Accelerated Math
From WikEd
Accelerated Math is a progress-monitoring software tool that manages and monitors mathematics skills practice, from first grade math through calculus. Accelerated Math automatically prints customized practice assignments and tests for each student, scores student’s work, and reports the results immediately. It keeps track of all student work and gives the teacher diagnostic information by printing individual and class reports.
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Descriptions, definitions, synonyms, organizer terms, types of
Accelerated Math is designed to monitor the progress of mathematical skills practice. In order to serve that purpose, Accelerated Math will generate individualized practice assignments for all students, correct practice assignments, and record results in a data base that is available to the teacher. It also prints the practice results for the students to see in the form of a TOPS report and the student's next individualized practice assignment based on the results of the assignment previously scored.
Accelerated Math will also generate math tests for students at the teacher's request. These tests are based on student performance on math practice assignments on which the student has been working. When a student correctly answers enough questions about a specific math concept on a math practice the student will be eligible to test on that concept. Accelerated Math will score the student's test, record the results in a data base and print the student's TOPS report so that the student has immediate feedback about their work.
While using Accelerated Math, the teacher plans instructional lessons; instsructs the students in whole class, small group, and individualized settings; discusses practice assignments and tests with the students; monitors student learning using reports generated through Accelerated Math; motivates students by setting individualized goals and providing feedback; and intervenes when students need additional help in order to master a mathematical concept. The student using Accelerated Math is responsible for helping to set individual goals appropriate to their ability level, to work practice assignments or tests, to review work and correct problems, and to discuss assignments and tests with the teacher.
Reports
The reports generated by Accelerated Math help students, teachers and parents stay informed about mathematical progress in the classroom. Some of the reports available through this program are:
TOPS The TOPS Report provides results for each objective and a list of correct answers. Prints automatically when a practice assignment, test, or exercise is scanned.
Student Record This report displays a summary of a student’s work on each objective.
Status of the Class The most useful report to print every day. Lists students in the following categories: having work to be scanned, ready to test, needing intervention, with no recent activity. Prints the dates of all practice assignments, exercises, and tests that have not been scanned. For each objective, the report lists students who are working or about to start on the objective.
Diagnostic This report places diagnostic codes next to the names of students who are struggling. Includes codes for low number of objectives mastered; low percent correct on practice, test, and review; low number of problems attempted; intervention needed.
Parent Information This report provides information for the parent or guardian; mastered objectives, working objectives, and percent accuracy on practice, test, and review. Good to send home regularly and use for parent-teacher conferences.
Evidence of effectiveness
Accelerated Math can help teachers to analyze the strengths and weakness of students in the classroom, and to customize teaching to those strengths and weaknesses. The immediate feedback in the form of a TOPS report gives the student an opportunity to continue moving on to new mathematical concepts or to get an opportunity to review or learn again a specific concept with which they had difficulty. Students abilitiy to move at their own pace in this math program allows for good use of classroom time for all students. Below is a sample of some of the most current research on Accelerated Math.
Sadusky and Brem (2002) studies the impact of first-year implementation of Accelerated Math in a K-6 urban elementary school during the 2001-2002 school year. Researchers found that teachers were able to immediately use data to make decisions about instruction in the classroom. The students in classrooms using Accelerated Math had double the percentile gains when tested as compared to the control classrooms that did not use Accelerated Math.
Ysseldkyke and Tardrew (2003) studied 2,202 students in 125 classrooms encompasing 24 states. The results showed that when students using the Accelerated Math Program were compared to a control group, those students using the program made a significant gain on the STAR Math test. Students in grades 3 through 10 that were using Accelerated Math had more than double the percentile gains on these tests than students in the control group.
Ysseldyke, Betts, Thill, and Hannigan (2004) conducted a quasi-experimental study with third- through sixth-grade Title I students. They found that Title I students who used Accelerated Math outperformed students who did not. Springer, Pugalee, and Algozzine (2005) also discovered a similar pattern. They studied students that failed to pass the AIMS test in order to graduate. Over half of the students passed the test after taking a course in which Accelerated Math was used to improve their achievement.
