Predictive Validity of the IXL LevelUp™ Diagnostic for Math Using the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) as a Criterion - Research Report

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aran

Study evaluates the predictive validity of the IXL Level Up™ Diagnostic for math (Level Up Math) when using State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) as the criterion. Data from students in three Texas school districts were analyzed, focusing on Spring 2025 math performance in grades 3–8. Results show strong positive correlations between Level Up Math and STAAR math scores and classification accuracy exceeding 70% for identifying grade-level proficiency, with Meets and Exceeds combined to represent proficiency.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

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Executive Summary

Background

Study Design and Methodology

Data Sources

Assessment Data

LevelUp Math Data

RESEARCH REPORT MARCH 2026 Predictive Validity of the IXL LevelUp™ Diagnostic for Math Using the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) as a Criterion Xiaozhu An, Ph. D. IXL LEARNING 777 Mariners Island Blvd., Suite 600, San Mateo, CA 94404 [650-372-4040 | www.ixl.com](650-372-4040 | www.ixl.com) © 2026 IXL Learning. All rights reserved. IXL and IXL Learning are registered trademarks of IXL Learning, Inc. All other trademarks, registered trademarks, and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. No part of this document may be modiﬁed or further distributed without written permission from IXL Learning. Executive Summary IXL is an end-to-end teaching and learning solution that engages learners in Pre-K through 12th grade with a comprehensive curriculum, next-generation assessment suite, and personalized recommendations for meeting learning goals. A core component of t he IXL Assessment Suite is the IXL Level Up™ Diagnostic, an innovative, just-in-time assessment solution that uniquely connects assessment, insights, and instruction. The Level Up Diagnostic in Benchmark mode is designed to conﬁdently identify students for intervention, analyze what is and isn’t working within and across schools, predict performance on state assessments, and plan ahead for the next school year without waiting on oﬃcia l state test results. The Level Up Diagnostic can also be utilized between Benchmarks in Real-Time mode to get up-to-the-minute insights into students’ performance and easily update and reﬁ ne their scores and recommendations. See the IXL Level Up Diagnostic technical manual for more details. The goal of the present study was to assess the predictive validity of t he IXL Level Up Diagnostic formath ( Level Up Math) using the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) as the criterion. We analyzed data from students in three Texas school districts and found: ● Strong positive correlations (rs > .60, ps < .001) between Level Up Math and STAAR math performance in 3 rd through 8th grade. ● High classiﬁcation accuracy (> 70%) for Level Up Math using the STAAR math assessments as the criterion. Predictive Validity of t he IXL Level Up™ Diagnostic for Math Using the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) as a Criterion Background IXL is an end-to-end teaching and learning solution that engages learners in Pre-K through 12th grade with a comprehensive curriculum, next-generation assessment suite, and personalized recommendations for meeting learning goals. It covers ﬁve main subject areas: mathematics, English language arts ( ELA), science, social studies, and Spanish. As of this writing, IXL is used by 38% of students in Texas and by more than 16 million students across the U.S. IXL is deeply rooted in learning sciences research (see Bashkov et al., 2021) and engages each student in a personalized learning experience tailored to their working level. As a result, students work through problems that are neither too easy nor too diﬃcult, which in turn supports their self-eﬃcacy and motivation for continued learning (An & Schonberg, 2024) . A core component of t he IXL Assessment Suite is t he IXL Level Up™ Diagnostic, an innovative, just-in-time assessment solution that uniquely connects assessment, insights, and instruction for students in Pre-K through 12th grade. The IXL Level Up Diagnostic for math ( Level Up Math) is designed to assess the math skills that are critical for success in grade-level math content. Level Up Math was designed by a team of educators and subject matter experts, and it is a computerized adaptive test (CAT) composed of questions that adjust to each student’s ability. Diﬃculty increases as students respond correctly and decreases as they respond incorrectly until a stable estimate of ability is obtained. By adapting to each student’s ability, a CAT can substantially reduce testing time, increase precision, minimize test-tak

FAQs

What was the study’s goal regarding the IXL Level Up Math diagnostic?

To assess how well the IXL Level Up™ Diagnostic for math predicts performance on STAAR math when STAAR is used as the criterion.

Which students and timeframe were included in the analysis?

Spring 2025 student-level math performance data from three Texas districts were used, covering grades 3 through 8.

How were STAAR performance levels handled for proficiency classification?

STAAR performance levels “Meets” and “Exceeds” were combined to represent grade-level math proficiency.

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aran