“Despite my 20 students speaking 13 languages they are ALL able to play and benefit from ST Math games.”
- Ms. Parenti, PreK Teacher, Chicago
ST Math was created by Dr. Matthew Peterson, who, as a child, struggled with dyslexia. Because Dr. Peterson struggled with language, his ability to learn math also suffered. At the time, math education relied heavily on language and rote problem solving. Dr. Peterson, along with his research partners, explored how math education could be transformed so that a deep, conceptual understanding of math could be achievable by all. Together, they formed the nonprofit MIND Research Institute and created ST Math.
The ‘ST’ in ST Math stands for spatial-temporal reasoning which is our innate ability to visualize moving objects through space and time. ST Math leverages this capacity by teaching math the way children learn – visually and experientially. It removes barriers and distractions so that students of all languages, backgrounds and abilities are empowered to achieve.
Based on over 20 years of neuroscience and education research, ST Math takes students on an interactive visual journey that is fun, engaging and deeply motivating. Students become agents of their own learning as they “play math” to solve the program’s animated puzzles. Through the immediate, informative feedback that ST Math provides, students develop math understanding, perseverance in problem solving and critical thinking skills.
With ST Math, students build deep conceptual understanding, and schools see proven, repeatable results. ST Math has been proven to positively impact student achievement across all student subgroups and in all types of schools, with all types of teachers, when used for 60 minutes per week in grades K-1, and 90 minutes per week in grades 2-8. ST Math meets What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) quasi-experiment and ESSA Tier 2 requirements and has an efficacy portfolio that includes annual, transparent evaluations of results of ST Math school cohorts, as well as third-party validation.
In 2018, independent education research firm WestEd published the largest ever cross-state study evaluating a math edtech program on multiple state assessments. The study showed schools that consistently used ST Math outgrew similar schools in statewide math proficiency rank by 14 percentile points.
Beyond improving math proficiency scores, ST Math allays the math anxiety that many students, and even some teachers, experience. Because the program is interactive, self-paced and provides progressive learning, students begin to see themselves as mathematical problem solvers as one success builds upon another. The Journal of Research on Technology in Education (JRTE) recently published a rigorous study that found students who play ST Math have higher mathematics self-beliefs than non-ST Math students.
In addition to student benefits, the professional learning component of ST Math guides educators in becoming more effective, confident math teachers and deepens their pedagogical content knowledge.
ST Math considers the many different needs of students and gives them the tools and support they need to develop conceptual understanding. Every student deserves equitable access to learning, and ST Math works to provide all students with the skills needed for higher educational attainment and 21st century careers.
“My kids and I LOVE using ST Math in class and at home. I have seen tremendous growth in their understanding of math and an increased ability to work through difficult problems. ST Math gives instant feedback too. The kids can see how many puzzles they’ve solved during one session and how far they’ve advanced in the syllabus. This is very exciting for them. When the kids are using ST Math, they feel like they are playing games. I love it because they are learning to think and solve in unconventional ways. All the while, they are mastering standards required for third grade, filling in missed standards, and some have advanced beyond their current grade level. ST Math has been incredibly handy during the COVID-19 pandemic too. The kids are picking up right where they left off by completing ST Math modules at home. I cannot say enough good things about ST Math. I’ve used a lot of different programs, but ST Math is by far one of my favorites.”
- Ms. Marciniak, Parent and 3rd Grade Teacher, Michigan
