Pittsburgh, PA – Carnegie Learning, a leader in artificial intelligence for K-12 education and formative assessment, announced today that students from the Howard Street Partnership School achieved record-breaking results on Oregon’s state assessment, SBAC, using Carnegie Learning’s core secondary math solution that comprises MATHbook, a consumable write-in text that fosters collaborative classroom learning, and MATHia, the one-on-one, adaptive math coaching software.
Howard Street Charter School in Salem, Oregon, is a project-based institution that pushes students to achieve excellence in all areas of study. Howard Street Charter School is no stranger to academic success and had already achieved curricular excellence with passing rates above the state average. Carnegie Learning’s math solution helped them achieve even higher.
“Our highest passing rate ever in the history of the school was fifty-two percent before Covid. And now that’s the mid-range,” Principal Christina Tracy states. “Our SBAC data was the best we’ve had for math in 25 years! And we did not teach to the test. We just used Carnegie Learning Math.”
Tracy continues, “the data speaks for itself. Our 6th graders, 74% of them passed the state exam. And 52% got exceeding scores. That’s well above the averages for the state of Oregon, which are 28% passing and 12% exceeding. And that’s after just one year of implementing Carnegie Learning.” In fact, she continues, “There were a couple of kids who said they had never passed the math SBAC test in the history of their schooling, and that 6th grade was the first time.”
The SBAC scores support Tracy’s observation that the math curriculum helped all students achieve academic excellence. “The students who exceeded on the state test were from diverse backgrounds. Carnegie Learning math moved everybody up.”
“It’s gratifying to see the incredible results Howard Street students have been able to achieve so quickly,” said Carnegie Learning CEO Barry Malkin. “Not only did these students succeed, they broke a 25-year record. When you combine hard work and high-quality materials, great things are possible. We are witnessing history, and this is just the beginning. I can’t wait to see what these students will achieve. The sky’s the limit.”
The MATHia software component of the core math solution was particularly effective in preparing students to excel on the SBAC. Tracy explains, “When we got to the state test, those problems looked very similar because MATHia had been practicing them, too. We didn’t go in and say, ‘Let’s take the state practice math test to find out how to use the tools.’ We just went in, and the kids were fine.”
With special supports for students who had difficulty reading, MATHia worked as a tool to empower learners with a wide range of skill sets. “You don’t have to have an identified need in order to receive support. MATHia offers multiple hints and has read-aloud supports for students who are struggling readers,” Tracy explains. “I think the reading part is a really big deal,” she continues. “I don’t know that too many math curriculums are using reading aloud as a support for all students, and that was the really important part. All the kids, regardless of their background in math or their skills, could use the tools to be successful.”
MATHia works hand-in-hand with MATHbook, reinforcing what students are learning from their instructors. Not only do students get to work at their own pace in MATHia, but its built-in reports also provide actionable data to teachers so they can best set students up for success.
Principal Tracy shares, “The reports made it really easy to see who was mastering, who was delaying. The data is easy to access, and it gives you the information that you actually want.”
About Carnegie Learning, Inc.
Carnegie Learning is a leading provider of K-12 education technology, curriculum, and professional learning solutions. With the highest-quality offerings for K-12 math, literacy, world languages, professional learning, high-dosage tutoring, and more, Carnegie Learning is changing the way we think about learning and creating powerful results for teachers and students alike. Born from more than 30 years of learning science research at Carnegie Mellon University, the company has become a nationally recognized leader for its ability to harness the power of data to improve student performance. The company’s 700+ employees across the US and Canada—the majority of whom are former teachers—are passionate about partnering with educators in the implementation of effective, student-centered instructional strategies and supporting them in the classroom. For more information, visit carnegielearning.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
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