Texas District Improves STAAR Performance with Increased Use of McGraw Hill’s Actively Learn

The study examines the impact of increased usage of McGraw Hill’s Actively Learn program on student performance in a medium-sized public school district in Texas. Actively Learn is an ELA supplemental program designed to enhance student engagement with complex texts and classic literature. The study focuses on students in grades 6–8 and includes data from English I and English II courses.

The methodology is correlational, analyzing the association between increased Actively Learn usage and student performance on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exams. Statistical methods include comparisons of passing rates across two academic years, 2020–2021 and 2021–2022. Outcomes examined include STAAR passing rates for middle school reading and English I and II exams.

Results show an increase in STAAR passing rates across the district during the study period. For middle school reading, passing rates rose from 38% to 49%. Grade-specific improvements were also noted: Grade 6 passing rates increased from 23% to 35%, Grade 7 from 47% to 68%, and Grade 8 from 34% to 55%. English I and II passing rates also improved, with English I increasing from 39% to 43% and English II from 46% to 47%.