contest rules and FAQs in our original post. If you have any further questions, send an email to ixl-info@ixl.com.

*Results as of April 21, 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time. Due to the large number of entries, we are unable to share rankings for classrooms outside of the top 20.

    

Meet Randy Rawlins, a computer whiz and Technical Support Analyst at our Raleigh office. Find out about his racecar aspirations, how he’d survive a zombie apocalypse, and more!

The Basics 

Name and title: Randy Rawlins, Technical Support Analyst 

Has been at IXL for: 9 months

Hometown and current city: Grew up in Lawrenceville, N.J. Currently lives in Raleigh, N.C.

Life at IXL

What did you do before coming to IXL?

Right before I came to IXL, I was the support analyst for a real estate software company. Before that, I was the technology coordinator, and then a computer science teacher, for a school in south Florida—Hollywood Hills Elementary.

What do you do at IXL? What does your role entail?

Day to day, the primary thing is helping customers with any technical issue they encounter on IXL or Quia Web. I take calls and emails from a wide range of subscribers, in the U.S. and internationally, to resolve issues. With intellect, charm, and patience, we walk them through and fix the issue while giving them a great customer experience.

What qualities does it take to do your job?

The key part of the job is the analyst part. When you’re resolving problems on the fly and you’re faced with different technical issues, it’s up to you to piece those things together to come up with a solution. It’s something that requires patience and an ability to quickly resolve issues. It’s kind of like putting together a puzzle or doing detective work.

What’s one of your favorite things about working at IXL?

Oh man, IXL is so open. It’s an energetic company that’s open to new ideas and is definitely moving ahead. It’s great working on an awesome team and being surrounded with a group of smart people with many different skill sets. Everybody is self-motivated and loves where they are and really wants to add to the product, to the workplace, and to the overall IXL experience. I think the name IXLers encompasses everything. [laughs] We are “I excel-ers.”

Life beyond IXL

Tell us about someone you admire.

Bill Gates is a person that I follow. After his Microsoft years, he’s become quite the leader. He’s done a lot of philanthropy work around the world helping those in need.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I actually wanted to be a racecar driver. I really like driving shifter karts [go-karts with gears]. I’ve slowed down a bit now, but “karting” is one of my to-do things when I have free time. I was even briefly in an amateur race league with Xtreme Karting and K1 Speed in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Just for Fun

Mac or PC?

I like Mac for graphic design and PC for everything else.

How would you survive a zombie apocalypse?

Probably run, but with style. [laughs] I’d add some Parkour moves in for that superhero effect!

What’s your favorite pizza topping?

Margherita style: ricotta, fresh tomato, mozzarella, basil, and garlic.

Interested in joining the team? We have openings for Technical Support Analysts in both our San Mateo, Calif. and Raleigh, N.C. offices! Apply here.

    

A mole is a very different concept depending on whether you’re sitting in social studies or science class: are you referring to a spy in the White House or the small burrowing mammal? Regardless, both meanings are related (they both go under the radar) and can cause confusion for students, particularly English language learners. Here’s what to watch out for in the vocabulary of your content area.

Words like “mole” are referred to as polysemous words because they have multiple, yet related, meanings. Polysemy is distinct from homonymy: in the latter, a word’s multiple meanings are unrelated, e.g., left (past tense of leave) and left (opposite of right).

From a teaching perspective, polysemous words can be especially tricky across disciplines since words often shift slightly in meaning. These semantic shifts may be easy for adults with a strong foundation in the English language to grasp, but the same is not always true for students.

To take a quick look at some potential trouble spots, let’s consider the following examples. In math class, a plot is a way to graphically represent a data set, but in English class, it’s the main story of a piece of literature, and in geography, it’s a measured area of land. Or how about a foot which is both the physical appendage you walk on and a unit of measurement? Or the table where you eat lunch versus the multiplication table you have to memorize?

As you’re introducing new concepts and subject-specific vocabulary, don’t forget to check in with your students, especially ELLs, to make sure they understand meanings in context. Of course, it’s impossible to account for all possible meanings of classroom vocabulary, but making a conscious effort to review and clarify polysemous words in your content area will go a long way toward making sure you and your students are on the same page.

Do you have other examples of polysemous words that often come up in the classroom?

    

On April 23, a group of IXLers went back to high school for the day! We helped students at East Palo Alto Academy clean up their campus and prepare for a big school project. East Palo Alto Academy is a small public charter high school that strives to prepare students for college and the 21^st-century workplace.

East Palo Alto Academy does an excellent job of serving an underprivileged community. It offers a lot of support for its students, including a four-year advisory program and mental health counseling, and it has impressively high graduation and college acceptance rates for the area.

The volunteer day was divided into two parts. We spent the morning washing windows and walls and picking up trash around the school. We needed to make sure those windows were squeaky clean, since students will soon be using them to display where they’ll be going to college!

