For the twelfth consecutive year, IXL Learning has recognized a select group of educators who are transforming their classrooms through data and personalized instruction. Out of more than one million teachers using the platform globally, the newly announced "Elite 100" list highlights those who have gone above and beyond to ensure every student succeeds.
What Happened
IXL Learning, a widely used educational technology platform, officially announced its Elite 100 list for 2026, honoring teachers from 29 U.S. states and nine countries. These educators were selected for their innovative use of IXL's tools to close learning gaps and engage students.
According to Paul Mishkin, CEO of IXL Learning, the program spotlights teachers who serve as strong classroom leaders. The honorees utilized specific features to solve common classroom challenges:
- Personalized Data: Moses Sliva Jr., a teacher at Mililani Mauka Elementary School in Hawaii, uses the LevelUp Diagnostic to monitor student knowledge. By having students spend just 10 minutes a week in the tool's Real-Time mode, Sliva receives immediate data to prevent students from "silently struggling."
- Actionable Plans: At Central City Elementary in Nebraska, Jacob Zeiss uses personalized action plans generated by the platform. These plans helped one student move from below grade level to tackling advanced material within a single school year.
- Language Support: Javier Velazquez of Charles R. Drew Elementary School utilizes multi-language support tools to assist English language learners. Velazquez reported that a student from Mexico who spoke no English was able to pass state testing by using the platform's audio and translation features.
The Bigger Picture
While the Elite 100 highlights individual success stories, the effectiveness of these tools is backed by broader research. As we previously reported, schools are increasingly relying on data-driven tools to personalize education. Studies indicate that IXL's diagnostic tools are highly accurate predictors of student performance on standardized tests.
Research has shown a strong correlation between the IXL Real-Time Diagnostic and established benchmarks like the NWEA MAP Growth assessment.pdf). Students who score proficiently on the diagnostic are over 15 times more likely to reach proficiency on end-of-year exams. This allows teachers to intervene months before a final test.
Furthermore, the platform has expanded its accessibility. The system now supports over 120 languages for math skills, providing text and audio translations. For Spanish Language Arts, the curriculum was developed by native speakers rather than relying solely on machine translation, ensuring cultural relevance and accuracy.
What This Means for Families
For parents, this shift toward "real-time" diagnostics means that a child's progress is being measured continuously rather than just during stressful testing weeks. Teachers like those in the Elite 100 are using this steady stream of data to adjust lessons on the fly, ensuring students aren't bored with material they already know or lost in material they don't understand.
Additionally, the availability of robust translation tools creates a bridge for multilingual families. Parents who may not speak English fluently can still support their child's math learning through translated content, ensuring that language barriers do not become learning barriers.
What You Can Do
- Ask for Data: If your school uses IXL, ask the teacher to see your child's "Real-Time Diagnostic" report to understand their current grade-level proficiency.
- Check for Gaps: Look at the "Action Plan" generated by the software. This highlights the exact skills your child needs to practice to move to the next level.
- Utilize Audio Tools: If your child is struggling with reading or learning English, encourage them to use the text-to-speech or translation features to build confidence.