Lessons Learned from a Research-to-Practice Scale-Up of an Adaptive Math Learning Platform

Many U.S. districts are investing in education technologies to improve student learning. Yet, when technologies with established promise of evidence are deployed at scale, they frequently encounter challenges that compromise their efficacy. MathSpring is a technology-based math learning platform that offers personalized content, remedial tutoring, and affective support for students and reports for teachers. In a pilot study involving monthly usage with a researcher in the room, MathSpring showed promise of improving learning. Following the pilot study, our team examined the efficacy of the intervention in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 64 fifth- and sixth-grade math teachers (34 treatment, 30 control) in 47 schools. Despite extensive training and support for teachers, usage was lower than expected. This paper presents an overview of the intervention and explores the challenges teachers faced in implementation. We discuss the factors that influence wide classroom adoption of technologies like MathSpring in a post-pandemic educational landscape.