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Number Worlds® boosts math achievement by immersing Mastery Schools students in interactive learning.

Mastery Schools improved K–8 math growth using Number Worlds, with 96% of students meeting IEP goals in PA and NJ charter schools.

  • PreK-12
  • Education Research
  • Research Case Study
  • Number Worlds
  • Math
  • Intervention
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • Kindergarten
  • 1st Grade
  • 2nd Grade
  • 3rd Grade
  • 4th Grade
  • 5th Grade
  • 6th Grade
  • 7th Grade
  • 8th Grade
  • 9th Grade
  • 10th Grade
  • 11th Grade
  • 12th Grade
  • Elementary School
  • Middle School
  • High School

Description

Mastery Schools, a non-profit charter network serving over 14,000 K–12 students across 24 campuses in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey, implemented McGraw Hill’s Number Worlds math intervention program to improve math proficiency among struggling learners. Beginning in 2020, the program was adopted for Grades K–8 as a unified approach for Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention across the network. Number Worlds offers 30–60 minute daily sessions that pair with any core curriculum and include interactive, game-based digital activities. The 2024 edition features an enhanced Building Blocks Adaptive online component and a data-rich dashboard for progress monitoring, along with resources to support English language learners. Approximately 460 students currently use Number Worlds, with 96% meeting their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals. Assessment data show notable growth on the NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Math assessments. At Mastery Prep Elementary, 22 of 40 students achieved a conditional growth percentile (CGP) of 50 on the Winter 2024–2025 MAP Math assessment, and at Pastorious-Richardson Elementary, 27 of 55 students reached the same benchmark, indicating growth above half of national peers. Some middle school students at Frederick Douglass campus returned to core math classrooms after participating in the program. Teachers reported that the built-in assessments, such as exit tickets, workbook problems, and challenge questions, made progress easy to track and fostered collaboration across schools. The implementation facilitated consistent instruction, student engagement through hands-on learning, and broader opportunities for peer collaboration across the network. 

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