--- title: "Texas Overhauls Elementary Math | Times Tables Games | XTables Champions" description: "Texas is reshaping elementary math around conceptual fluency, not drilling. Here's what that shift means for STAAR prep and how game-based learning fits in." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "name": "XTables Champions", "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "url": "https://xtableschampions.com" }, { "name": "XTables Champions", "logo": "https://qtrypzzcjebvfcihiynt.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/base44-prod/public/68cac2c61c34894625d63273/cae3abbca_logo.png", "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "url": "https://xtableschampions.com" }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://math-magicians-academy-25d63273.base44.app/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "teks math fluency beyond flashcards texas elementary", "item": "https://math-magicians-academy-25d63273.base44.app/teks-math-fluency-beyond-flashcards-texas-elementary" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What are the TEKS math standards and why are they changing?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "TEKS stands for Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, the official curriculum standards set by the Texas Education Agency. Recent revisions to the elementary maths TEKS are placing greater emphasis on conceptual fluency and foundational numeracy, moving away from approaches that prioritise speed and test-prep drilling. The shift comes partly in response to post-pandemic STAAR score data that revealed gaps in children's deeper mathematical understanding." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How does game-based learning support TEKS math fluency?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Game-based learning builds repeated, meaningful exposure to mathematical relationships in contexts that require children to think, not just retrieve memorised answers. When a child has to use multiplication to win a game of Battleship or Connect Four, they're practising the same facts as a flashcard, but with genuine purpose and engagement. This kind of active, contextual practice aligns well with the TEKS emphasis on conceptual understanding rather than surface recall." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can game-based maths actually improve STAAR scores?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Conceptual fluency and strong test performance are not in conflict. Children who genuinely understand multiplication, rather than having memorised isolated facts, are better equipped to handle unfamiliar question formats and multi-step problems, which are exactly the kinds of tasks that appear on STAAR assessments. Building real understanding tends to produce more durable results than drilling for a specific test format." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is XTables Champions and how does it work?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "XTables Champions is a game-based platform for children aged 6 to 11 that teaches times tables through multiplayer games including Snap, Connect Four, Bingo, Battleship, Guess Who, Dominoes and Sudoku. The platform includes visual breakdown tools called Show Me How, analytics dashboards for parents and teachers, and flags for SENCO use. The aim is to build genuine multiplication fluency in a way that reduces maths anxiety rather than creating it." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is XTables Champions suitable for children with maths anxiety or ADHD?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes, and this is something we care deeply about. The platform was designed specifically to remove the high-pressure, timed, public-failure dynamics that make traditional drilling so difficult for children with maths anxiety, ADHD or dyslexia. Games are social and low-stakes in the moment, but build real fluency over time. The analytics tools also help adults spot where a child is struggling before that struggle becomes a fixed belief about their ability." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How does XTables Champions align with Texas TEKS standards?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Our games focus on the multiplication facts covered across Grades 3 to 5 in the TEKS framework, the range where foundational times tables fluency is both taught and assessed. The conceptual approach built into our platform, including visual models and varied game contexts, reflects the TEKS direction toward understanding relationships between numbers rather than rote recall of isolated facts." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How can Texas schools or parents find out more about XTables Champions?