At noon, we took a quick break to enjoy a delicious BBQ lunch, courtesy of the school. Once replenished, we paired up with sophomore students to help them with an end-of-year humanities project about genocide. The sophomores had been working on this project for months and were just a few days away from giving their final PowerPoint presentations to a panel of teacher and community judges. We helped them edit their slides, think through their arguments, and refine their presentations—and we learned a lot ourselves in the process! Overall, the students were all very nice and thankful, and we really enjoyed our time at the school.

To learn more about East Palo Alto Academy, please visit http://www.epaahs.org/.

By Lara Hochstein, Senior Curriculum Designer (ELA)

    

Nearly 15,000 classrooms entered our Spring Learning Showdown, and students collectively answered over 113 million questions. That’s a lot of learning! And now, (drumroll), it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for: time to announce the winners!

Elementary School (grade PreK–4) 

1. Charles Rogalla’s class, Tara Elementary School, Bradenton, FL – 9,341 questions per student
2. Donna Nixon’s class, Braden River Elementary, Bradenton, FL – 8,278 questions per students
3. Tracy Albiero’s class, Concord Christian Academy, Concord, NH – 7,569 questions per student
4. Matthew Laho’s class, CLK Elementary, Calumet, MI – 6,970 questions per student
5. Ken Mol’s class, Ridge Park Charter Academy, Grand Rapids, MI – 5,635 questions per student
6. Jenna Young’s second grade class, Bear Valley Elementary School, Moreno Valley, CA – 5,599 questions per student
7. Mona Duncan’s fourth grade class, Paramount Jr. High School, Boligee, AL – 5,380 questions per student
8. Linda Lemons’ class, Galatia Grade School, Galatia, IL – 5,177 questions per student
9. Abigail Davis’ class, Clinton Central Elementary, Michagantown, IN – 4,925 questions per student
10. Kyle Reeves’ class, MSD Warren Township, Indianapolis, IN – 4,611 questions per student
11. Jyme Beth Powell’s class, Checotah Intermediate School, Checotah, OK – 4,446 questions per student
12. Rick Gabler’s class, Jeffrey Clark School, Mickleton, NJ – 4,322 questions per student
13. Chris Friedrich’s class, St. John’s Episcopal Parish Day School, Tampa, FL – 4,268 questions per student
14. Gina Marchionda-Schneider’s class, Lakeshore Elementary School, Fond du Lac, WI – 4,202 questions per student
15. Regina Marie Muna’s Math 4 class, Noblesse International School, Angeles City, Philippines – 4,180 questions per student
16. Mary Pekkala’s class, St. John’s Episcopal Parish Day School, Tampa, FL – 4,180 questions per student
17. Jasmine Sadler’s class, Chesnut Charter Elementary School, Dunwoody, GA – 4,011 questions per student
18. Diana Ruiz’s class, Colegio Ingles, San Pedro, Mexico – 3,738 questions per student
19. Amanda Wheeler’s class, Northpoint Christian School, Southaven, MS – 3,517 questions per student
20. Marianne Paras’ class, St. John’s Episcopal Parish Day School, Tampa, FL – 3,443 questions per student

Middle School (5–8) 

1. Kalynn Viramontes’ 6th Grade Boys class, RCMA Leadership Academy, Wimauma, FL – 10,473 questions per student
2. Kalynn Viramontes’ 6th Grade Girls class, RCMA Leadership Academy, Wimauma, FL – 9,495 questions per student
3. Kalynn Viramontes’ Algebra class, RCMA Leadership Academy, Wimauma, FL – 8,806 questions per student
4. Brian Linquist’s Hour 4 class, Pleasant Lea Middle School, Lee’s Summit, MO – 8,214 questions per student
5. Brenda Foster’s class, St. Paul Elementary & Middle School, Saint Paul, AR – 6,952 questions per student
6. Jilleen Flynn’s class, Warwick Valley Middle School, Warwick, NY – 6,031 questions per student
7. Kalynn Viramontes’ 7th Grade Math class, RCMA Leadership Academy, Wimauma, FL – 5,945 questions per student
8. Jessica Weber’s class, Two Springs Elementary, Bellevue, NE – 5,865 questions per student
9. Katrina Verge’s 7th grade class, East Middle School, Tullahoma, TN – 5,500 questions per student
10. Joe Solomon’s class, St. Mary School, Charlevoix, MI – 5,029 questions per student
11. Elayne Santos’ 707 class, JHS 80 Isobel Rooney, Bronx, NY – 4,900 questions per student
12. Brandy Tipps’ ELA 4.0 class, East Middle School, Tullahoma, TN – 4,142 questions per student
13. Ashley Holton’s Period 5 class, Valley Middle School, Oakland, NJ – 4,136 questions per student
14. Ashlee Dixon’s 5^th Grade Math #1, Montpelier Elementary School, Montpelier, IN – 4,134 questions per student
15. Mafe Maldonado’s fifth class, Montessori Academy – 4,124 questions per student
16. Alyson Stiles’ class, Riverview Middle School, Rio Vista, CA – 3,976 questions per student
17. Danira Ortiz’s class, Calcutt Middle School, Central Falls, RI – 3,945 questions per student
18. Ashlee Dixon’s 6^th Grade Math, Montpelier Elementary School, Montpelier, IN – 3,744 questions per student
19. Melissa Rizza’s Section 8 class, ACES Thomas Edison Middle School, Meriden, CT – 3,736 questions per student
20. Ashlee Dixon’s 5^th Grade Math #2, Montpelier Elementary School, Montpelier, IN – 3,718 questions per student

