Anonymous wrote:All the technology must be used because FCPS spent a fortune on it!

But they didn't spend enough because kids still have to sit through ads to watch a YouTube video in class.

All the technology must be used because FCPS spent a fortune on it!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check out the math scores of the schools who use ST Math as it is intended. You may not love it as a parent, but it works and sticks.

OK, Gatehouse lurker.

"Use ST Math as it is intended"? It was designed for kids with learning disabilities. How is it "used as intended"? How do you measure that?

Flash cards work and stick. Whatever happened to those?

Hahaha. Hello, non-FCPS parent!
Nope, nothing to do with Gatehouse, other than having kids in FCPS.
No, it wasn’t developed for SPED. It was created to “gamify” math instruction, and to help it stick for kids, much like the tricks they learn while playing video games does. It appears that you “did your own research” like many people who think they are smarter than actually research.
Flash cards are okay for memorization, but they are not nearly as efficient at teaching concepts.
Wheelbarrows are great, but dump trucks get the job done quicker.

DP here. The PP is completely correct about how awful the ST math program is. It is definitely not meant for the kids in an AAP class who are ahead and are bored. It makes things much worse by making them hate math, precisely due to the baby animations, lag, endless repetition (i.e drill and kill), and rote learning. It is a stultifying experience and I highly recommend that parents actually observe their kids using the program to see just how bad it is.

The PP who mentioned that it is meant to suck time is absolutely correct; it is mandated by FCPS gatehouse in order to free up teachers from having to teach. What this means is that most teachers who have many kids who are doing very well in math hate having to force them do ST math but they have no choice, as they have no say or freedom to go against Gatehouse and actually give them something challenging.

Luckily, some of these kids continue to love math because they get quality enrichment outside of school, thanks to their parents being involved.

I've done the research on ST math and even polled many of the students in the class at my child's school to verify if it's as bad as it sounds. They all hate ST math, boys and girls alike. I could not find anyone who said they liked it, which is pretty wild. Thankfully they only have to endure this craziness until middle school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check out the math scores of the schools who use ST Math as it is intended. You may not love it as a parent, but it works and sticks.

OK, Gatehouse lurker.

"Use ST Math as it is intended"? It was designed for kids with learning disabilities. How is it "used as intended"? How do you measure that?

Flash cards work and stick. Whatever happened to those?

Hahaha. Hello, non-FCPS parent!
Nope, nothing to do with Gatehouse, other than having kids in FCPS.
No, it wasn’t developed for SPED. It was created to “gamify” math instruction, and to help it stick for kids, much like the tricks they learn while playing video games does. It appears that you “did your own research” like many people who think they are smarter than actually research.
Flash cards are okay for memorization, but they are not nearly as efficient at teaching concepts.
Wheelbarrows are great, but dump trucks get the job done quicker.

ST math is about filling time. If they made it possible to skip the animations or fast forward them, it would be usable and engaging for more kids. Of course, it wouldn't soak up as much time so that will never happen

I am all for using whatever means works for individual students. If ST Math is helpful for 25% of the population then go ahead and use it for that group of kids. But stop assigning it for the kids who are able to do that work and don't need that type of reinforcement.

That is, of course, hard to do because we don't like to group kids and so all the kids have to use the same materials because some kids would fee bad that not everyone is using ST Math or flash cards or whatever they are using. My kid who is in Advanced Math, scores a perfect or near perfect score on the math SOL every year, and scores above the year end mark on every math iReady does not need ST Math. He really doesn't need it as homework. And yes, we make him do it because we want him to develop the mind set that doing homework is a requirement for when the math homework that is sent home is useful.

I don't understand how this program has any defenders. It sucks! It would not be hard to modify it so that children who do not need the repetition do not receive it and can move on more quickly.

Repetition is useful when you are still consolidating knowledge/becoming fluent. After a point, it is not useful anymore, it is just torture.

My DC is working ahead in hopes it will get more challenging and that the repetition will not be so bad at later levels...

Also the person who designed that pirate treasure coin-counting game should be forced to complete it for eternity.

Anonymous wrote:Check out the math scores of the schools who use ST Math as it is intended. You may not love it as a parent, but it works and sticks.

OK, Gatehouse lurker.

"Use ST Math as it is intended"? It was designed for kids with learning disabilities. How is it "used as intended"? How do you measure that?

Flash cards work and stick. Whatever happened to those?

Check out the math scores of the schools who use ST Math as it is intended. You may not love it as a parent, but it works and sticks.

St math sucks every time I do a problem it's wrong this app will decrease your brain cells this is just an app that will give children no confidence because it's wrong every single gosh darn time if that doesn't convince you st math is bad look at all the other reviews

Anonymous wrote:I know some AAP centers use IXL not ST MATH as homework. They do math on paper during math class.

My local ES uses ST math for AAP too both at school and as homework. DD10 hates it.

It's way too repetitive and it gives them no instructions. Hate it. The imagine learning was ok and the Lexia is ok also but ST math just sucks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't believe they are still doing ST math. It sooooo slow and repetitive. It's torture.

Some students actually need the repetition.

It's designed to kill time not help kids. If it was about the repetition, then the pointless time consuming animations would be skippable

Anonymous wrote:I can't believe they are still doing ST math. It sooooo slow and repetitive. It's torture.

Some students actually need the repetition.

I can't believe they are still doing ST math. It sooooo slow and repetitive. It's torture.