{"id":60858,"date":"2025-06-13T05:26:37","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T13:26:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/?p=60858"},"modified":"2025-06-13T05:26:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T13:26:41","slug":"closing-the-achievement-gap-and-minimizing-summer-learning-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/abcmouse\/closing-the-achievement-gap-and-minimizing-summer-learning-loss\/60858","title":{"rendered":"Promising Evidence of ABCmouse Closing the Achievement Gap and Minimizing Summer Learning Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"220\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ResearchStudyJune2023-1200x220.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61508\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ResearchStudyJune2023-1200x220.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ResearchStudyJune2023-300x55.png 300w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ResearchStudyJune2023-768x141.png 768w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ResearchStudyJune2023-1536x281.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ResearchStudyJune2023.png 1596w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Free-to-Play-Games-Article.png\" alt=\"ABCmouse showing off all the fun games.\" class=\"wp-image-19887\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:15px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Free-to-Play-Games-Article.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Free-to-Play-Games-Article-300x88.png 300w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Free-to-Play-Games-Article-768x224.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color\" style=\"color:#0515bd;line-height:1.25\"><strong>Research Shows<\/strong> <strong>ABCmouse Helps Close the Achievement Gap and Minimize Summer Learning Loss<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color\" style=\"color:#767676;font-style:normal;font-weight:400\"><br>Studies highlight how ABCmouse can boost learning and minimize summer slide. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group aofl-byline1 is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ea3baedfd38d0565034c6fe58bd25267\" style=\"color:#01075f\">By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/hee-jin-bang-profile-expert-advice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Hee Jin Bang<\/a>, Ph.D., Kenneth TaeHan Lee, Ph.D.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group aofl-advice-table-ofcontents has-background\" style=\"border-radius:5px;background-color:#e9f5ff\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-background\" style=\"color:#01075f;background-color:#bdd7ff\">Table of Contents &#8211; Jump to Each Section<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-royal-depths-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7d02b037e016a310e0e681e6c57d54e2\"><strong><a href=\"#key-findings\" title=\"\">Key Findings: Summaries of ABCmouse Research Study<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-royal-depths-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a1e6373917724941d139633179055050\"><a href=\"#overview\" title=\"\"><strong>ABCmouse<\/strong> <strong>Research Study Overview<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-royal-depths-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c0c863f00de9583521cffa67143d29ac\"><strong><a href=\"#ABCmouse-program\" title=\"\">The ABCmouse Learning Program<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-royal-depths-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f1ab9d462830c0f413c9edceaf3be9b9\"><a href=\"#participants\" title=\"\"><strong>ABCmouse<\/strong> <strong><strong>Research Study Participants<\/strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-royal-depths-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8f195cd2aef5a7a8fa836068039c14f5\"><a href=\"#design-procedures\" title=\"\"><strong>ABCmouse<\/strong> <strong>Research Study Design and Procedures<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-royal-depths-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-885e907cbbab3513ff3bc74c7e764838\"><a href=\"#study-results\" title=\"\"><strong>ABCmouse<\/strong> <strong>Research Study Results<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:2px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color has-background\" style=\"border-color:#2D56BF;border-width:1px;border-radius:15px;background-color:#80808021;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70)\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading anchor-link-with-margin\" id=\"key-findings\" style=\"line-height:1\">Key Findings: ABCmouse can increase learning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-midnight-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d7cea448e786dcb322aee4653d353d67\"><strong>Research Study Summary:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-midnight-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2a7f03b6fed2665f7e5851a859a08b9f\">\n<li>Using ABCmouse for just 45 minutes per week increases learning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Students with lower starting skills closed the gap by up to 87% with consistent usage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Over 80% of parents reported that children were more motivated and became more independent<strong> <\/strong>learners<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-midnight-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-90bb27c9be9c7b6b323bad1330f2ef7a\"><strong>Research Study Summary with Details:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-midnight-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0fb5f4645a689d7583f9bf988708ac27\">Based on a sample of more than 14,000 children ages 2\u20138, using ABCmouse for at least 45 minutes and completing 15 Learning Activities across three separate days per week can increase learning and minimize summer learning loss.