Signed “life experiences”, testimonies and stories
Please add your comments at the end of section and either sign your name using four ~ or some other identification (e.g., "anonymous user").
While researching about this program on the Internet I was able to find an on-line discussion about the Accelerated Math Program on Drexel’s Math Forum Website, in their Teacher2Teacher discussion area. It gave me a chance to look into what people in the education field as well as parents were saying about the Accelerated Math Program. Because this was a discussion area, often complete names were not given by the people sharing information, but the majority of users of this forum were teachers and parents. Two criticisms of the program follow:
- "Our district, especially at the high school level, seems to be placing tremendous faith in this program. When our middle school began using it, I requested going to the first training. As a CGI facilitator, I wanted to see what was happening at the secondary levels. I was not at all impressed. Very much like AR, designed to provide individualized practice but has become the instructional focus. One thing I remember is a particular question that was shared with us in which children were expected to read a problem and then identify THE way to solve the problem. I spoke up and said that I could see (and have seen) children solve this problem type with several different approaches and did not like the single strategy focus. It seemed to me that the program may help teachers individualize BUT cannot replace good teaching and so often becomes the INSTRUCTION. I don't like it at all, it is misused and overrated and cannot replace meaningful instruction."
- "I absolutely do not agree with this way of teaching! My love for math grew because of the wonderful patterns. You learned one problem, did similar problems, then it changed slightly and you learned how to adapt what you already know. By this method you learn not only the math, but also how to adapt your thinking. This is not a way to get children to love math or to learn how to think for themselves. What we are losing by doing this are the future scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and math teachers!"
As a high school math teacher whose junior high employs the Accelerated Math program, I have had a few concerns with the program. I have seen very bright students, who, allowed to work at their own pace, finished an entire semester's worth of work in the first month. These students then sat for the rest of the semester. I have also seen some of the weaker students get their classmates to do their required assignments. While these flaws, I hope, are not widespread, it does show some of the weaknesses of the program.
On the same web site in which I found criticisms of the Accelerated Math Program (Drexel’s Math Forum Website) I also found testimonies in support of the Accelerated Math Program. Two of these testimonies follow: (posted by unknown user)
- "I am thoroughly convinced that Accelerated Math can do things for students in math that are almost impossible to accomplish otherwise. The instant feedback and the emphasis on mastery ensure that students do not just coast through the program without truly learning the material. While the teacher (or someone) still has to do much of the teaching, students can be much more independent much of the time, and can cruise quickly through objectives that come easily to them. I have never made it through the end of the math book with any of my classes - I'm lucky to get past the halfway point with some of them. But with AM, motivated students can master EVERY SINGLE objective for the grade level library they work through, eliminating the gaps I see in the math skills of most of my students."
- "The true power of AM is its ability to collect data about each student and to report that information to the teacher so he/she can act upon it. AM will notify a teacher whether a student is struggling in any given topic. It is then the teacher's job to act accordingly. The teacher may re-teach a lesson to the whole class, assign a peer-tutor to a struggling student, or to meet with the struggling student himself/herself. AM notifies the teacher of a struggling student much faster than the teacher ever could have figured it out if left to his/her own devices. I could continue singing the praises of this wonderful teaching tool, but I fear I've gone on long enough."
As a teacher who has used Accelerated Math in my classroom for the last 5 years, I believe that is a powerful tool for teachers in the mathematics curriculum, but not a perfect tool. The data that is available to teachers enables them to quickly surmise how all students in the classroom are progressing and which students need additional help. A child cannot slip through the cracks because there are built-in warning systems in the program that alert the teacher that a child is struggling. Availability of data to teachers should be a focus of educational software programs.
