Cognitive Skills Account for More than 50% of Math Performance in New Study

Cognitive Skills Account for More than 50% of Math Performance in New Study

New research supported by a National Science Foundation grant underscores the importance of cognitive skills for academic performance.  In a study conducted by Mindprint Learning and CAST, Inc., cognitive skills accounted for over 50% of math achievement outcomes for the middle school students who were part of the research. The findings are consistent with prior work on the predictive value of cognitive skills for academic performance and suggest that performance in math could be significantly enhanced by helping students strengthen their cognitive skills as well as helping them understand their cognitive profile to identify personalized learning strategies.

While cognitive training to enhance students’ cognitive skills was not part of this research study, other research has shown improvements of 1 to 1.6 grade equivalents in math following 12 weeks of cognitive training with BrainWare SAFARI.

According to the lead investigator on the study, the data are also consistent with BrainWare Learning Company findings in field research in schools on the relationship between socio-economic status and cognitive development, particularly the development of executive functions, including attention and working memory.  The findings on the relationship between executive functions and poverty were published in an article co-authored by Betsy Hill, President of BrainWare Learning Company, and Nancy Weinstein, CEO of Mindprint Learning.