Reflex News : Success Stories

A cake to celebrate student success with Reflex

A teacher in Klein ISD in Texas wrote to tell us that today she's celebrating her students' success on Reflex with a special cake party!

At the beginning of the year, the 80 students at her elementary school who started on Reflex had an "average of only about 16% fluency."  Now 50 of those students have achieved 100% fluency, and another 10 are around 95% fluent! Wow!

To celebrate the students' accomplishments, this teacher made a cake and got her daughter to decorate it with all the students favorite Reflex characters (Coach Penny, Crabby and the frog from Swamp Chomper).

Congratulations to all the students and we hope you enjoy your party!

To try out Reflex in your classroom, apply to our grant program or take a free trial.

Hallway graph and a "pink party" celebrate student success

Randi Diskin, a 3rd grade teacher in Chino Valley Unified School District in Arizona, wrote to tell us how excited her students are to learn their math facts. "I've heard them comparing which facts they're fluent in. 'Hey, I know 9x9! What about you?' They are also constantly excited to show me their growing trees."

Ms. Diskin decided to try a "purple skin" party, an idea that another teacher shared with us on this blog, but gave it her own spin. Her class saved up their tokens to turn their avatars pink, and then had a "pink skin" party (complete with pink plates, pink shirts and pink snacks).

"I like the multiple layers of engagement with the teaching time, games, and store. I appreciate that Reflex is ability based and every kid is working on what they need to be to improve and actually is gaining fluency quickly," Ms. Diskin adds.

They also have been celebrating number of facts solved along the way. "We like to review the milestones once a week as a celebration. We also made a huge lineplot graph out in the hallway. I think we've got some other teachers jealous!"

Reflex is "awesome." Before using Reflex, "I was piecing together mini-lessons, games and practice to try to get them where they needed to be, but now it's all together and they can work as quickly as they need to," says Ms. Diskin.

Apply for a Reflex Grant and get Reflex for one year in your classroom, or try out Reflex with a free trial.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, we'd like to share this card a student at Ogdensburg Elementary School made for her teacher to thank her "for putting me on Reflex!" 

Thanks Mrs. Rogers! And many thanks to all the terrific teachers around the world who are making a real difference in the lives of their students.

If you'd like to put your students on Reflex, take a free trial.

Reflex Grant Program now accepting fall 2013 applications

The Reflex Educator grant program is now accepting applications for fall 2013.

A Reflex grantee wrote to tell us about her students' success with Reflex. “The grant program has allowed my 4th and 5th grade students who did not know their facts to become more proficient. The time it takes to solve multiplication and division problems is greatly reduced, allowing the students to focus their time and energy on more complex math problems,” says Denise Shaw, a Math Coach at an elementary school in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District in North Carolina. 

One particular success story stood out for Ms. Shaw. “I have a fifth grade student who convinced herself she was not good in math. Through dedication and hard work using Reflex, she is now proficient with her multiplication and division facts. Her confidence has soared! We had a little 'graduation ceremony' when she achieved 100% proficiency.”

And Ms. Shaw has also seen outside evidence that Reflex is helping her students. “Students' enVision topic tests scores have definitely improved," and she is looking forward to seeing her students' AIMSweb scores improve as well. "Increased computational fluency will enable students to focus their attention on higher order problems. Natural recall of facts will make it easier to not only solve multiplication and division problems but also fractions, mixed numbers and word problems."

If you are interested in applying to the Reflex Grant Program, the program is now accepting applications for fall 2013. Apply for a grant and get Reflex in your classroom. The deadline is June 14th. You can also try out a free Reflex trial.

Reflex rocks!

A 3rd grade teacher at an elementary school in Burnet Consolidated ISD in Texas sent us a photo of her Reflex bulletin board. She uses old vinyl records to celebrate the number of facts her students solved on Reflex and illustrate her theme that "Reflex Rocks." She thought it was funny that quite a few of her students asked what the records were!

"We LOVE Reflex!" she wrote to us. Her students "ask me to get on it all the time! Because it is so motivating, my students are practicing at school, at home, over the holidays, etc. Six of my kids worked on Reflex during the Christmas break."

All her students hard work on Reflex is starting to pay off. "My students are gaining a deep understanding of the inverse operations of multiplication and division due to their use of Reflex. They will be able to work on higher level problems because they won't spend all their brain power just figuring out the facts."

