Thought Leadership

Assessment is a fundamental component of the educational process, offering teachers valuable insights into student learning and helping to identify the best ways to address student learning gaps. Striking the right balance among different types of assessments is crucial for promoting effective teaching and learning.

District admins and leaders are acutely aware of the transformative impact that data can have on instruction, student achievement, and narrowing learning gaps, particularly in the realm of mathematics. However, they have long grappled with cumbersome and inefficient resources that only serve to compound their stress and burden, as well as that of their teachers. But here's the exciting news: a new wave of options has arrived, offering the streamlined experience they've been longing for. Prepare to discover the unrivaled power of learning data through ASSISTments Teacher and ASSISTments Advantage—a game-changing solution that delivers on all fronts.

In today’s post-pandemic math classroom, teachers are finding ways to help students in showing empathy, maintaining relationships, and making responsible decisions all while teaching fractions. It can definitely be a daunting task but is one made easier with the use of ASSISTments Teacher.

ASSISTments Advantage is a comprehensive solution that boosts learning exponentially with actionable insight and instructional support for teachers, instructional coaches and school leaders.

ASSISTments is here to help teachers meet the needs of all students. Teachers can ensure that they are leveraging ASSISTments to support an equitable and inclusive classroom environment by implementing our recommendations.

ASSISTments operates in part from the U.S. Department of Education’s Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program grant. The first two years of this grant have been focused on what we have named as three key “scale-up” mechanisms, areas where we can further develop and improve to achieve greater reach and impact. Thus far, we’ve engaged hundreds of our teacher users, and learned valuable lessons about scaling sustainability. As we enter the third year of the grant, we wanted to share these lessons to support other nonprofits in the early and pivotal stages of growth.

Melissa Swan goes over a brief history of inequity in education and discusses how the Culturally Responsive Teaching method can help address racial injustices in America.

There are advantages and challenges to learning in the classroom and learning at home. We take a look at how you can prepare students for both.

As we look ahead, we look forward to continuing to be inspired by the dedication of teachers to meet the needs of their students, no matter the circumstances. This post focuses on what great math teachers do, and how ASSISTments fits in.

We break down 4 big ideas on more effective instruction with ASSISTments into lots of tips for you to implement today. You can help your math students work smarter in the face of complex challenges.

Many people think only about quizzes and homework assignments when they hear “formative assessment,” but the 5-Step Formative Assessment Process is multifaceted. There’s so much more potential where both teacher and students play a crucial role for learning.

Get a sneak peek at the many tools and features within ASSISTments focused on improving and promoting various forms of feedback - and more currently in development.

Back in high school, Brian Story ended his Algebra course thinking that mistakes were bad and “I’m just not good at Algebra.” This experience led him to develop a growth mindset and made him a stronger educator.

The impact of distance learning has not hit communities equitably. At a time when access to technology has become a must-have for learning to continue, there continues to be a digital divide along race, socioeconomic and geographic lines. Read more to find out how ASSISTments provides support for teachers.

See how Andrew Burnett uses ASSISTments and the other tools in his edtech toolbox to enhance his instructional practice. Andrew Burnett is a 7th Grade Math Teacher in Newton, Massachusetts. He is an ASSISTments Ambassador who has been using the program as a tool for formative assessment in his classroom since 2008.

Through this first post in our Evidence-Based Practice blog series, we aim to shed light on instructional practices grounded in learning science principles and research evidence that teachers can apply in class.

There’s no doubt that education technology can make a big difference in the classroom. But the facts show that the key to closing the achievement gap is not providing more technology to students, but rather putting the right ed tech into the hands of teachers.

In the United States, there is an ongoing debate about whether homework is worthwhile, with critics saying that it’s busywork at best and, at worst, it’s detrimental to student learning. Only, the problem isn’t homework itself but how homework is done. Instead of implementing “no homework” policies, WPI professor and ASSISTments founder Neil Heffernan proposes that we can and should use technology to improve how students do their homework — or at least their math homework.‍

ASSISTments serves as a unique shared scientific instrument in the social science world, continuing the forward push to do more randomized controlled experiments. Social science can reap the benefits of our cultural shift to the digital world and the many ways people interact with online platforms.

A veteran math teacher puts ASSISTments to the test and reports on how second-year algebra students learn to persevere in completing homework assignments through the use of the online homework platform. She showcases the tool’s ability to deliver instant feedback and embed video explanations in problem sets.

Students are often told to push themselves to the limit in the math classroom. But is this persistence always the most productive way for students to learn? ASSISTments founder Neil Heffernan weighs in about how students can move past spinning their wheels and start mastering math content.

Protecting student privacy is our top priority. At ASSISTments, we know that our students, parents, and schools have a clear and important right to their own data. Read on to learn how we protect our students' data.

ASSISTments Ambassador Andrew Burnett was in his 15th year of teaching when he was asked to join the ASSISTments team. His task was to help conduct a long-term educational study by training and supporting the teachers that were participating in an independent research project. Andrew communicated with 70 teachers all around the Northeast about implementing ASSISTments in their classrooms. Read on to learn Andrew's story and how he has transformed his teaching practices.

How much, if any, homework should elementary school students receive? It is an age-old and ongoing debate. But the discussion misses a fundamental part of the controversy: Teachers often don’t take advantage of homework as an instructional tool. Neil Heffernan weighs in about how homework can be utilized best to enhance student learning.

Students all bring their distinct educational needs and styles into the classroom. Many teachers work hard to find a balance between supporting individual students and addressing the needs of the whole class. Teachers are tasked with educating classes of students with a wide range of abilities, needs and challenges. Read on to learn how teachers can leverage edtech tools to support all types of learners in the classroom.

School districts around the country are doing away with homework, according to the latest education headlines. But research clearly shows that the solution to homework isn’t to abolish it. WPI professor and ASSISTments founder Neil Heffernan weighs in on why we need to make homework as effective and relevant as possible, so students can still learn when their teachers or family aren’t available to help them.

One way ASSISTments provides current and effective math learning material is through teacher crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing lets us both support and engage teachers, helping them collaborate and improve available content, much like Wikipedia for educators.