Re: Hit- Accelerated Math

[Guusje Moore <Guusje@AOL.COM>]

I had more requests for hits than replies, so I suspect Accelerated Math
isn't nearly as widely used as AR. And like AR people tend to have very
strong feelings about it, be they good or bad.  I also gather it's vastly
different and much more work sheet oriented.  Anyway, here are the comments,
both pro & con.
Thanks to everyone for sharing.
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Before I launch into a description of Acc Math, please allow me to share a
couple of other thoughts.
I think it would be an excellent idea for your faculty to investigate (if
they already haven't) the work of Marilyn Burns (her replacement units) and
the work of Constance Kamii.  The latter is a student of Piaget (studied with
him in France) and has written several books on the subject of math
teaching/learning.  The title for first grade is YOUNG CHILDREN REINVENT
ARITHMETIC,  other titles (which go up through third grade now) are YOUNG
CHILDREN CONTINUE TO REINVENT ARITHMETIC.  Reading these will certainly
stimulate your teachers' thoughts on teaching math and "memorization".  If
the children don't understand what they are doing when they are "doing the
facts", then when they get into double digit multiplication, they can really
get messed up.   Kamii is a real proponent of using games (Around the World,
What's My Number, and other types of card games) to help children build
fluency with facts.  Many of these games are described in the books.  She is
also an advocate of lots of discussion about math with kids (in large group
settings) so that kids can see how other kids think, as well as find a way to
correct their own thinking when they are wrong.  (It is kind of hard to
explain, but amazingly, it works.)

  As for another type of "thing" to use with math, we have just purchased
some units from TERC (actually from Scott Foreseman) on Math that offer ways
to teach specific things in math that are more in line with Kamii's theories
of how children learn a.k.a. "constructivism".  The latter just came in
yesterday but the teachers who looked at them thought the would be
excellent.........

Interestingly, we just had our last inservice at the JVC plant here in town.
One of the topics was helping get students ready for working in a place like
JVC.  The human resources director reinforced the notion that
students/prospective workers needed to understand the process rather than
come in only having memorized math facts and equations in their school
careers.  We felt very affirmed with how we teach math.

I know I'm going around the world to get  to Acc Math, but I thought I would
pass on these other suggestions, too.

We have used Acc Math, for the first time this past year,  with some degree
of success.  It is an expensive program to purchase and maintain.  Purchasing
what you need to meet varying grade levels/ability levels is deadly.  Ink and
paper (though they recommend using a laser printer) is even more deadly.
Buying a scanner for each room (which you really need to do) if more deadly
than both of the other two!.  In all, we invested over 13,000.00 set up this
program last year.  (in 13 classrooms with objectives for grades 2-8)
It does NOT work like AR, in that kids do stuff on the computer.  They are
assigned objectives and a worksheet is printed for each child (can be
individualized or the same).  They work the problems and then put answers on
a mini-scantron sheet.  The answers are scanned into a mini scanner and then
a TOPS report prints out automatically (no way to not make it print out).
Next comes another practice sheet that has either more of the type of problem
they missed or moves them on to the next objective.

The beauty of the program is that it can create lots of discussion between
individual child and teacher and, if used this way, to find out how a child
came up with an answer, especially if it is wrong.  When you can understand
their thinking, then you know how to help them better.  If you DON'T use this
program this way, but simply have children printing out and scanning sheet
atter sheet, with no teacher intervention along the way, then you have
disaster waiting to happen.  It would be a lot cheaper to do something else.
*******************************************************
Most of our teachers like AM. There is a lot of paperwork generated to keep
up with. The biggest problem we had was trying to run it on the network. The
best solution was to install on individual workstations. We have a large
socio economically disadvantaged group also. Our TAAS scores are rising, but
I don't know that it is totally AM or a combo of several things. You may
want to contact our AM person- Frances Reed.  freed@parisisd.net
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First, let me say we are NOT using Accel. math. We've looked into it and
decided it wasn't for us. It is vastly different from AR. Basically, it is a
pencil/paper type program. It can be set so that the teacher decides which
math functions/benchmarks they want a student to work on. You pick a
starting point, and the program takes it from there. When the student logs
on, it prints out a math worksheet and card to bubble in  (like a scantron
sheet). The student does the exercises, takes it to the scantron machine and
scores their work. Like STAR, the program will decide to go further,
remediate, or just review. After the student masters the activity, the
program moves on to the next type of activity. After a couple of weeks, it
again prints out a "test" on the past exercise. If the student does well
here, the program marks that activity as mastered and never gives it again.
Our teachers didn't want more paper/pencil type of things. They also felt it
was going to be a paper hog. The scantron machine is extra. You get 1 or 2
with the original purchase. I forget how many. We felt if we used it we
would get the program and 2 machines for grades 2 and 5 because those are
big "math testing years" for us.
Hope this helps. I know we were surprised to see how different it was from
AR. STAR math is like STAR reading. I think we are getting that!
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********************
We have Star math and Accel math at a ms of about 1000
kids--80% Hispanic--very low reading levels and math
levels--we also use AR and STar reading--

The math teachers love Accel math for all ability
levels--we had training of all math teachers on site
by the Institute of Acad Excell last sept and then had
a delay in using it 'cause we were missing some of the
ahrdware it seems--it is very expensive--we spent
something like $16,000 on software and
hardware--beside the training which was around $5,000
and another $3,000 or so for teacher time outside the
duty day--we have Title I at this ms or we could not
hve done it--at the other ms where I am librarian--i
have 2 ms that I am split between--we do not have
Title I so we just bought STAR math --the diagnostic
portion--we cannot afford Accel math so will hve to
use other interventions--

next year we will test all students on both star
reading and star math at both schools--then at the
one, we will plug in Accel math--we purchased many
libraries at different levels so all our kids can
benefit--one math teacher says the beauty of Accel
math is that in her classroom she can individualize
the lessons and each student can work on what he needs
to work on--we are hetereogenously grouped--so many
ability levels together in one classroom--students
work at own pace and then feed in their answers to
card reader which go into the gradebook on computer--
Each math teacher must have all the components in the
classroom--we tried to share to save money and it did
not work--Math teachers don't use it every day maybe
one or 2 days each week...and all math teachers are
not using it yet--three are  on a consistent
basis--but they really like it--and the kids like it--

We have not received the results of our SAT9 tests yet
this year to see if Accel math made any difference on
our test scores and we may not see a difference for
another year--we have seen an increASE with AR
definitely--this is our 2nd year with AR

I recommend the program if you have the money--

******************************************************************************
**********************
Guusje Moore
Librarian
Housman Elementary School
SBISD, Houston, Texas
guusje@aol.com

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