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-midnight-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-697bbcdf3e8ecf8f84a5aaa664fb5918\">Children who use ABCmouse more\u2014whether by completing structured lessons or unstructured free play activities\u2014show greater learning gains.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-midnight-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-17a76353a6544a361a9f078bf8408691\">Regular ABCmouse usage can help children of all skill levels, particularly those who start the summer with lower skills, catch up to higher- skilled peers by summer\u2019s end, closing the gap by up to 87 percent.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-midnight-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0345ac57d7634d0357c6329db3f7d445\">More than 80 percent of parents reported that, since using ABCmouse, their children were more motivated to learn and were more independent in completing Learning Activities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading anchor-link-with-margin\" id=\"overview\">ABCmouse Research Study Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c2750e9c1c7a84433e8ac5eb94bcb1a9\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">During the summer months, school-based learning is typically no longer a part of children\u2019s daily lives. While children in middle- and higher-income families may continue to learn during the summer from educational resources and enrichment activities their families can provide, children in less-affluent families are more likely to lose access to books, educators, meals, and organized activities when schools close.<sup>1 <\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-33dcbe5c3398899960ec0a3ba362bcfc\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">Achievement gaps between students of different socioeconomic groups widen more during the summer than during the school year (i.e., summer learning loss), largely due to unequal learning opportunities in children\u2019s homes and communities.<sup>2<\/sup> Exacerbating this phenomenon, COVID- 19-related school closures have kept tens of millions of children away from schools for many months, which has been particularly detrimental to children in low-income families.<sup>3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d1b2c87f86e5f72cb0e3d9a1cd195a88\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic organization that supports educational and commercial efforts with a public purpose, awarded a grant to WestEd to conduct an exploratory study focused on how parents used ABCmouse to support learning at home during the summer of 2020. WestEd is a nonprofit research, development, and service agency with deep expertise in evaluating the impact of educational programs. For this first independently funded study of ABCmouse, WestEd researchers collaborated with Age of Learning\u2019s in- house Efficacy Research team on study design and data analysis. Age of Learning recruited the participants and oversaw data collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image u-m-hide\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/abc\/prospect-register\/?src_tag=wp:cta:0015\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"924\" height=\"501\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABCmouse-Learning-Made-Easy-CTA-Mobile.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-89753\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABCmouse-Learning-Made-Easy-CTA-Mobile.png 924w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABCmouse-Learning-Made-Easy-CTA-Mobile-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABCmouse-Learning-Made-Easy-CTA-Mobile-768x416.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 924px) 100vw, 924px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image u-d-hide aofl-mb-3rem-margin \">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/abc\/prospect-register\/?src_tag=wp:cta:0015\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"393\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABCmouse-Learning-Made-Easy-CTA-Desktop.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-89754\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABCmouse-Learning-Made-Easy-CTA-Desktop.png 393w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABCmouse-Learning-Made-Easy-CTA-Desktop-211x300.png 211w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 393px) 100vw, 393px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading anchor-link-with-margin\" id=\"ABCmouse-program\">The ABCmouse Program<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f492e130b20bbff11e031837a7b7eb8b\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">ABCmouse <em>Early Learning Academy <\/em>is a comprehensive digital early learning resource for children in preschool, prekindergarten, kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades. Informed by research on how young children learn and what motivates them to learn, ABCmouse offers more than 10,000 Learning Activities and 850 lessons encompassing all major academic subject areas, including literacy, math, science, social studies, health, art, and music. ABCmouse Learning Activities are regularly updated to encourage children to explore new content based on studies demonstrating connections between curiosity, exploration, and learning.<sup>4<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-80175fee2c1ce17a2e8483e3bd7458d7\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">Additionally, given the research showing relationships between learner choice and learning, ABCmouse offers games, books, puzzles, songs, and videos that children can choose independently based on their interests, as well as lessons on the Step-by-Step Learning Path, a structured curriculum that provides predesignated activities at the child\u2019s level.