27 February 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – The state is spending federal coronavirus relief money to help Kansas students learn math.
House Bill 2567 passed by the Kansas Legislature in 2022 appropriated $4 million from federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in fiscal year 2023 to implement a virtual math program.
KSDE recently announced it has appropriated $4 million and contracted with IXL Learning for two years to provide Kansas students a free virtual supplemental math instruction program.
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Currently one in four students in Kansas use IXL for math, English, science and social studies, according to www.ixl.com. Nearly 150 accredited public and private systems have the IXL virtual math program in place.
According to a KSDE press release, IXL Learning conducted a study and found students who use the program for math and/or English perform better on Kansas assessments.
According to the bill, KSDE was required to track and report twice during the 2022-2023 school year, the number of attendance centers and students using a virtual math program, the number of students not using a virtual math program, the number of teachers participating in professional development provided by a virtual math program, and the effect of the program on student academic proficiency. The report isn’t available yet, according to KSDE Communications Specialist Ann M. Bush.