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The best starting point is xtableschampions.com, where you can explore our games, support tools and approach. We're a young, founder-led company and we're genuinely happy to have a real conversation about whether what we do is a good fit for a specific school, classroom or family situation. Reach out directly through the site and someone from our team will get back to you." } } ] } ] --- [ XTables Champions Part of the ESSTA Kids family ](/Welcome) [About Us](/About)[Rewards ](/OurRewards) Tips & Tricks [Games](/Games)Login [ XTables Champions Part of the ESSTA Kids family ](/Welcome) [Learn](/levels-and-progression) [Games](/GamesOverview) [All Games](/GamesOverview)[Connect Four](/connect-four)[Guess Who?](/guess-who)[Times Tables Bingo](/times-tables-bingo)[Snap!](/snap)[Play with Friends](/games/play-with-friends)[Play against Champion](/games/play-against-champion) [Every Learner](/times-tables-for-every-learner) [Adaptive Learning](/adaptive-times-tables-learning) [Schools](/ForSchools) [Lunchtime Clubs](/LunchtimeClubs)[SENCO Support](/SchoolSencoInfo)[Homework Setting](/SchoolHomeworkSetting)[Whole-Class Games](/SchoolWholeClassGames)[Level Matching](/SchoolLevelMatching) [Wellbeing](/wellbeing-and-safeguarding) [Pricing](/pricing) Log In / Sign Up [Back to all articles](/Blog) # Texas Overhauls Elementary Math | Times Tables Games 24 July 2026 Texas is making a significant change to how elementary math is taught, and the direction it's heading in is something I genuinely believe in. The Texas Education Agency has been revising its curriculum frameworks to put conceptual fluency and foundational numeracy at the centre, pulling away from the kind of test-prep drilling that has dominated classrooms for years. For anyone working in primary education, or anyone raising a child who dreads maths, this is worth paying attention to right now. I'll say upfront: I'm Elisa, a content writer at XTables Champions, a UK-based EdTech company. We're young, founder-led, and still building. But the conversation happening in Texas right now maps almost perfectly onto what we built our platform around, and I wanted to write honestly about why. ## What the Texas Shift Is Actually About When I looked into the TEA's recent policy direction, what stood out to me was the emphasis on \*understanding\* over \*speed\*. The concern driving the changes is clear: post-pandemic STAAR math scores across elementary grades have exposed how fragile purely memorised recall can be. Children who were drilled on times tables often cannot apply that knowledge in a different context, or under any kind of pressure. The revised TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) standards push educators toward building real mathematical thinking, not just training children to retrieve facts quickly. That's a meaningful distinction. A child who understands that 6 x 7 is the same as 6 groups of 7 things, or that it connects to 6 x 6 plus one more six, will hold onto that knowledge. A child who has only ever repeated "forty-two" on command can lose it the moment the format changes. **The core problem with drill-and-kill isn't that it teaches the wrong facts. It's that it teaches children to stop thinking.** ## Why Drilling Alone Backfires This is something we keep hearing in the conversations we're having with schools and parents, both here in the UK and now increasingly in the US. Rote repetition without meaning creates anxiety, not fluency. Children begin to associate maths with speed, with being put on the spot, with getting it wrong in front of others. By the time they reach upper primary, a significant number have simply decided they're "not a maths person." That label, once it sticks, is incredibly hard to shift. What the research consistently shows, and what Texas appears to be building into policy, is that children learn maths better when they're allowed to play with the relationships between numbers. Not in a vague, unstructured way, but through activities that require them to make decisions, spot patterns and use multiplication facts purposefully in context. ## How Game-Based Learning Fits the TEKS Direction At XTables Champions, we built everything around this idea. Our platform turns times tables into multiplayer games that children actually want to play: Snap, Connect Four, Bingo, Battleship and others. These aren't games with a thin layer of maths bolted on. The maths \*is\* the game. To win at Battleship, you have to think about multiplication. To play Snap, you have to recognise equivalences quickly but meaningfully, because you've seen the relationship before in a context that made sense. When I first saw our "Show Me How" visual breakdowns sitting alongside the games, I understood what we were going for. It's not about making maths feel fun as a consolation prize. It's about building the kind of repeated, meaningful exposure to number relationships that actually creates long-term understanding. As our founder Gal Darrash puts it, "Children don't resist maths. They resist feeling like they're failing at something they were never properly shown how to understand." That framing sits very comfortably alongside what Texas is trying to do with its TEKS revision. The goal isn't to lower expectations. It's to build a foundation that actually holds. ## What This Means for STAAR Preparation Here's the practical bit, because I know that for Texas educators and parents right now, STAAR scores are a real