Author Archives: Marjorie Briley
Change the Paradigm
Most programs put kids into three categories, the lows, the middles, and the highs. I’m so proud that Ascend Math architecture allows kids to work at their own pace. So often, the kids that started at the lowest will end … Continue reading
Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal
2020 not only marks a new decade, it also marks the 20th year I have had the privilege of working in education. Every day I have the opportunity to work with amazing people that make a difference in students’ lives. When Kevin … Continue reading
Fidelity/Integrity Underlies Success
No matter how effective a solution, without fidelity of implementation that solution will not be successful. Fidelity of implementation, sometimes referred to as “Intervention Integrity” simply means that the intervention is carried out in the way it was designed. Researchers … Continue reading
Data – Crucial to Decision-Making
Although widely acknowledged for more than a decade as critical to student success, the use of data in the decision-making process is still far from being maximized in schools. It’s true that an effective Response to Intervention (RTI) system incorporates … Continue reading
Progress Monitoring – Central to Motivation and Success
Progress monitoring refers to the process of frequently gathering student achievement data, analyzing the data in a timely, repeatable manner, and making sound instructional and intervention decisions based on the data. Progress monitoring data can be used to estimate students’ … Continue reading
Why True Individualization Matters
Every student is unique, with different instructional gaps at different levels. Typically, students are instructed according to grade level and with an assumption they have mastered all the preceding building blocks necessary for grade-level math instruction. But this is often … Continue reading
How Universal Screening Identifies At-Risk Students
There is widespread agreement among education researchers and experts that universal screening is central to an effective RTI program. Implemented as part of a Tier 1 Intervention, universal screening identifies current or potential academic deficits for every student. Issues with … Continue reading
The Key Role of Tiered Intervention
Researchers agree that a tiered system of math intervention is critical to an effective RTI model. The tiered design includes three, increasingly intensive, levels of intervention depending on a student’s needs and ability to successfully respond to a customized learning … Continue reading
Equity in Education: Achieving a Math Identity
The goal for math equity is to achieve a math identity for all students. When I think about the many challenges schools and districts face in addressing all students, I also think about the possibilities for success that new opportunities … Continue reading
Equity Begins with Awareness
When my husband, Kevin, and I founded Ascend Math back in 2007, it was with the goal of helping to give all kids the gift of math literacy, especially those who may have fallen through the cracks. What we’ve received … Continue reading