<sup>5<\/sup> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d5fbe432eb895eef1f3417134bd529d6\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">In sum, ABCmouse focuses on making learning fun, fostering children\u2019s curiosity, and promoting their confidence as learners, all of which can contribute to children\u2019s cognitive and socioemotional development. It can be used on smartphones and tablets as an app, as well as on computers through a web browser. In 2020, more than 10 million children used ABCmouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"aofl-pull-quote-option2 has-border-color has-royal-depths-border-color has-frosted-sky-background-color has-text-color has-background\" style=\"border-width:2px;border-radius:15px;color:#01075f;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);line-height:1.5\">Learn more about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/abcmouse\/online-game-based-learning-why-it-works\/56458\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">proven benefits of game-based learning<\/a>, as well as it&#8217;s positive impact on children&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/abcmouse.com\/learn\/abcmouse\/the-cognitive-benefits-of-game-based-learning\/56872\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">cognitive development<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/abcmouse\/how-online-games-help-social-emotional-learning\/57047\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">social-emotional learning<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading anchor-link-with-margin\" id=\"participants\">ABCmouse Research Study Participants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e4068f044c6681b91659c12afce503d5\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">In March 2020, Age of Learning launched its School Continuity Initiative (SCI) to make its digital learning programs available for free to teachers and families affected by school closures. Through this initiative, more than 825,000 new accounts were created, providing more than 1 million children access to ABCmouse at home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1d5b45bad570679f1a867db184d170d2\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">In June 2020, all active users of ABCmouse, including paying subscribers who had completed at least 15 activities in the prior five days, received an email invitation to complete a parent survey and have their children complete a pre-assessment and then a post- assessment in late August\/early September. Another email was sent in late August to then-active users, whether or not they had completed the pre-assessment, asking them to complete the parent survey and have their children complete the post-assessment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5ef6d0707c666dc09851b101d23ecf50\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">A total of 6,044 children completed the pre-assessment, and 14,489 completed the post-assessment (ages 2\u20134.5 = 6,936; ages 4.6\u20136.5 = 10,869; ages 6.6\u20139 = 2,581; mean age = 5.19, SD = 1.84). Additionally, 5,990 individuals across the U.S. completed the parent survey (60.5% White\/Caucasian; 13.5% Latinx; 10.3% Asian\/Asian-American; 6.9% Black\/ African-American). Approximately 30 percent of the analytic sample had gained access to ABCmouse through the SCI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading anchor-link-with-margin\" id=\"design-procedures\">ABCmouse Research Study Design and Procedures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-06f4d110eed3c3a33616854f292521e6\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">We used the ABCmouse Assessment Center, a comprehensive suite of standards-aligned, validated digital assessments that measure a wide range of literacy and math skills across preschool, prekindergarten, kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades. The Assessment Center includes thousands of online assessment items developed in collaboration with experts at SRI International and NORC at the University of Chicago, and can be used to evaluate a child\u2019s learning progress. Table 1 displays the assessed skills. The Assessment Center is a paid add-on to an ABCmouse subscription.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\" style=\"border-radius:15px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70)\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns has-background is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-20bb992b wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"background-color:#80808021;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0;padding-right:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:0\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-azure-mist-background-color has-background\" style=\"border-radius:0px;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">Literacy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-midnight-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a58858da4331ef71f974c3b48aee2fe1\">\n<li>Picture vocabulary<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Upper- and lowercase letter identification \u2022 Rhyming words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Beginning and consonant sounds<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Replacing sounds in words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Verb tenses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Root words<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Singular and plural nouns<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Subject-verb agreement<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prefixes and suffixes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adjectives and adverbs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reading comprehension<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-azure-mist-background-color