More Than a Competition: How Reflex Builds Fluency and Sportsmanship

Few educators bring the breadth of experience that Kaitlin Loftus does. A true treasure trove of elementary insight, she’s taught every grade from first through fifth. For the past seven years, she’s brought that expertise to Paul W. Carlton Elementary in New Jersey.

In her first year at the school, Kaitlin provided in-class support, helping fifth-grade students with their math facts. That’s when an ExploreLearning Math Grant email hit her inbox and piqued her interest.

This once-a-year math grant provides teachers with full access to Reflex or Frax for the entire school year. Kaitlin secured a grant for Reflex, the most effective system for mastering basic math facts.

Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Kaitlin leaned on the tool for remote learning instruction. Once she was back in the classroom, she truly began to see the power of Reflex.

“I saw it live when I was teaching them their math facts in fourth grade,” Kaitlin explains, “And they didn't have to think about it. I was like ‘This works!’ I bought into this program… if you use it every day, it does work.”

We asked if she had noticed improvement in student math achievement since implementing Reflex . “Yeah!” she agreed enthusiastically. “Especially because by fifth grade we're doing three-digit by two-digit multiplication. Even on the state test, they don't have much time – they get 60 minutes – that's it. I’ve most definitely seen a change these past three years. I've seen a change in just the speed at which they know their facts. They don't have to think. They don't need a chart.”

A win for math gains and SEL

What’s something important to know about teachers and students at Paul W. Carlton Elementary? They love a good, friendly competition. So when Reflex Competitions were released during the 2024-25 school year, it was a no-brainer to incorporate them.

With the new feature, teachers can host competitions among different classrooms within the same school building, and students in one classroom can face off against other classes for enhanced engagement, fun rivalry, and increased motivation to improve math fact fluency.

Kaitlin and her colleagues aligned their Reflex Competitions with the March Madness tournament. They even created a bracket bulletin board to capitalize on excitement.

“The bulletin board was in the lunchroom,” Kaitlin says, “Because everyone can see it. Then we created brackets by our classrooms.”

But Kaitlin wasn’t just proud of the math gains and engagement cultivated by the competition. She was blown away by the good sportsmanship of her third-graders. “They applauded one another,” she explained. “And I do talk about that in my social-emotional learning in the morning. It's a positive thing to encourage others, and to see that always warms my heart… because you don't see that every day!”

Reflex supports all learners and teachers

Students at Paul W. Carlton Elementary are experiencing math gains and cheering each other on every step of the way. And it all started with a math grant.

“I would tell a teacher if you see students struggling with their basic math facts, to definitely apply for the Reflex Grant,” says Kaitlin. “If you're seeing a lot of your population of students don't know their basic facts, Reflex is appropriate for fourth and fifth-graders. They don't think it's too babyish. They're engaged, and they hit their Green Light. And ever since I've used this program, I've never had a student give me a hard time about logging in.”

Listen to Kaitlin’s story!

Embarking on a new math adventure

Math facts and fractions are two areas where young math students struggle the most. So, in addition to Reflex, ExploreLearning offers Frax, a game-based program that uses the latest research-based instructional methods to create a better way to learn fractions.

Kaitlin’s school recently extended their subscription to include Frax. “Our math supervisor here at our school was like ‘We need this,’” says Kaitlin. “I liked Frax because I did the training. It had the number line. It had the benchmark. It had the pictures, which they need to be more exposed to. So yeah, I'm excited… we could do two different types of competitions.”

Are you ready for the challenge? Start your Reflex or Frax trial today to get started! Reflex and Frax Competitions are available with a full product subscription. Contact our team to learn more about accessing Competitions with a Reflex pilot experience.