-- Brad Frey, Johnsburg High School
Probably the most important advantage of using Accelerated Math for me is that I spend the entire math class teaching. It is hard work, and there isn’t much of a chance to catch your breath, but it is a great feeling to be able to spend an entire math period teaching math. One of the complaints of using Accelerated Math is that teachers do not instruct, the computers do. This is either a misconception or the classroom using Accelerated Math is using it incorrectly. I have taught more math in the last 5 years with this program than I did in my previous 15 years of teaching. -- anonymous user
I am concerned with the heavy emphasis on multiple choice practice in Accelerated Math. I would like to see more research about the effects of multiple choice practices and tests in math. I also do not use Accelerated Math solely in my classroom (although it is an integral component). I supplement my math instruction with problem solving, real-life challenges and math games which I think are necessary to broaden students mathematical thinking. I think solely using Accelerated Math could become as stale as a classroom that solely used the textbook. But because of the many things Accelerated Math can do in the classroom, it allows me more time and freedom to develop lessons, activities and learning experiences that are more stimulating for my students. -- anonymous user
While my school has the Accelerated Reader Program, we do not have the accelerated Math Program. I did however teach with a person who's daughter had this program for math in her school. Her daughters grade was suffering from how she was performing on the Accelerated Math program. We had the same issues at our school with Accelerated Reader. I believe that both the Accelerated Math and Reading are excellent programs it just comes down to how the programs are implemented and used within the classroom. In our district the Accelerated Reading is used only in primary and is not part of the grade. I can see that other districts are needing to step back with the Accelerated Math and need to ask them selves what they really want to accomplish with the program and implement it better. -- anonymous user
I feel accelerated math is great in preparing the students for HS and College Math. If all students stay in general math, how can the students help prepare themselves for the future? You can’t ask a student who has college aspirations to sit in and take a lower level class to accommodate those whose aspiration is to be a mechanic. Although there is nothing wrong with being a mechanic, there is a different mindset between the two. The point on multiple choice, is plain and simple. We have become so obsessed with the ISAT testing that to many people cater to the test way to much. Therefore they feel since the multiple choice is how they are tested on ISAT, they need to practice that on their test. I know the pressure to score well on ISAT is high, but shouldn’t our goal be to teach the student the best way possible, and not just make sure they pass the ISAT? -- D. Donner
A couple of years ago, our 7th and 8th grade math schedule included a class for the students that seemed to be struggling through our existing curriculum. At first glance, the Accelerated Math program seemed to be ideal. These students could work on material that was aimed more at their skill level, but that I could affect how much of an increase over their skill level was necessary to challenge the student without overwhelming them. As the year progressed, I found that more of these students were less-engaged than they would have been in a normal math class. For one, these were not the more motivated students in our school. Therefore, they were happy getting through just the minimum amount of work necessary. Secondly, an unexpected "competition" started. The students that were succeeding in the program were being bogged down by the negative energy that the lower-achieving students were emitting. As a result of these and other situations, the Accelerated Math program was not used in the upcoming year. MFoshee
Accelerated Math was first introduced as an enrichment program at my school. In a quest to increase standardized test scores, it is now required to be incorporated into the weekly curriculum in each class. Initially the teachers (who have over 20 years experience) were hesitant to change their curriculum but with weekly use they have come to like the program. The differentiated learning provided by the Accelerated Math has been great to meet the individual needs of the students. The separate period set aside for Accelerated Math has inspired the students to learn more math and to learn that math is fun. The program teaches test taking skills- filling out scantrons and increasing math vocabulary. Sometimes teachers who have taught for a long period of time are reluctant to try anything new. When the teachers at my school were asked if they could change anything about the program they replied they replied that no change was necessary because it was proving to be a success. Students and teachers alike are in favor of Accelerated Math. To have a program that both groups like is wonderful. Ann Harty.
References and other links of interest
Sadusky, L.A., & Brem, S.K. (2002). The use of Accelerated Math in an urban Title I elementary school. Tempe: Arizon State University.
Springer, R.M., Pugalee, D., & Algozzine, B. (2005). Improving mathematics skills of high school students. Manuscript sumbitted for publication.
Ysseldyke, J., & Tardrew, S. (2003). Differentiating Math Instruction: A Large Scale Study of Accelerated Math. Madison, WI: Renaissance Learning, Inc.
Ysseldyke, J.E., Betts, J., Thill, T., & Hanngian, E. (2004) Use of an instructional management system to improve mathematics skills for students in Title I programs. Preventing School Failure, 48(4), 10-14.
