NEW YORK, Oct. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new University of Maryland study of Goblins, an AI-powered K-12 math platform, found that students who used the tool more frequently had higher math achievement on the spring NWEA MAP Growth assessment than similar students with little or no use.
Goblins lets students type, draw and speak as they work through math problems, receiving one-on-one help in over 50 languages. It figures out the “why” behind students’ confusion and aims to fill their foundational gaps. Teachers assign practice content in Goblins from the curriculum they already use, and they see where each student is struggling in real time, giving them extra leverage during their instruction.
“When I taught math at a Title I high school in New York, I had 30 kids in one classroom, each with their own history of foundational gaps,” said Sawyer Altman, founder and CEO of Goblins. “But it’s impossible to give every student individual coaching while also leading a whole class. Goblins was built to extend teachers’ reach – and this study adds important evidence about how students engage with that support.”
The independent study examined 6,065 students in grades 6-8 in Arizona’s Deer Valley Unified School District during the 2025-26 school year, comparing Goblins users with similar students in the same schools who used it little or not at all. Students who used Goblins about 30 minutes a week gained 1.8 school years’ worth of learning within the course of a single school year. Researchers also found higher levels of growth for students with individualized education programs (IEPs), Hispanic students and English learners.
“This study offers an initial look at how a teacher-mediated, multimodal math platform was used in a real district setting. We found a positive relationship between more frequent Goblins use and student math achievement. More rigorous research will help clarify what works, for whom and under what conditions,” said Jing Liu of the University of Maryland, a co-author of the study.
The results come as many school districts seek evidence on the impact of AI-powered tools on student learning. Prior studies of widely used programs have shown only 5% of students use education technology at recommended levels; in contrast, just over half of students met dosage (at least 2 problems per week throughout the school year) in Deer Valley. Adoption of Goblins “substantially exceeded that of other computer-assisted learning tools,” the researchers wrote. They suggested that letting students speak and draw their thinking, rather than only type, may lower barriers for students who are often hardest to reach.
“I can reach students in ways that I would not otherwise be able to do. Without Goblins, I know my students would not have made the growth that they made this year,” said Erica Affinito, an 8th grade math teacher at Canyon Springs STEM Academy in Anthem, Arizona. “It helped build their confidence, which is something I can’t do for 35 students all at once.”
About Goblins
Goblins lets K-12 students draw, speak and get one-on-one help in math. It identifies their gaps at any step, builds the conceptual understanding they need to keep solving and equips teachers with powerful insights that help improve their instruction. Goblins serves school systems like Baltimore County, KIPP and Greenville, SC. Learn more at goblins.com.
