CLOSING LEARNING GAPS AND BUILDING CONFIDENCE IN MATH
How MegaMinds helped students from a Title 1 school reclaim their Math skills
A CASE STUDY FROM ST. ANTHONY’S SCHOOL OF HIGHER LEARNING (FLORIDA)
June 2025
MegaMinds Short Case Study - No. 3
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Learning Gaps That Wouldn’t Close
At St. Anthony’s School of Higher Learning, a Title I K–12 school in Miami serving predominantly low-income and underserved students, the effects of pandemic-era learning loss were still being felt years later.
According to the 2022 Nation’s Report Card, 38% of U.S. eighth graders scored below grade level in math, a historic low. And the impact wasn’t felt equally. Research from EdTrust confirms that Black, Latino, and low-income students were disproportionately affected by remote learning, widening long-standing achievement gaps.
What’s happening at St. Anthony’s is part of a larger national trend. Students who should have built their foundational math skills in earlier grades were derailed by the shift to remote learning. By the time they reached 8th and 9th grade, the learning gaps had not only persisted but grown wider. In January, 0% of their students in both grades were performing at grade level in math. A significant number were multiple grade levels behind, and despite strong, consistent effort from teachers, many remained stuck. They were disengaged, discouraged, and unmotivated.
Some had lost faith they’d ever catch up.
Traditional interventions hadn’t moved the needle. What these students needed wasn’t just a new tool, but a completely new approach. One that embraced struggle, fostered growth, and restored their belief that success was possible.
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A Forward Thinking Experiment Takes Shape
In March, St. Anthony’s launched a math intervention study led by a PhD researcher, with MegaMinds as the central tool. The study focused on 9th-grade students, who used MegaMinds throughout the intervention period, while 8th-grade students served as a control group, continuing on with traditional instructional methods.
At the heart of MegaMinds were it’s AI Tutors: Smart, student-facing guides that supported each learner inside a 3D environment. They provided adaptive coaching, real-time feedback, and personalized pacing, all within a learning environment that brought core math skills to life in a safe and repeatable way. They even supported Spanish-speaking students in their native language to ensure that language wasn’t a barrier to building mathematical understanding.
After initial instruction from the teacher, the students used MegaMinds for the rest of the class period for practice and reinforcement. For many, who had once dreaded math, something shifted. They were actively engaged in Math for the first time in years. And they weren’t just memorizing. They were experimenting, exploring, and rebuilding their confidence through meaningful, hands-on practice.
A MegaMinds AI Tutor
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The Turning Point: Real Gains in Just 10 Weeks
By the end of the 10-week intervention, the results spoke for themselves.
These gains didn’t come from worksheets or drill-and-kill software. The students credited the guided coaching from the AI Tutors as the biggest difference maker.
When they got stuck, the AI companion stepped in with a helpful hint, or a step-by-step walkthrough. This kept them in the learning zone, allowed them to tackle challenges without fear of judgment, and helped them build confidence with each attempt.
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This Is What Impact Looks Like
For years, these students had been told that they weren’t “math kids.” In just 10 weeks, that changed.
But this was more than academic improvement. It changed how the students saw themselves, as learners and as people.
What really powered this shift was productive struggle. Students weren’t just getting answers from an AI Tutor. They were being guided to wrestle with ideas, try again, refine their thinking, and experience the feeling of earning understanding. For many of these students, this was the first time math felt safe enough to take risks. Every attempt was met with encouragement, not judgment, and every mistake became a learning step rather than a setback.
Even more, classroom behavior improved. Students started showing up more consistently. Because the environment normalized productive struggle, students became more willing to stick with challenging problems instead of shutting down. But most importantly, they began to believe in themselves. With one-on-one support from the AI companions, they built confidence through persistence, progress, and the freedom to learn on their own terms and without the fear of judgement.
"We saw students who had mentally checked out of math start to re-engage not just with the content, but with themselves as learners."
Dr. Rehana Mohamed, Educational Consultant at St. Anthony’s
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A Model for Schoolwide Transformation
The success of the math intervention at St. Anthony’s led to more than dramatically improved test scores. It prompted a deeper reflection on how students learn and how technology can better support their growth.
What began as a 10-week study is now re-shaping how the school approaches teaching across subjects and grade levels. The data revealed not only accelerated academic gains, but also meaningful improvements in engagement, confidence, and persistence.
A key insight from the study was the role the AI Tutors played. Students were able to work at their own pace, ask for help without hesitation, and build a stronger sense of agency in their learning. The platform gave them something many had never had in math: a safe space to practice, make mistakes, and try again and again, until it clicked.
At its core, this was about giving students who had been told, directly or indirectly, that math was not for them, a real chance to prove otherwise. To their teachers. To their peers. But most importantly, to themselves.
What started as a simple study, now offers a broader lesson. With the right support and the right structure, students can recover lost ground and reconnect with math in powerful and lasting ways.
Want to bring MegaMinds to your school?
Reach out to eric@gomegaminds.com or visit www.gomegaminds.com to schedule a demo.
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ERIC TAO
Co-founder & CEO
eric@gomegaminds.com
www.gomegaminds.com
For more information or to arrange a personalized demo, please contact:
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