High School (grades 9–12)

1. Kevin Rawson’s class, Palma School, Salinas, CA – 2,044 questions per student
2. Mary Lingenfelter’s Algebra 2 class, Wausa Public School, Wausa, NE – 1,645 questions per student
3. Brian Thornton’s Y9M class, Maple Bear Canadian School Niteroi, Niteroi, Brazil, 1,471 questions per student
4. Ramona White’s Geometry 4th class, Zwolle High School, Zwolle, LA – 1,470 questions per student
5. Ramona White’s Geometry First class, Zwolle High School, Zwolle, LA –  1,455 questions per student
6. Elizabeth Thompson’s Room 309 class, Walt Disney Magnet School, Chicago, IL – 1,406 questions per student
7. Ramona White’s Math Ess 4 class, Zwolle High School, Zwolle, LA – 1,137 questions per student
8. Rod Brenize’s Honors Pre Calc Block 3 class, Manheim Central School, Manheim, PA – 1,108 questions per student
9. Jose Antonio Barron’s 9B class, Liceo Anglo Frances de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico — 1,051 questions per student
10. Jose Antonio Barron’s 9C class, Liceo Anglo Frances de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico — 1,027 questions per student
11. Jose Antonio Barron’s 9A class, Liceo Anglo Frances de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico — 1,012 questions per student
12. Sarah Baker’s Geometry Support class, Bayless High School, St. Louis, MO — 1,003 questions per student
13. Ramona White’s Math Ess 2 class, Zwolle High School, Zwolle, LA – 982.46 questions per student
14. Krishaun Adams’ 2nd Block class, Dixie High School, Due West, SC – 982.45 questions per student
15. Tia Shamoon’s Period 3 class, Clinton Jr. High School, Clinton, AR — 981.8 questions per student
16. Elizabeth Thompson’s Room 304 class, Walt Disney Magnet School, Chicago, IL – 948 questions per student
17. Catherine Spaulding’s Eng 2 class, Pleasant Hill Adventist Academy, Pleasant Hill, CA — 925 questions per student
18. Tammy Robbins’ ELA 7A class, Crothersville Junior-Senior High School, Crothersville, IN – 918 questions per student
19. John Koket’s 3rd Period class, Person High School, Roxboro, NC — 906 questions per student
20. Kory Schweiss’ 5th hour Algebra 1B class, Central R-3 High School, Park Hills, MO – 900 questions per student

The top three classes in each grade band will enjoy a pizza party courtesy of IXL. A big congratulations to our winners—and to all of our participants! We’re blown away by your hard work and hope you enjoyed your time practicing and mastering new skills on IXL.

For more information on this contest, read our original post here.

Due to the large number of entries, we are unable to share rankings for classrooms outside of the top 20.

    

In honor of Mother’s Day, we asked IXL employees to share life lessons gleaned from their mothers or wisdom that they’ve shared with their own children. The responses ranged from hilarious to inspirational and were a great showcase of how much we’ve learned from our moms.

“It’s not about not making mistakes, but learning from them!”

–Karen

“Right after I told my mom I would be meeting my now-husband’s parents for the first time, she said: ‘As your mother, I feel obligated to give you an important piece of advice. Do not order too much food when you eat out with them!’

I think the advice says more about me (or her perception of me).”

­–Amy

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you will go.”

–Maricela

“‘Idle hands are the devil’s playground.’

(Or, ‘Get over here and hold this yarn while I knit.’)”

–Angela

“‘Don’t go to college if you’re going to become a terrible person.’

(Ultimately I did 5 years of undergrad, 1 year of community college teaching, and 7 years of graduate studies. Whether I’m terrible person is still TBD.)”

–Jiho

“Never do anything that doesn’t feel right.”

–Karen

“Always try to leave the places you go better than you’ve found them.”

–Tom

Happy Mother’s Day, everyone!

    

We’ve recently introduced some updates to IXL Analytics to make it even easier for you to use student data in the classroom! Check out some of the new features below.

