From Research to the Classroom: An ESSA-Aligned Approach to Intervention

Tile Farm Academy meets the criteria for ESSA Tier 4 evidence (“Demonstrates a Rationale”), meaning it is supported by a clearly articulated, research-grounded logic model and ongoing efforts to study its impact.

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Tier 4 evidence reflects interventions that are grounded in high-quality research and learning science, with a clear theory of action suggesting they are likely to improve relevant outcomes. Tile Farm Academy was designed with this framework in mind, particularly for students who need additional support in mathematics.

This page provides an overview of Tile Farm Academy’s intended intervention outcomes, research-aligned design principles, and evidence-building efforts. A link to the full ESSA Tier 4 Evidence Rationale is provided below.

What Tile Farm Academy Is Designed to Support in Intervention

Tile Farm Academy is intentionally designed to support a broad set of outcomes that matter in Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention contexts, including:

• Development of number sense and flexible strategy use to support foundational understanding
• Improved mathematical reasoning, explanation, and discourse that make student thinking visible
• Growth in spatial thinking, including visualization and composition, supporting access to abstract concepts
• Ability to apply mathematics in meaningful and creative contexts as evidence of understanding and transfer
• Improved student attitudes toward mathematics, including confidence, engagement, and persistence

Together, these outcomes reflect a view of intervention as more than remediation. Effective intervention supports understanding, confidence, and access to mathematical thinking, not just procedural accuracy.

Why This Approach Works Across Intervention Contexts

Intervention classrooms are often highly diverse. Students may be at different developmental levels, bring different learning histories, or have experienced repeated difficulty with math.

Tile Farm Academy is designed as a low-floor, high-ceiling learning environment, allowing the same core experiences to support intervention, core instruction, enrichment, STEAM learning, and teacher professional development.

Rather than relying on separate instructional models for different populations, Tile Farm emphasizes shared design principles: visual representations, reasoning, discourse, spatial thinking, and mastery-oriented practice. Differences across use cases reflect differences in implementation and emphasis.

As a result, Tile Farm Academy has been used across a wide range of settings, including Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention, multilingual learner classrooms, enrichment programs, and teacher preparation environments.

Research-Aligned Design Principles Behind Tile Farm Intervention

Tile Farm Academy is grounded in well-established research and learning-science principles that are especially relevant for intervention, including:

• Visual representations as thinking tools, supporting conceptual understanding and making student thinking visible
• Spatial reasoning as a core mathematical competency, linked to long-term success in mathematics and STEM
• Mathematical discourse and inquiry, with language-flexible and wordless entry points that support diverse learners
• Mastery learning and spaced practice, supporting durable learning and retention (Daily Digits)
• Creative, constraint-based problem solving, supporting engagement, persistence, and transfer

Together, these principles form the foundation of Tile Farm Academy’s theory of action for intervention: reducing barriers to access while supporting deep, meaningful mathematical learning.

Building Evidence Alongside Practice

Tile Farm Academy is actively engaged in evidence-building efforts aligned with ESSA Tier 4 expectations, including:

• An efficacy study in a large public school district
• An efficacy study in a predominantly multilingual learner charter school
• A study examining the impact of Tile Farm Academy on pre-service teachers’ attitudes toward mathematics

These efforts reflect Tile Farm’s commitment to ongoing evaluation, continuous improvement, and grounding classroom innovation in research.

Learn More

If you’d like to explore the full research rationale behind Tile Farm Academy’s intervention design, you can read the complete ESSA Tier 4 Evidence Rationale below.