HALEY BRITTINGHAM ⍚ PORTFOLIO
WHY EXTRA MATH PRACTICE IS NEEDED
Below are samples from the assessments I initially gave to the 4th - 6th graders at Ampersand. Students had two sessions of thirty minutes to complete twenty problems. Most students did not get past the first page of addition and subtraction or multiplication facts. The apparent challenge of finishing math facts was an indicator that students may need extra math help.
Upon speaking with the math and science teacher, one person who teaches both subjects for all twenty students at Ampersand, I found out that differentiation was extremely hard for her to do due to time constraints. She teaches grades 1st - 6th in one class for thirty minutes three times a week and the same time and duration for grades 7th - 11th during a different block.
I shared with her some resources that I have used in the past and offered to assist not only the 4th - 6th graders but also the prep pod, the 7th - 11th graders. As I described and demonstrated all that Front Row offers, she agreed that Front Row would be the best choice because it provides the adaptive practice. The adaptive part is the key because the students greatly needed some differentiation to master foundational and grade level skills.
Assessments
Below are the first pages of the baseline assessment given to the fourth and fifth graders at Ampersand. For each grade, I gave them an assessment that was one year below their current grade, so fourth-graders received a third-grade assessment and fifth-graders received a fourth-grade assessment. I gave them these assessments at the beginning of the school year to determine if they mastered the previous year's math concepts.
The assessment with the score of 23% was a third-grade assessment given to a fourth grader. The first page took him fifteen plus minutes to complete what is shown. He was getting incredibly uncomfortable and began shutting down. To accommodate him, I crossed out a portion of the subtraction facts and asked him to complete the first row which he did. The remainder of the test he struggled and only answered a couple correct. His lack of confidence and the amount of time it took him to answer these foundational problems told me that he could use some extra assistance with math.
The same was true for the other students who took the assessment. The highest score was a 45%. The student who received a 0% was actually a sixth grader. All of them struggled greatly on completing their math facts. Although math facts seem to be basic, I felt it was crucial for them to master these and the other concepts from previous grades in order to be successful in solving future math problems.
The pictures to the left are from three different fifth grader's packets. All of them had a hard time with solving the problems and most of them started guessing or just gave up.
After watching all of the students struggle to complete their assessments, I realized that in order to meet all of their needs simultaneously I and the math/science teacher needed a realistic solution. Since she only has them for three days a week for math and 30 minutes at a time, the help of a program that would provide differentiation and adapt to students needs was a must. From there, I realized that Front Row would be the best alternative that would engage the students, build their confidence and adapt to their needs.