and pressing concern. Conceptual fluency and STAAR preparation are not opposites. In fact, I'd argue that the approach the TEA is now endorsing is the more reliable route to better scores, precisely because it builds understanding that transfers. A child who genuinely grasps multiplication, who has practised using it in varied, game-based contexts, is better placed to handle an unfamiliar question on a test than one who has only ever seen the same flashcard format. From the schools we speak to in the UK, we see this play out. Children who engage with game-based maths stop fearing the subject. They start attempting questions they'd previously have skipped. That shift in confidence is not a soft outcome. It shows up in results. For Texas, the alignment between what XTables Champions does and what the updated TEKS standards ask for feels genuinely close. Our games are built around the multiplication facts that appear across Grades 3 to 5 in the TEKS framework. The conceptual approach embedded in our platform, including the analytics dashboards that help teachers and parents see exactly where understanding is breaking down, fits the kind of informed, targeted intervention that schools are now being asked to deliver. ## The Bigger Picture Texas has enormous influence on US education. When a state that size shifts its curriculum philosophy, it tends to move the conversation nationally. I think what's happening with the TEKS revision is genuinely encouraging, not just for Texas, but as a signal that the tide is turning against anxiety-producing, drill-only approaches across the board. For parents reading this, whether you're in Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth or anywhere else your child is sitting STAAR exams, the question worth asking is not "how do I get my child to memorise their tables faster?" but "how do I help them actually understand multiplication in a way they'll carry forward?" Those are different questions, and they lead to different kinds of support. ## Bring XTables Champions Into Your Classroom or Home If you're a Texas educator looking for a maths intervention tool that aligns with the direction the TEA is heading, or a parent trying to move beyond flashcard frustration, I'd love for you to explore what XTables Champions offers. We're a small, early-stage team, and we're genuinely interested in hearing from schools and families navigating this shift, especially in Texas right now. Get in touch through our website at xtableschampions.com to find out how our games and support tools could fit into your classroom or your child's learning at home. We're happy to talk through what we do and whether it makes sense for you. ## Frequently Asked Questions What are the TEKS math standards and why are they changing? How does game-based learning support TEKS math fluency? Can game-based maths actually improve STAAR scores? What is XTables Champions and how does it work? Is XTables Champions suitable for children with maths anxiety or ADHD? How does XTables Champions align with Texas TEKS standards? How can Texas schools or parents find out more about XTables Champions? ## Ready to help your child? Join thousands of families using XTables Champions to make multiplication click. Get Started Free XTables Champions Game-based times tables for children aged 6 to 11. No timers, no tears. For parents, schools and tutors. Part of ESSTA Kids. #### Platform - [Schools](/ForSchools) - [Levels & Progression](/levels-and-progression) - [Our Programme](/Programme) - [Rewards](/OurRewards) - [Pricing](/pricing) - [About Us](/About) - [Learning Philosophy](/LearningPhilosophy) - [Contact](/Contact) #### Community - [Insights](/Insights) - [For Parents Blog](/Blog) - [Tips & Tricks](/TipsTricks) - [Success Stories](/SuccessStories) - [Events & Competitions](/Events) - [Live Results](/Results) - [Lunchtime Clubs](/LunchtimeClubs) #### ESSTA Kids Expert learning programmes for children who need extra support. [Visit esstakids.com →](https://esstakids.com) © 2026 XTables Champions, An ESSTA Kids Programme. All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy](/PrivacyPolicy)• [Terms & Conditions](/TermsConditions)• [Sitemap](/sitemap.xml) XTables Champions Game-based times tables for children aged 6 to 11. No timers, no tears. For parents, schools and tutors. Part of ESSTA Kids. #### Platform - [Schools](/ForSchools) - [Levels & Progression](/levels-and-progression) - [Our Programme](/Programme) - [Rewards](/OurRewards) - [Pricing](/pricing) - [About Us](/About) - [Learning Philosophy](/LearningPhilosophy) - [Contact](/Contact) #### Community - [Insights](/Insights) - [For Parents Blog](/Blog) - [Tips & Tricks](/TipsTricks) - [Success Stories](/SuccessStories) - [Events & Competitions](/Events) - [Live Results](/Results) - [Lunchtime Clubs](/LunchtimeClubs) #### ESSTA Kids Expert learning programmes for children who need extra support. [Visit esstakids.com →](https://esstakids.com) © 2026 XTables Champions, An ESSTA Kids Programme. All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy](/PrivacyPolicy)• [Terms & Conditions](/TermsConditions)• [Sitemap](/sitemap.xml)