Lansing School District Pilot: Early Signals of Accelerated Learning

In Fall 2025, Grokkoli conducted a pilot with Lansing School District involving SPED learners performing between Kindergarten and 5th-grade levels who were receiving supplemental math support. While the sample size was modest - 41 learners received 30-60 minutes per week and 23 learners received more than 60 minutes per week - the early outcomes were promising.

Level of Need

Though individual diagnoses weren't shared, participating students represented a high-need population with a range of learning barriers. Educators noted that almost all were at least two years behind in math, many had serious reading difficulties, and some were non-verbal.

Learning Progress

sigma-shift graph

After just 11.5 weeks:

  • Students receiving 30-60 minutes per week demonstrated an average 0.25 sigma improvement in math NWEA percentile position.
  • Students receiving more than 60 minutes per week demonstrated an average 0.46 sigma improvement.

Grokkoli's internal learning data also suggested substantial acceleration relative to prior school-based progress:

  • 73% of learners progressed at least 2× faster than their historical pace,
  • and 48% progressed at least 3× faster.

Benchmarking Against HIT Programs

Leading HIT programs typically rely on:

  • three ~30-minute sessions per week, or
  • four to five shorter weekly sessions for younger learners.

While these programs are highly effective, they also require significant staffing and operational investment, often costing roughly $1,200-$2,500 per student annually.

Our Lansing pilot did not consistently reach dosage levels typically associated with HIT models, making the observed gains particularly encouraging. While additional research is needed, these early results suggest Grokkoli may be capable of delivering comparable learning acceleration at a fraction of the cost and staffing overhead.

Teacher Feedback

Educator response to the pilot was overwhelmingly positive:

  • 90% of teachers reported that Grokkoli improved student math performance while also freeing up more time for direct instruction and individualized support.
  • One teacher described Grokkoli as having “transformed [her] SPED class.”
  • The four educators who initially adopted Grokkoli were sufficiently encouraged by the early outcomes that they recruited colleagues into the pilot, ultimately leading to participation from 29 teachers.