Another teacher at the school wrote us that several of her 5th grade students "have mentioned how Reflex has helped them and are applying the knowledge to math calculations in class."  She also mentioned that they recently "took our state exam in math. I believe a number of students were able to work more quickly using the facts they have learned, That is important because the test is now timed, with a four hour limit."

To check out Reflex and see how it would work in your classroom, take a free trial trial.

Reflex shifts student attitudes to math

We were pleased to find this Reflex review on a teacher's blog:

"In twelve weeks my students have solved over 238,000 math facts. They have gone from a 26% fluency rate to 93%.  All of my students are now over 70% fluent. Eighteen of my students have achieved 100% fluency in multiplication/division 0 to 10 and eight of those have achieved 100% fluency up to 12 and have passed their accounts on to younger students in Grades 3 and 4.

Even more important is their change in attitude towards math. Instead of one hand tentatively rising to answer a question, fifteen will shoot up. They want to know their fluency rates and they applaud for each other. They call each other nerds and it is a compliment. They are happier and more confident in math and are peer tutoring each other as we move through the curriculum. They wanted to tell the school about their achievements and shared at an assembly. Math is no longer something they dread.

Reflex has hooked my students and they are engaged. I haven't seen that with other math programs offered. And they are passing along their excitement and enthusiasm to the younger students as they help set them up on their account and offer encouragement. This isn't the answer to all your students' math problems. Reflex is about helping struggling students achieve fluency of basic math facts, nothing more, but it is by far the best program that I have seen that does this."

We're very happy to hear that Reflex is making a difference in her classroom!

To check out the most effective (and the most fun!) math fact fluency solution, take a free Reflex trial.

Fluency Club: "Faster Facts with Reflex!"

The math specialist at an elementary school in Richmond Public Schools in Virginia is very excited about the progress her students are making with Reflex. She shared a photograph of her "Fluency Club" wall with us, and told us how she helps keep her students motivated.

"We started using Reflex in late February, and the students are so excited about it! I have been delivering the certificates to the classrooms once a week, which the kids LOVE and are so proud when they or their friends get one.

I also announce over the loud speaker the class that is in the lead for solving the most facts and if the school as a whole has accomplished any milestones. It has become a friendly competition and the students beg to get on Reflex.

I post on the board a list of names of students who have met each milestone. I call it the 'Fluency Club.' Students come by and check to see if their name has moved to the next level or not. I also post a list of students who have solved the most facts and as they reach 1,000 facts, 2,000 facts, etc., I post the graph that shows the school's fluency level progress and the name of the class in the lead.

Even thought the students know I update the board on Thursdays, I see kids checking this board every day and asking me when I am going to update it. When I told them I was going to be out for a week for the NCTM conference, the kids asked 'who is going to update the Reflex board?'

We love Reflex because we see true progress in our students. The kids are engaged and love it and the data is so useful. Our kids are really struggling and Reflex is not only helping them become more fluent, but it makes them feel successful, which, in turn, motivates them further. Thank you!"

 To check out Reflex, take a free trial. You can also see more success stories on on our case studies page.

Students using Reflex improve test scores

We hear all the time from teachers and admininistrators about how well Reflex is working with their students. When students use Reflex, they learn to love math as they have fun learning math facts.

Lately, as results have started to come in, we have been hearing about how Reflex is helping students do better on district and state math assessments. We hope to have more details soon, so keep watching the blog for new case studies!

Here are just a few of the recent quotes we've received about student improvement on tests:

"All of my students have improved on their AIMSweb scores, but some have grown a lot.

Student A (8th grade) was able to pass the 4th grade math test at the beginning of the year, but scored a 13 on the fifth grade (14 needed to pass). In January when she was retested she scored a 33 on the 5th grade test (23 needed to pass), and has gotten up to a score of 24 on the 6th grade test (26 needed to pass).

Student B started out with third grade being the highest level he was able to pass. He scored a 18 on the 4th grade test (24 needed to pass) at the beginning of the year. In January he scored a 56 on the 4th grade test, a 26 on the 5th grade test (passing), and since then has passed the sixth grade test with a score of 29."

--Special Ed Teacher, Middle School, Royall School District, WI

"Every student is a success story with Reflex. My fifth graders are dramatically more prepared for 2 and 3 digit multiplication and division algorithms with the automaticity they developed using Reflex. Our school gives full grade level math facts mastery tests and my class had the largest improvement of any class in the school (by a lot). Oct average of 68% to January average of 95%!!!! The Math TOSA wanted to discuss my strategies. I told her there was nothing to discuss. I have Reflex and I get my students to do it."

