focusMATH
Pearson’s focusMATH is an intensive math intervention system available for grades K-6 and designed for RTI Tier 3. Each grade’s unique intervention program is based around the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ (NCTM) three Curriculum Focal Points for that grade and is divided into three units, one for each focal point. The units span four to six weeks each, meaning the entire intervention lasts between twelve and eighteen weeks, depending on the grade level and frequency/scheduling of implementation. Interventions combine systematic, explicit instruction, modeling and strategic questioning. Students have workbooks (one per unit, except for Kindergarten, which uses the same workbook for the entire intervention) to accompany each lesson, and lessons are designed to be self-contained, able to be completed in a single instructional session.
Each lesson consists of three segments. First is the “concept development” portion, where students receive explicit instruction on the day’s topic, including relevant vocabulary and background and the purpose of the skill being taught. This portion also promotes interaction with students via strategic questioning. Next, the guided practice portion allows students to implement the skills that have just been taught with scaffolded support. At the end of guided practice, students complete a brief daily formative assessment, designed to gauge progress in real time and allow for adjustments in instruction, if necessary. Finally, students do independent practice.
Assessment is one of focusMATH’s strongest features. The program provides placement assessment, daily “Quick Check” progress monitoring assessments, “Topic Test” summative assessments at the end of each topic within a unit, and “Exit Tests” that confirm students’ readiness to exit Tier 3.
FocusMATH is a straightforward and affordable Tier 3 intervention. The cost for the focusMATH Teacher’s Edition for each grade is $90 for kindergardten and $135 for the remaining grades. The set of three student workbooks is $13 per student; the kindergarten workbook is $8. An optional manipulatives kit costs $10 for kindergarten and $24 for the remaining grades.
Do The Math / Do The Math Now!
Scholastic’s Do the Math is designed as a flexible intervention system to be used across grades K-6. The program is divided into thirteen topic modules, each of which can be implemented at any grade and at any intervention tier as needed to support a student who struggles with that particular concept. There are three modules each (with increasingly complex focuses) under multiplication, division and fractions; four modules fall under the category of addition/subtraction. Each module is made up of thirty half-hour lessons which provide sequential, scaffolded instruction in skills necessary to master that topic. Lessons are designed to be implemented daily over a period of thirty school days.
Do the Math’s strongest feature is its flexibility in meeting students’ unique needs in a variety of settings. The program provides a recommendations chart to help schools know how to match students to program modules based on performance data. Once students are paired with programs, the lessons can be implemented in any setting depending on the purpose/tier being served—in a resource room, during an after-school program or in the regular classroom (with students in small groups). Lessons are designed to be straightforward enough that any teacher or paraprofessional can implement them with fidelity.
Do the Math modules are sold individually and contain all teacher resources, student materials, digital tools and professional development/support resources. Small group modules (materials for a teacher and eight students) range from $525-$675, while whole-class modules (materials for a teacher and twenty-four students) are $825-$1275. Add-on materials for additional students are available. The entire system can also be purchased at a cost of $11,750/$6,700 (24 students per module/8 students per module, respectively).
A companion system, Do the Math Now!, is available for grades 6 and up. It is similarly-structured and targeted to students in Tiers 2 and 3, students in special education and English language learners.
Dreambox Learning Math
DreamBox Learning: Math is a fully virtual, student-driven math instruction and intervention program (accessible from desktop computers, from laptop/notebooks and from iPads) for students in grades K-8. Content is divided into standards-aligned units within each grade level. This supplementary system is designed to be used in conjunction with another curriculum for a minimum of 60-90 minutes per week, though the company indicates the possibility of DreamBox functioning as a standalone math program in some settings. The DreamBox learning interface is graphic-rich, animated and interactive—lessons and practice are game-based for student engagement.
The driving force behing DreamBox is its innovative Intelligent Adaptive Learning technology. This technology uses student responses to adapt the content presented, the sequence of content/questioning and the pace of learning for the individual student—not only over the long term, but within each individual session. The DreamBox interface knows in real time if a student is succeeding, and is capable of mapping millions of “learning paths” (sequences of questions, lessons and units which are individualized in content, scope, order and pacing) personalized for each student’s current ability and performance.
Intelligent Adaptive Learning technology informs an impressive reporting system. Instruction and assessment are integrated and ongoing; student data automatically populates separate individual student reports for teachers and for parents. Reports are extensive and address multiple facets of student achievement, including unit progress, comprehension, concept mastery and areas targeted for improvement. Reports for teachers also red-flag a student when he or she has spent significant time logged in but inactive in the DreamBox application; this can help teachers catch and redirect students who are frequently off-task. Individual student reports are funneled into classroom, school and district-level reports which provide relevant data for teachers, administrators and decision-makers.
Subscriptions are available on a per-student rate of $25/year (25 students minimum) for schools. These are 24/7 licenses, which means the program can be accessed by students from home and school—progress is synced across all points of access. Parents whose children do not have access to DreamBox through their school can also subscribe at a monthly rate of $12.95 for a single child or $19.95 for up to four children.
Ascend Math
Ascend Math is a broad-spectrum virtual math intervention program that can be implemented for any student at any level. It has proven successful with students with special needs, English language learners, gifted and talented students and students in alternative schools. It provides an individual study plan for each student that meets the student at his or her current level of mastery and scaffolds learning from there. Lessons are standards-aligned; the system includes more than 550 interactive video lessons.
Lessons are explicit and step-by-step as well as interactive. Ascend Math focuses especially on writing within the content area/writing to learn about math; each lesson asks students to compose written responses demonstrating comprehension. Every lesson follows the same routine: students open and print a study guide, engage with a instructional video during which they are prompted to write responses and complete questions on the study guide, participate in an interactive learning exploration that represents the content in a different way, and takes a guided practice test. The final step is to take and past a post-assessment to demonstrate skill mastery.
Progress monitoring reporting is extensive and available in real time at the student, class, whole-grade and whole-school levels. Reports show teachers not only raw scores, but representations of student mastery based on a number of factors, including how long it takes students to complete lessons, how attentive/engaged students are with each lesson (based on response time) and how many times students took the post-test in order to pass. This helps teachers monitor student attentiveness and motivation, work/study habits and comprehension, rather than just completion of lessons and objectives.
Pricing is quoted individually for each school and is based on grade level (elementary, middle and high school) and number of students being served. Costs range from $25 to $58 per student per year (depending on grade level), exclusive of setup fees and professional development. Subscription extensions or renewals occur at a reduced rate.
Soar to Success: Math
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Soar to Success: Math program is an online intervention program designed for students who need Tier 2 and 3 interventions in grades K-8. It is structured around “threads,” skill areas organized along a continuum from foundational skills within that area to advanced skills that are prerequisite for higher-level mathematics. Soar to Success: Math is a companion to the company’s Go Math! suite of products, but can be used independently.
Teachers select assignments and assessments and designate them to each students’ account. Each assignment begins with a warm-up, a brief diagnostic tool designed to determine where the student should enter that particular skill thread. All students in a classroom or resource room can be assigned the same assignment or skill thread; alternately, teachers can select an assignment or skill thread based on identified student need. Progress reporting for individual students helps teachers monitor progress and make instructional decisions.
Lessons are game-based and interactive; students earn points for correct answers within the lesson and can use points to choose more advanced game options or features at the end of the lesson. Lessons utilize narrated explicit instruction, guided practice and independent practice with both visual and verbal feedback. (View a demonstration Soar to Success: Math lesson.)
A single-year license for the program is $127, though it is unclear how many students that license can serve. Licensing is pro-rated by number of years (for a maximum of ten years at $585).
Interventions Resource Manual 