What Happens When Students Play Their Way to Better Math Scores

In one school year with ClearMath Elementary, Springfield Public Schools District 186 saw its biggest gains among the students who needed them most.

Every elementary teacher knows the feeling. One classroom, 25 students, and a skill range wide enough to park a school bus in. Some kids are ready to sprint ahead, some are still finding their footing, and the pacing guide keeps tapping its watch.

Springfield Public Schools District 186 in Illinois knew that feeling too. So in the 2023–24 school year, the district brought ClearMath Elementary into its classrooms. One year later, the state assessment results told a story worth sharing, and so did the teachers, principals, and students who lived it.

Gains where they mattered 

When we compared Springfield's fourth grade state assessment results from the year before implementation with the program's first full year, the share of students approaching, meeting, or exceeding state expectations rose across every student group studied:

+11.6 points for all students
+18.0 points for economically disadvantaged students
+18.6 points for Black students
+37.2 points for Hispanic students
Results are based on a pre-post comparison of district state assessment data and do not reflect a controlled study

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Hear it from Springfield

"We have not seen growth like this in quite a long time."
A Springfield principal and teachers share what changed when partner talks, small groups, and re-engagement days became part of the daily routine. Bonus: even the quiet kids started talking math.

Unlocking new worlds (and new skills)
Teachers explain why students keep asking for MATHia® Adventure and how Zorbit gave kindergarteners a digital math space of their own. Spoiler: the kids started tutoring each other.

The secret ingredient is play
A Springfield teacher makes the case that students learn math best when they experience it rather than memorize it. Includes a live addition problem solved with impressive confidence.

Keep up, not catch up
Educators talk about the teach-teach-pause approach, all-in-one resources, and why giving students time to truly understand a concept beats racing to the next one.

Read about Springfield

5 Ways We Made Math More Fun for Students and Teachers
Springfield educators share their playbook in this SmartBrief op-ed.
Read the article

Elementary Math Made Better Through Play
See how Springfield teachers help students learn to love math on our blog.
Read the blog

Ready to see what play-powered math could do for your students?

Springfield's story isn't really about a curriculum. It's about kids who now raise their hands in math class, teachers who finally have time to pause and check for understanding, and a principal who got to say the words "our scores went up" after a long wait. The gains showed up in the data, and they showed up in the classroom too, especially for the students who had the most ground to cover.

Every district has its own version of Springfield's challenge. The good news is that the path forward might look a lot more like play than you'd expect.