F.A.S.T M.A.T.H

The past few years have been devastating for the state of our education system, especially for young math students. Between virtual learning’s unfortunate and unavoidable shortcomings, the national teacher shortage and the worldwide trauma of the pandemic itself, our most vulnerable learners have been left even further behind. According to mainstream media outlets including The New York Times and CBS Morning News, students across the country have lost ground compared with three years ago, with students of color hit especially hard.

Continuing the status quo is not an option any longer. We need to be strategic and give our students every opportunity for advancement.

Our power math camp, “F.A.S.T. M.A.T.H.” (Fundamental, Authentic Skills Training to Make Analytical Thinking Happen) is being offered during the 2023 Summer School programming. F.A.S.T. M.A.T.H mathematical skill camp will be:

Delivered by math specialists with TPT Education Leaders.
Offered as one of the summer school class offerings during the summer school day, every week throughout summer school.
Organized with low student/teacher ratio: 15 students/per hour for a 6-hour academic day.
Provided by (2) TPT Education Leaders math specialists in each class/per hour.
Tracking numeracy skills and gains in mathematical fluency

Our students need every advantage that we can give them to succeed. With the drastic academic effect that the Covid-19 pandemic has taken on education across the country, it is imperative for schools to be aggressive in academic instruction. This is crucial in order to continue an effective learning pace that is current, while making sure students are getting the instruction and skills they may have lost over the past two years.

The supplemental instruction from our specialized TPT Education Leaders also provides:

⮚ A deeper drill down on academic skills lost to virtual; and Kahn Academy/IXL - tools of resource.
⮚ Extra practice and support for students to take charge of their learning through using AVID tools and strategies
⮚ Differentiated instruction for supporting tier I/II learners

In addition, our partnership with each school/district will render positive measurable gains in math for each student. This component can be a foundation for continued intervention leading into the 2023-2024 academic school year. The “F.A.S.T. M.A.T.H.” Mathematical Skill Building Summer School Session will focus on skills needed for strategic math skill and fluency development while working towards giving the students the confidence to succeed in future math classes. The goal of the session is to sharpen and deepen students’ math proficiency levels.

The key programming skills to be achieved are as follows:

● Fluency
● Logic Puzzles
● Identifying and transferring patterns
● Riddles
● Estimation
● Identifying steps involved in solving multi-step
● Multiplication and Division Drills
● Addition and Subtraction
● Numeracy building activities
● Number line for targeting visual learners
● Student-centered problem solving
● AVID strategies supporting individual learning
● Note-taking skills
● Graphic Organizers
● Manipulative-centered activities targeting kinetic learners
● Interdisciplinary focus on reading comprehension through word problem breakdowns
● Primary focus on multi-step breakdowns solving real world word problems

Applying critical thinking strategies to math goes beyond the classroom into confidence building, study strategies, and universally applicable life skills. The numeracy skills that students need to be successful build upon each other, and through F.A.S.T. M.A.T.H.’s focus on fluency and critical thinking skills, students will continue on a path to succeed in their grade level math classes.

“F.A.S.T. M.A.T.H.” Math Skill Building Summer School Session will employ tips for developing numeracy by:

● Building abstract thinking skills through logic puzzles and use of manipulatives.
● Increase computational speed with drills, games and races/competition
● Tying math building skills to real-world situations, maximizing relevance for students
● Emphasizing learning multiple strategies to solve mathematical problems
● Creating a safe environment for failure. Students need to feel that they have the freedom to try different solutions without being penalized for mistakes
● Integrating critical thinking and literacy skills to allow students to parse and evaluate word problems

Math statistics help guide the focus of the “F.A.S.T. M.A.T.H.” Math Skill Building Summer School
Session and provide direction for the program.

Numeracy data that impacts American economy and society includes:

● 52% of the prison population in the United States ranks below level two in numeracy
● Low numeracy is a strong indicator for longer unemployment duration.
● A study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that there was a direct correlation between numeracy and wages

Literacy data that impacts American classrooms includes:

● Only 38% of students nationally are ranked as proficient in math.
● Missouri students rank slightly below the national average at 35%
● In Kansas, that statistic falls to 28%

The goal of the “F.A.S.T. M.A.T.H.” Math Skill Building Summer School Session is to address these alarming statistics that affect the American Economy, Society, and Classrooms. These sessions will utilize strategies to improve proficiency levels of students who participate in the program. Those reading strategies will include:

Gamifying learning - the research is becoming increasingly clear that gamification is an effective method of instruction, increasing student engagement and lessening student anxiety surrounding the subject
Setting them up for success – build skills that will benefit all students, especially students who have historically struggles.
Scaffolding with collaborative learning – peer interactions are tremendously beneficial for many students understanding of math.
Using manipulatives and real-world scenarios - Much of the cognition inherent in higher-level mathematical learning is abstract. Linking the mathematical learning to concrete examples through the use of real-world scenarios and physical manipulatives has been shown to be effective in supporting students’ recovery of missing skills, and scaffold their transition to more abstract thinking.
Supplementing with basic skills practice - Many students are lacking in basic computational fluency. When students are struggling with the basic operations, the more advanced thinking can feel insurmountable. By practicing the basics, we can free up students’ working memory to more effectively ponder the higher level problems.
Integrating critical thinking and literacy strategies - We want our students to be able to
verbalize their learning, and utilizing metacognition and critical thinking strategies to think
about and discuss mathematical situations is central to demonstrating mastery of a skill.

Please act swiftly on this “F.A.S.T. M.A.T.H” Math Skill Building program. The school/district offerings for this very beneficial Summer 2023 camp will be capped at a selected number of schools to effectively and efficiently engage our math specialists. Immediate correspondence is highly recommended to reserve your school.

Because Results Matter! The Time is Now—Make A Difference!