has-background\" style=\"border-radius:0px;padding-right:0;padding-left:0\">Math<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-midnight-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2d7f0d82f51b487c9e66a061031d35b0\">\n<li>Recognizing numerals 1\u201325<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Counting objects 1\u201320<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Comparing quantities and sizes \u2022 Recognizing 2D shapes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adding numbers up to 100<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Subtracting numbers up to 100 \u2022 Comparing numbers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Identifying place values<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reading data and graphs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Partitioning and fractions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Estimating length<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-gray-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2ba0fe08fccbb08a6a813e95721c63b0\" style=\"font-size:15px\"><strong>Table 1.<\/strong> Skills Across Preschool, Prekindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd Grades Assessed Using the ABCmouse Assessments<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7459ecf97ab505236eddb2fa3975cf62\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">Children saw a pop-up window in ABCmouse prompting them to take the appropriate grade-level assessment. Families who completed both the pre- and post- assessments as well as the parent survey received three free months of ABCmouse access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3b7847b91e2a445079be563c325d505a\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">Among the 6,044 children who completed the pretest and the 14,489 children who completed the posttest, only 349 completed both. Using the data from 20,533 children who completed either a pretest or a posttest, we determined that the reliability coefficients associated with the pretests were .88, .78, .92, .96, .91 across the grades and .89, .94, .95, .91, .93 for the posttests. Then, the data from all 20,533 children who completed either a pretest or a posttest were used in multiple imputation, then deletion (MID), a technique for handling missing data, to estimate the pretest scores of 14,489 children who completed only the post-assessment.<sup>6<\/sup> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e6cf81d7167af2be78640ef8f1f07e62\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">The MID method took into account all 20,533 children\u2019s demographic characteristics (age, gender, grade); ABCmouse usage (total time spent, total activities completed, total lessons completed, unique days); and all available pretest and posttest scores to estimate the missing pretest scores of 14,140 children. The final analytic sample was the 14,489 children for whom we had posttest data and imputed pretest data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f17972524cf45d0f3978d9c5eedea0b7\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">On average, children used ABCmouse for 53.53 minutes per week (SD = 44.93) and completed 11.75 (SD = 9.49) Learning Activities per week over 10\u201311 summer weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading anchor-link-with-margin\" id=\"study-results\">ABCmouse Research Study Results<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-80dedddf6434e9ae2c29756171290045\" style=\"color:#01075f\">Finding 1: Using ABCmouse for at least 45 minutes and completing 15 Learning Activities across at least three separate days per week can increase learning and minimize summer learning loss.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-29aace17a543eb947b2432e3ad9c97a3\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">Examining the relationship between ABCmouse usage and performance, the metrics most significantly related to overall posttest scores (literacy and math combined) were average days of gameplay per week, average activities completed per week, and average time spent per week. Figures 1, 2, and 3 show that using ABCmouse for at least 45 minutes and completing at least 15 activities across at least three unique days per week is associated with greater improvements in key math and literacy skills. In other words, more time spent engaging in ABCmouse is related to higher posttest performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"753\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable1-1200x753.png\" alt=\"Average time spent per week in minutes on the ABCmouse.com app. \" class=\"wp-image-60876\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable1-1200x753.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable1-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable1-768x482.png 768w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable1-1536x964.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable1.png 1838w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"368\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable2-1200x368.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable2-1200x368.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable2-300x92.png 300w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable2-768x235.png 768w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable2-1536x471.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable2.png 1820w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-92ffd718945c1131ada4d00fcbaf7d4c\" style=\"color:#01075f\"><br>Finding 2: The more children use ABCmouse\u2014whether by completing structured lessons or free play activities\u2014 the more they learn.