Set custom date ranges

Hone in on student performance and practice within a specific time period.

Print reports

You can now save reports as PDFs and print them – great for recordkeeping and an easy way to update parents on how their students are doing.

Export the Score Grid

We’ve made it possible for you to export the Score Grid as a spreadsheet!

Visit IXL Analytics to try out these new features for yourself and discover other updates, including the ability to search by skill and student, and more!

    

Enterprise High School serves 300 students in rural Mississippi. When the school implemented the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), Algebra I teacher Jacqui Lewis wanted a program that would help with this transition. IXL Math brought the standards to life for her and her students—and brought new energy to her classroom.

New Standards, Burned-Out Students

When the district rolled out CCSS, the new math standards weren’t always easy to interpret. As the only Algebra I teacher in the district, Jacqui felt like she was on her own. “There was no one to collaborate with,” she explained. “It was hard to understand how each objective mapped to the curriculum we were using, and which problems I should assign to help my students master the objective.”

By the end of first semester, her students were burned out and bored—and so was Jacqui. She needed a better way to monitor student progress towards CCSS objectives. She also needed to get her students reenergized and engaged with the curriculum.

Jacqui had started using IXL Math herself during first semester. “I loved that I could search by Common Core objective and find all of the specific skills and problem types that mapped to that objective,” she says. “It helped me understand the objectives better and see the kinds of problems I needed to be assigning to teach each objective.” She realized that her students would also benefit from having access to the standards-based practice and instruction on IXL and started using the program with her students during second semester.

“A Whole New Energy Level in the Class”

Almost immediately, Jacqui noticed a difference with her students. “They got hooked right away. They love the immediate feedback and the awards. It’s like a game—it keeps them coming back.” Implementing IXL infused her classroom with new excitement for mastering the curriculum.

Jacqui used reports from IXL Analytics and IXL’s game-like elements to fuel her students’ natural competiveness. She made a large spreadsheet of the objectives they needed to cover and posted it on the wall, and organized her class into cooperative learning teams that are balanced by ability level. Teams compete against each other on different metrics such as problems completed per session, sessions completed, total problems completed, and objectives mastered. “I focus on the productivity,” she explains. “If they are putting the work in, the mastery naturally follows with IXL.” Students access IXL both at home and on Chromebooks during their 90-minute block sessions.

Jacqui also uses IXL as a remediation program for struggling students. “IXL is perfect for these students because the tutorials are built right in,” she says. “They have a teacher there to monitor progress and answer questions, but they can work at their own pace on IXL every day to build those skills.”

“My students are logging in before and after school to complete more problems. They are also begging their other teachers to allow them to go to computer rooms to work on IXL whenever those classes have down time. I have never seen them beg to work on math before!”

-Jacqui Lewis, Algebra I Teacher

Success on the PARCC—and Excitement for STEM

All the extra practice is really paying off for Jacqui’s students. A whopping 82 percent of her students passed the math section of the PARCC test in 2015—the highest passing rate in the state. Statewide, only 27 percent of Algebra students passed the PARCC that year, and the runner-up district had a 69 percent passing rate. Even better, 8 percent of Jacqui’s students reached the highest level (Level 5) on the PARCC, compared to just 1 percent across the state. “IXL certainly contributed to this success!” she says.

A copy of this case study is available for download here.

    

Great news for IXL users around the world – we’ve got a little something new for everyone this month! More English year levels are now available in all of our international editions, and we’ve added new skills for math, social studies, and science. Visit IXL.com to explore the new skills now, or keep reading for more info!

New English year levels

We’ve expanded our English offering with years 2 and 8–13 for the U.K. and New Zealand, and years 1 and 7–12 for Australia, Canada, Europe, India, Ireland, Singapore, and South Africa. Students around the world now have more than 800 new ways to learn about English!

Budding readers and writers get an introduction to English with grammar and vocabulary skills, plenty of fun interactions and images, as well as audio support and larger text size.

Complete the sentence with a verb to match the picture

Older students will tackle more rigorous grammar, vocabulary, reading, and writing topics through engaging skills and real-world examples—like this one, which asks them to correct errors in everyday use.

Correct errors in everyday use

Math: Patterns, patterns, patterns!

We’ve added 27 new patterns skills and given some a face lift in grades pre-K through 6. This includes a new interactive question type that allows students to create their own patterns!

Complete a repeating pattern

New social studies skills

We’re rounding out our social studies curriculum for grades 2–5 with 18 new skills about the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, the Middle and Southern Colonies, and more.

Middle colonies: economy and society

New science skills

Students can learn about water on Earth and changes to Earth’s surface through 6 new skills that feature visuals like maps and graphs.

Describe and graph water on Earth

To see a list of all the new grade levels and skills, visit the Skill Updates page!