WESTPORT — Twenty-five students from Macomber Primary School visited New England Aquarium.

But this field trip was a bit different from others. The students earned the visit through participation in ST Math, a new "visual instructional program that relies on problem solving to bolster math skills," according to a release from Mass STEM Hub, part of the One8 Foundation. The foundation organized statewide participation of elementary schools.

“ST Math was developed to be effective and engaging for all students — including English Language Learners, learning-disabled and high-achieving students," the release states. "In ST Math classroom games, students solve visual mathematical puzzles with JiJi — the beloved penguin of ST Math games."

Grade 1 teacher Andrew Cottrill said all 312 Macomber students have been using the program this year.

Students participated in a sweepstakes named after the ST program's penguin icon, each week tackling a new challenge such as completing puzzles.

Students who finished these tasks and exhibited growth had their names entered in to win a spot for the aquarium field trip.

“These students participated in games during our pep rally,” Cottrill said.

Macomber and other state students represented 575 schools.

“According to Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, less than half of middle school students are proficient in math,” Mass STEM Hub said in the release. “But ST math has proven to help students advance in math understanding, achievement and, most importantly, confidence that they are good at math. ... And their growing understanding shows in state testing scores.”

Over a four-year span, ST Math schools have outranked non-ST Math schools by 7.4 percentile points, according to Mass STEM Hub.