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6136f10ff914fe5c85fb6c75b8f6dd93\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">To better understand children\u2019s different learning experiences using ABCmouse, we conducted a latent profile analysis. This was done to identify different groups based on levels of usage as well as completion of structured lessons on the Step-by-Step Learning Path (structured learning) versus completion of Learning Activities in free play areas, where children can choose activities of different types in any order (unstructured learning). The resulting best-fitting model produced four groups, shown in Figure 4. The median weekly usage for each group is displayed in Table 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"609\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure4-1-1200x609.png\" alt=\"Engagement chart for groups of learning \" class=\"wp-image-60882\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure4-1-1200x609.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure4-1-300x152.png 300w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure4-1-768x390.png 768w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure4-1-1536x780.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure4-1.png 1824w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable2-2-1200x522.png\" alt=\"Median weekly usage of ABCmouse for each group. \" class=\"wp-image-60885\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable2-2-1200x522.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable2-2-300x130.png 300w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable2-2-768x334.png 768w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable2-2-1536x668.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyTable2-2.png 1826w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-64cf7700ab74d5330c1da9f8ec9f72d2\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">Comparing the posttest performance of the four user groups (Figure 5) indicates that greater usage of ABCmouse, whether by completing lessons or free play activities, was associated with a positive impact on posttest performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"501\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure5-1200x501.png\" alt=\"Comparisons of groups of kids that use ABCmouse app. \" class=\"wp-image-60888\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure5-1200x501.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure5-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure5-768x320.png 768w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure5-1536x641.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure5.png 1822w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-fcf47ba5abf7e4bda4298d34b732aaf7\" style=\"color:#01075f\">Finding 3: Regular ABCmouse usage can help children of all skill levels, particularly those who start the summer with low skill levels, catch up to their higher-skilled peers by summer\u2019s end, closing the gap by up to 87 percent.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-68c0f1a9ac90b26013b4276a57735a31\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">We next compared children in the low-engagement group with those in the very high-engagement group. For each child in the very high-engagement group, we identified a counterpart in the low-engagement group who shared similar pretest scores, age, and identical gender, grade, and pretest and posttest form. Then, we weighted the children in each group to establish similarly sized groups. For example, if there was one very high-engaged child matched to three low-engaged children, the very high-engaged child was weighted more heavily to establish a balance between the two groups being compared. The goal was to create two similarly sized groups matched on all observable characteristics except for level of ABCmouse usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-79072bdf096cfd12353536cbeb731b43\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">A weighted regression analysis comparing the low-engagement and very high-engagement groups (Groups 1 and 4) after controlling for age, gender, and pretest performance, showed that the effect of very high engagement with ABCmouse relative to low engagement is related to an increase of 4.35 percent on the posttest. This statistically significant result represents an effect size of 0.2 (Figure 6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure6-1200x444.png\" alt=\"The effect of greater ABCmouse usage during the summer. \" class=\"wp-image-60891\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure6-1200x444.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure6-300x111.png 300w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure6-768x284.png 768w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure6-1536x569.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchStudyFigure6.png 1820w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-301f235b4fe3da9b9cf1e3b7a452066b\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">We then compared the pretest and posttest performance of the low-engaged and very high-engaged children across initial performance on the pretest, as shown in Figure 7. Regular, consistent use of ABCmouse benefited all children, regardless of their skill level at the start of the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"479\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure7-1200x479.png\" alt=\"Regular ABCmouse usage helps children across all skill levels. \" class=\"wp-image-60893\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure7-1200x479.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure7-300x120.png 300w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure7-768x307.png 768w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure7-1536x614.