Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series on Common Mistakes Made in Math Intervention by guest blogger Jeff Hartman.
Mistake 4: Using a Program Not Well Designed for Math Intervention
Precision matters. The math software market is saturated with programs that provide practice problems for students behind grade level, and a select few of these programs offer some kind of instruction or assessment. But what is almost always missing is the ability of a program to automatically identify and address individual student skill gaps without the instructor having to manually make assignments.
A drill-and-kill math software program may offer a quick assessment that helps identify students who are behind grade level, but it usually stops well short of identifying the precise below-level skill gaps that are holding that student back, or even providing an accurate assessment of what level to begin instruction. When using an inferior math program, teachers have to constantly spend time making more accurate assessments themselves. Even then, they still have to devote more time to pairing students with resources over and over again because the program itself can’t automatically do it. An effective math intervention software program should always be able to automatically assess exact skill gaps and guide students through their unique learning paths without constant tinkering by the instructor.