What happens after the assessment window closes? For school leaders, the opportunity is to turn assessment insights into meaningful, day-to-day learning experiences.
That’s the idea behind E3n’s partnership with Wild Zebra, an AI learning platform for students in grades 3–8 that connects CTP and Milestones assessment insights with personalized practice. Through questions and conversation, students explain their reasoning while teachers gain visibility into how they approach problems.
During the 2025–26 school year, E3n sponsored an independent evaluation of the Wild Zebra pilot to better understand how educators use the platform. In our recent webinar, AI, Student Learning, and the Classroom: Findings from the Wild Zebra Pilot Study, Edward Dieterle, Ed.D., of Education Research Partners, joined Wild Zebra co-founder and CEO Edan Shahar to discuss the findings and educators’ experiences.
The evaluation surfaced practical lessons about introducing AI-supported learning, integrating it into instruction, and helping students make their thinking visible.
What the evaluation examined
Dieterle described interviews with approximately eight educators across six schools, alongside an analysis of student usage data. The evaluation focused on educators’ experiences and the platform’s place within the instructional core—the relationship among teachers, students, and the content they learn.
Importantly, this was an exploratory pilot, not an efficacy study designed to establish whether Wild Zebra improved student achievement. Its purpose was to better understand classroom implementation and identify conditions that appeared to support it.
Five lessons for school leaders
1. Explain the purpose—not just the platform
Wild Zebra asks students to explain how they arrive at an answer, rather than simply submit a response and move on. Some students initially found this unfamiliar, particularly when they already knew the answer.
The pilot underscored the value of helping students understand that articulating their reasoning is part of the learning process. Preparing teachers to explain the platform’s conversational approach can give students a clearer purpose and a stronger starting point.
Leadership takeaway: When introducing a new learning tool, make the instructional purpose as clear as the technology itself.
2. Give the platform a defined place in instruction
Teachers incorporated Wild Zebra in different ways, including beginning-of-class activities, dedicated math lab periods, and practice for students who finished assignments early.
Dieterle reported that teachers described stronger engagement when the platform was used at the beginning of class or during dedicated math labs. Some students viewed it as an extra assignment when offered only after completing other work.
Leadership takeaway: A consistent instructional routine may be more effective than treating AI supported practice as something students do when time permits.
3. Support teachers—and listen to their feedback
Implementation experiences were more positive when school leaders prioritized the platform and helped teachers incorporate it into their work. Clear expectations, dedicated time, and an instructional purpose helped establish a foundation for classroom use.
Educators also valued opportunities to influence the platform’s development. Some described sharing suggestions with the Wild Zebra team and seeing updates as soon as the following day.
Leadership takeaway: Successful implementation requires more than access to technology. Teachers need support, time to integrate new practices, and meaningful opportunities to shape the tools they use.
4. Personalize practice while recognizing different learner needs
Students appreciated practicing skills through topics connected to their interests, such as sports and other familiar subjects. Shahar also discussed ongoing efforts to use assessment information and student interactions to better identify learning needs and adjust challenge levels.
The pilot highlighted that students need different kinds of support. Some advanced learners could solve problems mentally but found it frustrating to explain answers they already knew. Students who struggled sometimes needed vocabulary, prompts, or additional teacher guidance to express their thinking. A whiteboard feature offered another way to show their work.
Leadership takeaway: Personalization involves more than adjusting difficulty. It also means understanding how students communicate their reasoning and what support helps them engage.
5. Look for learning that extends beyond the platform
Some teachers observed students using more structured explanations and academic language in classroom discussions and other work after using Wild Zebra.
These early observations suggest a promising question for further study: Can regular practice articulating reasoning help students communicate their thinking more effectively in other learning environments?
The findings are encouraging, but they reflect teacher observations—not evidence of impact on student achievement.
Leadership takeaway: When evaluating a learning tool, look beyond usage metrics. Consider what students do differently in classroom discussions, written work, and other learning experiences, while distinguishing promising observations from proven outcomes.
Turning assessment insights into learning opportunities
The Wild Zebra pilot offered E3n and participating educators a clearer understanding of how AI supported practice can fit into classroom instruction. The findings highlighted opportunities to strengthen engagement, refine personalization, and help students make their thinking visible.
One theme ran throughout the evaluation: teachers remain central to the learning experience. They establish routines, explain the purpose of new approaches, and help students work through challenges. Leadership support and responsive product development can help make that work possible.
For school leaders exploring how assessment insights can inform individualized practice, the pilot offers a practical reminder: Technology alone does not determine the learning experience. How educators introduce it, integrate it into instruction, and respond to students’ needs matters.
Watch the full webinar for the evaluation findings, educators’ experiences, and a demonstration of the platform.
