The Four Student Success Strategies Every Educator Should Know (And How to Use Them)

[MarisaBluestone]

The Four Student Success Strategies Every Educator Should Know (And How to Use Them)

There’s no shortage of teaching advice out there, but when student success is on the line, what actually works?

A three semester study from Macmillan Learning in 2022 and 2023, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, put four well-known strategies to the test: data-driven instruction, formative assessment with feedback, active learning, and metacognition. 

While these strategies aren’t new, what's new is the scale and clarity of the findings. When instructors used these four practices consistently, and when students actually engaged with the work, performance improved. Measurably. 

The study revealed statistically significant findings of a 4–5 percentage point bump on exam scores for students who engaged with EBT-aligned digital resources. and up to 20 points higher on final course grades for students with high engagement in their completion of assignments in high-assignment courses. Even students with medium engagement in assignment completion saw a boost of 9–13 percentage points in course grades.

These strategies aren’t new, but this research adds to the growing evidence that how we implement them matters. Here’s a quick breakdown of each, along with practical ways to bring them to life in your classroom.

1. Data-Driven Instruction

Students can’t hit a target they can’t see. Data-driven instruction helps clarify what success looks like by making learning goals and progress visible. In the study, it was the most commonly used of the four strategies. Data-driven instruction supports motivation, retention, and even graduation rates by aligning content with clearly stated learning objectives. When students understand the “why” behind what they’re doing, they engage more deeply and perform better.

Guido Gatti explains, “It’s critical for everything that is important in life. Think of it like this: I wear a blood sugar monitor. It lets me know right away when something’s off, so I can respond in the moment, not after the damage is done. The timely feedback and ability to take action is what keeps me on track, monitor, then treat. Same goes for learning -- don’t wait until after the exam.”

Ways to try it:

• Start class by posting a few specific learning goals.
• Use quick polls or check-ins to identify where students are getting stuck.
• Show students their progress on learning objectives with visual dashboards or midterm reflection surveys.
  

2. Formative Assessment with Feedback

Formative assessment is less about grading and more about guiding. The idea is to help students spot gaps in their understanding while there’s still time to close them, and to offer feedback that motivates rather than discourages. Instructors in the study who used these strategies said they saw improvements not just in grades, but in student confidence and engagement. Courses with consistent feedback practices saw students improve both exam performance and confidence, according to both quantitative and qualitative data.

“Things like LearningCurve give them quality, directed feedback that clears up misconceptions and keeps the learning going. That’s what makes the difference. It’s not just about what they don’t know, it’s about helping them see how much more they can learn,” Gatti explained.

Ways to try it:

• Use low-stakes quizzes that offer immediate feedback. For a seamless way to implement you can use tools like LearningCurve (Achieve’s formative assessment tool).
• Build in short writing prompts or “muddiest point” reflections.
• Offer encouragement-focused feedback that highlights effort and next steps—not just what’s wrong.
  

3. Active Learning

When students participate, they retain more. Active learning shifts the classroom from lecture hall to learning lab without needing a complete redesign. Courses that included just occasional active learning strategies still saw notable gains in exam performance, without requiring a complete course redesign. Even small steps can make a big difference. But here’s the catch: in the study, active learning was one of the least-used strategies, often due to time constraints or uncertainty about how to implement it in large or online classes. 

Ways to try it:

• Break up lectures with think-pair-share activities, or small group problem solving.
• Use quick polls or group challenges to reinforce key concepts.
• Mix up your methods, because variety helps more students find their footing.

“If there’s no real engagement, small groups can fall flat and could be doing less for students than a focused lecture would. Mix it up. Try projects, real-world scenarios, competitions, games, or even a phone-pic scavenger hunt. Make active learning the norm, not the exception. Get students interacting with the what, how, and why of the content and don’t give them the option to sit it out,” Gatti said.

4. Metacognition

Also known as “thinking about thinking,” metacognition helps students take ownership of their learning. It teaches students to plan, monitor, and reflect on their learning—skills that go far beyond the classroom. This strategy had some of the strongest links to improved learning outcomes, especially when paired with reflection prompts, self-assessments, or goal-setting tools in courseware. That’s because, in addition to performance, it builds self-awareness, resilience and confidence. While it might be the most powerful strategy of all, it's often also the hardest to implement.

According to Gatti, “Metacognition is really just problem solving. The problem is: Realistically, how do I get an A in this course? You ask yourself what’s working, what’s getting in your way, and what your plan is. Then you work the plan, pause, reassess, and revise. As instructors, we can guide students through that process, especially after big moments like the first exam. Take a little time to help them discover, plan, and adjust. That’s how learning sticks.”

Ways to try it:

• Ask students to set a learning goal at the start of a unit, and reflect on it at the end.
• Encourage self-assessment: “What do I know well? What should I review?”
• Normalize struggle as part of the learning process.
  

You don’t need to overhaul your course to use evidence-based strategies. In fact, the biggest takeaway from this research might be this: small, intentional changes matter. A few more reflection prompts. A few more goals shared out loud. A few more opportunities for students to speak, reflect or adjust.

Want to learn more? Listen to Marcy Baughman, VP of Learning Science & Research at Macmillan Learning, as she talks about Four Strategies, Five Point Gains: Digging Into The Data on The Real Impact of Evidence-Based Teachi...on The What & Who of EDU.