Gov. Polis Announces Digital Math Accelerator to Boost Student Math Achievement
Districts Statewide to Receive Free Access to Top-Rated Math Learning Platform and Educator Training
DENVER – Governor Jared Polis today announced a landmark investment in a statewide digital math platform to provide math support and learning for students from kindergarten through eighth grade. Provided at no cost to schools and school districts statewide that opt-in to participate, this innovative and data-driven digital math platform will include free high-quality instructional materials, ongoing training for educators, and after-school tutoring resources for K-8 students. Zearn, the nonprofit educational organization behind top-rated math learning platform Zearn Math, has been selected as the platform provider.
Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of steps the Polis administration has taken in partnership with the legislature to boost student math achievement. In March, Governor Polis and state legislators joined teachers, school administrators, after-school providers, community members, and students to announce bipartisan legislation to provide transformative math support for Colorado students through after-school programming, evidence-based math best practices, and educator preparation programs.
“To boost student math achievement, today I’m announcing that we are making a high-quality online math program available for free to all Colorado elementary and middle school students. Schools and districts can sign up to participate immediately at about.zearn.org/colorado. We are taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to boost student math achievement and make sure Colorado kids have the support and practice they need to excel in math. This new access saves school districts and families money and is part of our ongoing work to provide high-quality education for every Colorado student,” said Gov. Polis.
Districts and schools can sign up now to begin using Zearn Math ahead of and for the 2023-2024 school year. The evidence-based platform can be used flexibly during the school day as well as with tutoring and outside of school with a parent or caregiver. The platform is provided at no-cost to school districts using federal Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds. In addition to no-cost access to the math accelerator, schools and districts can choose to use GEER funds to acquire Zearn’s data-driven instructional curriculum to complement the math accelerator.
“Our educators and families have been working hard to accelerate students’ math learning, so this additional support offered at no cost to them will be a huge help,” said Colorado Education Commissioner Katy Anthes. “I’m so excited that our schools and districts will have access to this excellent resource, and I urge them to take advantage of the opportunity to use Zearn Math.”
Training is also available to Colorado educators in support of their implementation of Zearn Math.
“We are thrilled to continue supporting Colorado educators, as well as families and caregivers, through this impactful initiative. We are heartened that it was teachers who originally brought Zearn to Colorado, and we are honored to expand our partnership with educators statewide,” said Zearn CEO and Co-Founder Shalinee Sharma.
Zearn, which helps kids catch up and move forward in math, is proven to have transformative results. As shown in multiple large-scale studies, students who consistently used Zearn Math each week grew state math scores 2.5 times more than matched students who did not use Zearn Math. Consistent Zearn usage also resulted in double-digit proficiency gains across student subgroups.
Districts or schools that would like free access to Zearn Math can visit about.zearn.org/colorado to learn more.
About Zearn
Zearn is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization behind Zearn Math, the top-rated math learning platform used by 1 in 4 elementary-school and more than 1 million middle-school students nationwide. Everything we do is driven by the belief that every kid is a math kid. For more information about Zearn’s work in Colorado or across the nation, contact Anna O’Sullivan at annao@zearn.org.