Research: Texas students using ST Math continue to outpace their peers in math achievement growth
Despite a statewide decline in STAAR Math scores, ST Math students have shown consistent year-over-year academic growth for the fourth consecutive year
IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- MIND Education, a leader in neuroscience-driven math education, is pleased to share the results of MIND Research Institute's 4th annual STAAR Math study, highlighting significant performance growth for Texas students using ST Math compared to non-users across all demographics.
The organization followed longitudinal cohorts of Texas students in grades three, four and five. This rigorous study of Texas Education Agency (TEA) and MIND Education data showed that students who used ST Math with fidelity in the past three school years demonstrated dramatic increases in their STAAR Math performance levels—including 18.7% of students moving up at least one performance level. Additionally, the percentage of students remaining in the "Did Not Meet" category by grade five was significantly lower for ST Math users (3.7%) compared to their peers in the control group (8%).
"The results speak for themselves; ST Math ensures that all student groups across the state are bucking a statewide decline and growing through productive struggle — and they're having fun doing it," said Andrew Coulson, Chief Data Officer at MIND Education. "The program's visualization of math concepts goes beyond improving math skills to fostering a love for learning challenges and stoking belief in their own ability."
Since 2020, TEA has partnered with MIND Education to provide educators and K-5 students free access to ST Math. The program offers a mastery-based approach, minimizing cognitive load while fostering deep conceptual understanding through interactive puzzles. This model breaks down math's abstract language barriers and benefits a wide range of learners—including English Learners, Special Education students, and Gifted and Talented students. The program is currently used by 263 districts in the state, translating into over 1.3 million students who benefit from ST Math's accessible yet rigorous learning experience.
In the 2024 STAAR Math assessments, Texas students experienced a statewide decline in proficiency, with performance levels not recovering to pre-pandemic standards. In contrast, students who consistently engaged with ST Math demonstrated significant progress. Fewer than four percent remained in the lowest performance level, and their scores grew, on average, more than seven percentage points in meeting standards. This growth notably outpaced the statewide trend, where the average score decreased approximately one percentage point.
Click here to learn more about ST Math and InsightMath, MIND Education's new comprehensive curriculum built on the success of ST Math, launching in spring 2025.
About MIND Education
MIND Education engages, motivates, and challenges students towards mathematical success through its mission to mathematically equip all students to solve the world's most challenging problems. MIND is the creator of ST Math, a pre-K–8 visual instructional program that leverages the brain's innate spatial-temporal reasoning ability to solve mathematical problems; and InsightMath, a neuroscience-based K-6 curriculum that transforms student learning by teaching math the way every brain learns so all students are equipped to succeed. During the 2023-24 school year, MIND Education and ST Math reached more than 2.17 million students and 115,000 educators across the country. Visit MINDEducation.org.
Media Contact
Stephanie Grau
CB&A/FINN Partners
mindeducation@finnpartners.com
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/research-texas-students-using-st-math-continue-to-outpace-their-peers-in-math-achievement-growth-302382387.html
SOURCE MIND Education