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure7.png 1822w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-41a887ddaa6711d5dac19b977b34db8d\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">Among children with high prior knowledge, posttest scores increased from 64.2 to 67.9 percent, representing an increase rate of 5.8 percent [(67.92-64.18)\/64.18 = .058]. Among children with low prior knowledge, posttest scores increased from 59.2 to 63.5 percent, which represents a higher increase rate of 7.2 percent [(63.52- 59.23)\/59.23 = .072]. In particular, with greater, consistent ABCmouse usage, children who started the summer with low prior knowledge caught up with their peers with high prior knowledge (but with low engagement), closing the performance gap between the groups by up to 87 percent [(63.52-59.23\/64.18-59.23) = .867], as shown in Figure 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"731\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure8-1200x731.png\" alt=\"Low engagement with abcmouse is associated with summer learning loss. \" class=\"wp-image-60895\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure8-1200x731.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure8-300x183.png 300w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure8-768x468.png 768w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure8-1536x936.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure8.png 1818w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0d8aabbf29196136a23f4c267c07789a\" style=\"color:#01075f\">Finding 4: More than 80 percent of parents reported that since using ABCmouse, their children were more motivated to learn and were more independent in completing Learning Activities.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-fdf03fe15ea3cacd488d9aa962460a7a\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">Of the 5,990 parents of who completed the survey, 84 percent indicated that since using ABCmouse, their children have become more independent in completing Learning Activities (Figure 9). Additionally, 82 percent indicated that their children were more motivated to learn about the topics they saw on ABCmouse. This is noteworthy, considering the challenges many children experienced in staying interested in schoolwork in the absence of the social interactions and structure provided by in-person schooling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"601\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure9-1200x601.png\" alt=\"A majority of parents indicated that abcmouse had a positive impact on children's learning behaviors. \" class=\"wp-image-60898\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure9-1200x601.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure9-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure9-768x384.png 768w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure9-1536x769.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ABCmouseResearchSTudyFigure9.png 1826w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">ABCmouse Research Study Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-39d46290f03118613b8494c341141148\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">This study, the first independently funded efficacy evaluation of ABCmouse, included large numbers of children across all ages for whom the product was designed. The results showed that using ABCmouse consistently over 10\u201311 weeks\u2014whether by completing structured lessons or unstructured free play activities\u2014 is associated with significant increases in summer learning, suggesting that ABCmouse is a promising resource to mitigate summer learning loss. ABCmouse usage benefited children of all skill levels. But the effects were especially noteworthy for those who started out with low skill levels and could catch up to their peers with higher skill levels through regular, consistent usage of ABCmouse, substantially closing the performance gap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4d987974bfb3312179e6a36aa4734f90\" style=\"color:#01075f;line-height:1.5\">Parents also valued ABCmouse\u2019s engaging educational content that motivated their children to continue learning at home while becoming more comfortable and confident about using technology and developing greater independence and curiosity to explore new topics. In sum, this study highlights the educational value of ABCmouse as a program that helps children continue learning outside of school while enjoying the learning experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">References:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list has-midnight-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b63b707db3d8467a1ac8d4f7a7c8cc24\">\n<li>Alexander, K.L., Entwisle, D.R., &amp; Olson, L. S. (2007). Lasting consequences of the summer learning gap. <em>American Sociological Review<\/em>, <em>72 <\/em>(2), 167\u2013180.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2 &nbsp;Pitcock, S. (2018). The case for summer learning: why supporting students and families all year is vitally important. <em>American Educator<\/em>, <em>42 <\/em>(1), 4\u20138.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>3 &nbsp;Dorn, E., Hancock, B., Sarakatsannis, J. &amp; Vriuleg, E. (2020). COVID-19 and learning loss\u2014disparities grow and students need help. McKinsey &amp; Company.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-midnight-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a86a27c7af1c9fae1f683152cee6b492\" style=\"font-size:14px\"><br>TM &amp; <strong>\u00a9 <\/strong>2023 Age of Learning, Inc. All rights reserved. The names of other companies, products, and services are the property of their respective owners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Consistent ABCmouse use helps reduce summer learning loss and supports skill growth, especially for children starting with lower proficiency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":19887,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[153],"class_list":["post-60858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abcmouse","tag-research"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60858"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60858\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abcmouse.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}