If you’re searching for the best chocolate cake in town, would you rather pick up a slice from a buffet line or make an extra trip to the local bakery that has been perfecting its recipe for the last two decades? The bakery’s flavor won multiple awards last year, plus two of your coworkers recommended you try the three-layer chocolate creation. The choice is obvious: the better cake can be found at the bakery.
In post-COVID times, edtech options for classrooms are vast. But as budgets become tighter and tighter, educators are forced to evaluate products and make hard decisions to keep the most effective math tools. With all-inclusive elementary math solutions and core curriculums that “cover it all,” it begs the question: is there value in investing in supplemental materials that support math instruction?
The answer? Yes, and the proof lies in the chocolate cake.
The importance of targeted math instruction
Sure, the buffet itself was beneficial (and necessary!) to ensure you ate a well-balanced meal for the day, but the included cake option would never be as rich and specialized as the bakery’s offering. The same is true when it comes to math instruction, particularly in two areas where it matters most: math fact fluency and fractions.
Why targeted support matters
Targeted support is crucial to ensure students develop foundational skills. With focused practice, teachers can pinpoint specific learning gaps to help improve students’ math performance and confidence. Targeted instruction provides students with in-depth, differentiated learning that reinforces and elevates concepts they encounter in their existing textbook or curriculum.
How Reflex and Frax enhance existing math programs
ExploreLearning Reflex (for math fact fluency) and Frax (for fractions understanding) provide evidence-based math instruction to enhance existing classroom materials and curricula. Both programs are adaptive and game-based and use technology to support math instruction through highly focused and individualized instruction.
Complementing core and supplemental materials
Reflex and Frax don’t replace but rather elevate materials teachers are already using in their classrooms.
- Using research-based instructional methods, Reflex and Frax help students develop a deep, conceptual understanding of math concepts. Students don’t just receive a few practice problems and then move on to the next unrelated module—their entire learning experience revolves around developing skills required for advanced success.
- Both math tools target grade-level standards related to math fact fluency and fractions. When students master these competencies, they will be better prepared for work in their current math curriculum and advanced work in future grade levels.
- Reflex and Frax also provide in-the-moment, differentiated feedback, something that would otherwise be impossible in a traditional classroom setting at any given moment.
Partnering with teachers and tools
Reflex and Frax work in conjunction with teachers’ existing tools and schedules for easy implementation. What does optimal usage look like? Reflex should be primarily used in grades 2-4 and Frax in grades 3-5. Teachers should prioritize Frax before starting a fractions unit to accelerate student learning.
- Thanks to short practice sessions, teachers can incorporate Reflex or Frax into their math instructional block, math centers, or as homework. On average, a Reflex session takes 10-20 minutes to complete and each Frax mission takes about 30 minutes.
- Reflex and Frax also include built-in progress monitoring tools that allow teachers to track student performance and understanding. Frax offline activities extend learning even further and allow students to transfer the skills they learn online to in-person discussions with their peers.
- Live and online professional development help teachers maximize the impact of Reflex and Frax and continuously improve math instruction. The virtual learning community and Educator Resource Hub provide additional resources for teachers to celebrate learning and enhance their current math resources.
Most importantly, Reflex and Frax provide teachers with newfound flexibility in the classroom. When students achieve grade-level proficiency in math fact fluency or fractions, teachers are empowered to extend learning and progress through their existing curriculum without having to reteach the basics.
In-depth look at Reflex and Frax
Reflex and Frax are effective, but they’re also fun! Both programs are entirely game-based with extensive learning universes, allowing students to learn largely through doing as they complete Reflex games or immerse themselves in the Frax galaxy.
Scaffolded instruction for fractions mastery
Frax’s engaging, zero-entry program allows all learners to gain fractions knowledge and confidence as they complete carefully scaffolded missions. Frax uses the number line as the central representation tool to help students foster an understanding of fraction magnitude to perform advanced work with fractions.
Achieving math fact fluency success
Reflex is 100% focused on math fact fluency, helping students develop automaticity as they complete fast-paced practice games. By using fact families and delivering the right facts at the right time for each individual learner, Reflex supports students at grade level, at risk, and with special needs.
The impact of Reflex and Frax on student math performance
The data speaks for itself: students show improved math performance when teachers supplement their math instruction with Reflex and Frax. Schools and districts have experienced serious results in closing achievement gaps and propelling students forward after introducing Reflex and Frax.
Greater gains with Reflex and Frax
A two-year study revealed the significant positive impact of Reflex and Frax on overall math achievement, including the most at-risk students. 2nd graders who scored two or more grade levels below their peers in math improved by an average of 11 percentile points when they used Reflex, compared to 5 percentile points in non-users. When those same Reflex users advanced to 3rd grade and used Frax, students were 2.5x more likely to reach on-grade level math proficiency by the end of 3rd grade compared to non-users.
Preparing for higher-level math
Reflex and Frax also help students develop the critical skills required for more advanced math. Math fact fluency frees up students’ working memory and it’s one of the strongest predictors of standardized test performance. What about fractions? Research shows knowledge of fractions significantly impacts students’ understanding of algebra and advanced math.
Long-term benefits of targeted math support
Highly focused math instruction benefits students and teachers now and in the future. Math and technology can work together to help close critical learning gaps and enrich current instructional practices.
There’s never been a more important time to invest in proven math solutions. Reflex and Frax are proven solutions that can support and enhance math instruction from day one.
“A student came to my classroom from another state with very low fluency in math. After using Reflex this year, she has become 100% fluent in multiplication and division facts, solving 12,500 problems. I am very pleased with the results. Watching her flourish in solving fifth-grade math problems with ease was the icing on the cake. I have seen the children become more confident in their math abilities this year because of this wonderful program. I am so very thankful!”
-Special Education Teacher. Millville Public Schools, New JerseyReady to elevate your math curriculum to help students achieve more? Get started today!