Project Review: Næsta stig
PISA troubles
Iceland's PISA scores continued to decline in the Spring 2025 assessment that was released last month. Of European OECD countries, Iceland now sits uncomfortably near or at the bottom of the pile.
- Science: 25th out of 26
- Reading: 26th out of 26
- Mathematics: 25th out of 26
Maths peaked in 2003 (515) and the overall trend has been downwards since, with the biggest collapse happening over Covid (-36 pts). In 2025 Iceland dropped a further 9 points.
The causes of this at a school level are up for some debate, but Næsta stig is an attempt to empower parents and students to take matters into their own hands.
Practice makes perfect
Created by Björn Orri Guðmundsson, Næsta stig is an app that your child uses to improve their ability and confidence in maths.
The app gamifies maths learning - the student becomes a character on a quest and reaches different milestones and prizes along the way.
Through interactive instruction the student is taught a new concept in maths and given the opportunity to practise it, before finally taking a test to unlock the next chapter.
The student writes answers in-app in the same way they will be expected to on tests in real life: by hand on grid "paper".
The big difference from normal homework is that the feedback - with remarks on what they did well and how to improve - comes back in seconds.
Comprehension is a separate skill from doing the calculation and getting the right answer, so the app gives points for each - the setup, the working and the result.
Data protection
The app has been made with child data protection in mind. The handwritten samples uploaded are not stored by Næsta stig, and all data lives on device, with no ads or tracking.
Release
It's available on the App Store, with a free tier of 1 problem per day. A Google Play edition is on its way.