IXL - Research (2024)

FAQs

Is IXL scientifically proven? ›

ESSA Tier 1 evidence

Independent research from Johns Hopkins University has verified that IXL meets the ESSA Tier 1 standards for evidence-based efficacy.

In over 75 scientific research studies looking at 70,000 schools in 45 U.S. states, students who use IXL have been proven to outperform students who use any other learning platform. The secret to this success is the IXL SmartScore.

IXL gives you everything you need to maximize learning

IXL provides thousands of curriculum and instructional resources, actionable analytics, a state‑of‑the‑art assessment suite, and much more. Each component works together seamlessly to help your teachers and students succeed.

IXL accelerates learning. A large body of scientific research consistently validates this. Through these research studies, we've found some themes on how educators can amplify IXL's positive impact on students. Maximize IXL-powered learning at your school with these five research-backed principles.

The program only grades students based on correct answers. According to CommonSense Media, parents have even gone as far as to review IXL, saying that the scoring system harshly punishes mistakes and leads to a ton of stress instead of academic comprehension.

Others may argue that IXL is great, and that if a kid is stuck on a problem it will give them tips (the tips only appear once they get a question wrong.. seriously?). Again, please, if you use IXL, all it's doing is putting your child under a lot of stress.

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The lawsuit states that IXL does not fully disclose what data it collects from children and their families, and does not allow the data it collects — or the information it generates using that data — to be reviewed by students and parents.

IXL has a strong focus on math and language arts, while Khan Academy offers a wider range of subjects. Consider your learning style: If your child is a visual learner, then you may prefer Khan Academy's videos and articles. If your child is an auditory learner, then you may prefer IXL's games and quizzes.

Researchers found that the IXL Real-Time Diagnostic demonstrates high reliability as a measure of math and ELA achievement. Additionally, IXL's diagnostic is a good predictor of performance (using ILEARN as a criterion measure), with a correlation of . 90 in math and .

While the points, awards, and rewards do help with motivation, it's unlikely you'll have students clamoring to use IXL, and the point system can be punitive when students get an answer wrong. However, IXL's breadth of content and targeted practice cover a lot of ground and help teachers differentiate more effectively.

What is better than IXL? ›

In Summary,

After thorough research and analysis, we believe that if you're looking for alternatives to IXL, Khan Academy, Time4Learning, Wiingy, Pearson Smarthinking, and Kumon, these are all great options to consider.

IXL is the perfect homeschooling resource to enhance your core curriculum! IXL provides high-quality learning material to match your lessons and give your child unlimited practice opportunities.

While IXL provides immediate feedback on incorrect answers, it often lacks detailed explanations or alternative strategies for solving problems. This limits students' ability to learn from their mistakes and hinders their overall growth.

IXL Math students significantly outgained control students by more than 10 points on the Renaissance Star Math assessment. Subgroup analyses showed significant positive program impacts for Hispanic, special education, ELL, and FARMS students. Advantages for IXL Math students averaged between 13-17 points.

Teaching students with ADHD, dyslexia and other learning differences requires a highly individualized approach. High school math teacher Barbara Knight found that implementing IXL Math and the Real-Time Diagnostic in her classroom was key in differentiating instruction for students with special needs.

Researchers found that the IXL Real-Time Diagnostic demonstrates high reliability as a measure of math and ELA achievement. Additionally, IXL's diagnostic is a good predictor of performance (using ILEARN as a criterion measure), with a correlation of . 90 in math and . 86 in ELA.

You can choose from any of our available membership options: Single subject—math or language arts. Combo package—both math and language arts. Core subjects—math, language arts, science, and social studies.

IXL's early literacy curriculum has been tied to the Science of Reading, a research-based methodology for effectively teaching early literacy, from the very beginning.

The Real-Time Diagnostic is always available; students can enter the Diagnostic at any time and answer as many questions as they like. When students first use the Diagnostic, we recommend they aim to diagnose until their complete diagnostic data is revealed—for most students, this will be around 45 minutes per subject.