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 emphasize the importance of fidelity at all tiers of intervention and throughout all essential components…
Read MoreAlthough 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 frequent assessment and progress monitoring at each phase of implementation, but too often, the use…
Read MoreProgress 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’ rates of improvement, which allows for comparison to peers, or identify students who are not…
Read MoreEvery 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 not the case. It is imperative that an effective intervention provide a tiered model for…
Read MoreThere 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 Single-Stage Screening Universal screening instruments may include Curriculum-Based Measures (CBMs) such as regular classroom tests,…
Read MoreResearchers agree that a tiered system of 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 plan. Tier 1, Level 1, or Primary Intervention is, in essence, regular instruction delivered in the…
Read MoreAscend Education recently announced that a record 37 schools are being recognized as Gold Medal schools this year. The Gold Medal Award was established in 2010 to honor the schools or districts that best demonstrate a dedication to ensuring that all students become successful at math. The Gold Medal nominees all used Ascend Math to…
Read MoreThe 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 offer such students. I have just returned from the NCSM conference, an event I looked…
Read MoreWhen 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 in return since then has been satisfying proof that Ascend is having a real-world impact…
Read MoreA special thank you to the 8th grade math students from Johnsburg Junior High School in IL for submitting the following math problem to the 2018 Earth Day Math Contest: If a tree grows 5 branches and each of those branches grows an additional 5 branches and each of those grow another 5 branches, how…
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