Research-informed, classroom-tested, ESSA Tier 4 aligned
Tile Farm Academy is supported by ESSA Tier 4 evidence. Under ESSA, Tier 4 evidence includes a well-specified logic model or theory of action grounded in research, along with an effort planned or underway to study the effects of the intervention.
This page provides a brief overview of Tile Farm Academy’s intended outcomes, research-aligned design principles, and evidence-building efforts. A link to the full ESSA Tier 4 Evidence Rationale is provided in the sidebar.
Intended Outcomes
Tile Farm Academy is designed to support student and teacher outcomes including:
- Stronger number sense, computational fluency, and flexible strategy use
- Improved mathematical reasoning, justification, and discourse
- Development of spatial skills, including visualization, composition, and transformation
- Creative application of mathematics in visual, design-oriented, and problem-solving contexts
- Greater engagement, confidence, persistence, and willingness to take intellectual risks
- More positive student and teacher relationships with mathematics
Together, these outcomes support Tile Farm’s broader goal: helping students experience mathematics as something they can see, build, discuss, understand, enjoy, and make their own.
Why Tile Farm Works Across Contexts
Many students, especially by the later elementary and middle school years, have already developed a difficult relationship with math. They may see mathematics as stressful, disconnected, or something they are simply “not good at.” Tile Farm Academy is designed to help rebuild that relationship while strengthening the mathematical foundations students need for long-term success.
Tile Farm Academy is intentionally designed as a low-floor, high-ceiling learning environment. The same core experiences can support intervention, core instruction, enrichment, STEAM learning, and teacher professional development.
Rather than relying on separate instructional models for different populations, Tile Farm emphasizes visual representations, reasoning, discourse, spatial thinking, creative problem-solving, fluency development, and mastery-oriented practice. Differences across use cases reflect differences in implementation and emphasis, not differences in the underlying learning design.
Tile Farm Academy has been used in settings spanning PreK–12, including multilingual learner contexts, gifted and enrichment programs, Tier 2 and 3 intervention programs, STEAM and makerspace settings, and teacher preparation environments. Furthermore, it was even used in a college course for pre-service teachers, with the aim of giving future teachers a joyful math learning experience that ideally transfers to their future students.
Research-Aligned Design Principles
Tile Farm Academy is grounded in well-established research and learning-science principles, including:
- Positive math identity and motivation, helping students build confidence and a more joyful relationship with mathematics
- Fluency development through flexible strategy use, helping students move beyond memorization toward efficient, meaningful, and adaptable computation
- Visual representations as thinking tools that support conceptual understanding and communication
- Spatial reasoning as a core mathematical competency connected to mathematics and STEM learning
- Mathematical discourse and inquiry, including language-flexible and wordless entry points for multilingual learners
- Mastery learning and spaced practice that support durable learning and retention through Daily Digits
- Creative, constraint-based problem solving that supports transfer, engagement, and persistence
Together, these principles form the foundation of Tile Farm Academy’s theory of action.
Evidence-Building in Progress
Tile Farm Academy is currently engaged in multiple evidence-building efforts, 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 and continuous improvement, consistent with ESSA Tier 4 expectations.
Full Evidence Rationale
The complete ESSA Tier 4 Evidence Rationale includes Tile Farm Academy’s logic model, research base, intended outcomes, and current evidence-building plan.
Full evidence rationale
