This just in: an exciting new way to tailor skill practice to your students’ needs. You can now set SmartScore goals for your suggested skills directly in IXL! You’ll be able to choose whether you want your students to reach a SmartScore of 80, 90, or 100 on their skill assignments for math, English language arts (ELA), Spanish, and Spanish language arts (SLA). 

During skill practice, students can easily track their progress toward their SmartScore goals. Plus, they’ll receive celebratory messages for reaching their goals, inspiring continued learning! And, you can monitor their results right in IXL Analytics.

Ready to set SmartScore goals for your students? Let’s find out how.

Differentiate your skill assignments

With a range of working levels and learning needs in every classroom, you have yet another tool to differentiate skill practice for each student. Setting SmartScore goals for your suggested skills ensures every learner works toward a goal that’s right for them.

To get started, head to your Profile and settings page. Under Teaching settings, you’ll see the option to “Set SmartScore goal for suggested skills.”

For math, ELA, Spanish, and SLA you can choose from the following SmartScore goals:

• SmartScore of 80 (Proficiency), meaning the student has a strong understanding of the concept.
• SmartScore of 90 (Excellence), meaning the student is consistently capable of working through high-rigor questions.
• SmartScore of 100 (Mastery), meaning the student has truly mastered the concept.

Remember, IXL’s SmartScore is not a percentage score. It’s a unique, adaptive scoring system that gives teachers the best possible information on students’ true understanding of a skill!

Research shows that reaching a SmartScore of 80 in at least two skills per subject each week leads to learning gains and higher test scores. For many students, a SmartScore of 80 is a perfect goal to set! A SmartScore of 90 or 100 may be more suitable for extra credit, increased rigor, or review work, as these are tougher goals to reach.

To further ensure students are working toward appropriate objectives, you can set different SmartScore goals for individual students or specific groups, such as your intervention blocks, advanced learners, or particular courses. Just keep in mind that any goal you set will apply to all of a student’s suggested skills per subject.

Clearly convey class expectations

Setting SmartScore goals for your suggested skills lets your students know exactly what you expect from them during practice. 

When reviewing their skill assignments on their personal dashboards, students can hover over the star next to each skill to easily check their goals prior to practice.

While working on a skill, a student’s goal appears above their current SmartScore, enabling simple, independent progress monitoring. Plus, a checkmark will show next to their SmartScore once they’ve reached their goal, making it clear when it’s okay to move on to their next assignment.

With SmartScore goals in place, you can feel confident that your class expectations have been clearly communicated to your students. And, there’s an easy way to check if students have reached their SmartScore goals!

On the Score Grid report, select the “Currently suggested skills” checkbox, then click on the “Additional options” dropdown menu and select “Met SmartScore goal” in the “HIGHLIGHT” section. Students for whom you have set Smartscore goals will have highlighted scores, making checking for assignment completion a breeze.

Boost student motivation

Reaching proficiency, excellence, and mastery in IXL skills are all achievements worth celebrating! When students meet any of these SmartScore goals, they’ll receive a congratulatory message to applaud all of their hard work. 

Recognizing more learning milestones not only sparks a sense of pride in students, but can also motivate them to challenge themselves and reach new heights.

Additionally, research shows that when students persevere through temporary SmartScore setbacks before reaching their goal, this “productive struggle” cements knowledge, builds grit, and motivates continued learning. Paired with in-the-moment recognition, students will experience the unique, magical feeling of earned success!

Looking for more ways to make the most of your skill assignments? Get top tips from our collection of IXL Minis, bite-sized videos packed with instant implementation ideas.