--Teacher, Intermediate School, Bainbridge Island SD 303, WA

"I feel that my students have gained confidence and self esteem as well by knowing their facts. Students are just more confident and love practicing their facts with this system. MAP results grew around 10 to 14 points so far this year. This is the basis of many concepts in math. Fact knowledge and fluency is needed to be able to understand higher math."

--Teacher, Elementary School, Maustron SD, WI

"My school which has the highest poverty index in the District and the highest % of English language learners, showed the highest growth in STAR Math testing in the District of 15 elementary schools."

--Teacher, Elementary School, Rogers School District, TX

"We do periodic fact fluency assessments throughout the school, and my students improved greatly from the beginning of the year--more so than classes not using Reflex."

--Teacher, Elementary School, Guilderland Central SD, NY

"I have nothing but GREAT things to say about the Reflex program! Many of my students didn't pass or barely passed the third grade state math test last year. Those same students also had average or below average math grades as well. Since engaging in Reflex, many of those same students have become much better math students simply because they have improved their computation fluency immensely. There is no more finger counting and fewer computation errors because students just know their facts.

On the recent multiplication benchmark test, my combined classes had a 94% passing rate and class average score of 83 and 87. The highest passing percent of all of this year's benchmark tests. Every 3rd and 4th grade class needs Reflex."

--Teacher, Elementary School, Klein ISD, TX

"Most of the students MAP and AIMSweb scores have improved... The students have improved their math fact knowledge and enjoyed the program."

--Math Coach, Junior High School, Tolono Cmty Unit SD 7, IL

"My class did much better on their District Assessment test this time around. They will be able to recall their math facts a lot easier, thus ensuring them the tools they need to reach math goals... Really enjoy seeing the excitement of learning in my students."

--Teacher, Elementary School, Bastrop ISD, TX

Take a free trial to see why Reflex is the most effective (and the most fun!) math fact fluency solution.

Teacher reports that Reflex helps make all her students more successful

We were interested in this article about a Teach for America Corps member from Indiana who was placed in a classroom in Charleston, SC. Katie Day applied for a Reflex grant, and is now using Reflex with her second grade students.

Katie Day reports, “All of my students are able to find success within the program because it not only quizzes students on facts until they become fluent, but it also teaches them facts they don’t know.”

“As a teacher, it's a great feeling to know I’m not only making my students more successful second graders, but I’m also making them more successful in every subsequent grade... Reflex has made it possible for me to watch my students become more confident in the academic abilities. It’s an awesome feeling.”

We're so glad to hear that her students' skills and confidence are growing with Reflex!

To find out why Reflex is the most effective (and the most fun) math fact fluency solution, take a free trial.

Reflex in Alberta: teachers notice "big improvements"

We were pleased to see this "e-spotlight" entitled "Computer program makes students confident, eager for math practice" on the website of the Peace Wapiti Regular School Division 76 in Alberta, Canada:

"Teachers at Teepee Creek and Woking schools are noticing big improvements in their students’ confidence in math. What’s more, the students are having so much fun building math skills that they’re even practicing at home."

A teacher says that she "has noticed a significant increase in math skills since she started the program this year. Assessments in September showed 43 per cent of her students... could quickly multiply and divide. By February, that number was 92 per cent."

We're glad to hear that the students in Peace Wapiti are enjoying Reflex--and making such great progress!

To find out why Reflex is the most effective (and the most fun) math fluency program, take a free trial.

"Reflex makes math fun"

We were so pleased to be featured in the newsletter "Tiger Talk" from an elementary school in North Bend Central Public Schools, NE.

We're very glad that Mrs. Grueber's and Mrs. Post's classes are enjoying Reflex. And we're sure that they'll start seeing some great results from all their hard work!

Take a free Reflex trial and see why Reflex is the most effective (and the most fun!) math fact fluency solution.

P.S. I Love Reflex

We enjoy hearing regularly from teachers about how Reflex is helping their students. But it always gives us a special thrill to get handwritten letters from kids about why they like Reflex so much. We just received a big batch of letters from 3rd graders at an elementary school in Poughkeepsie, NY who have been working on Reflex for several months.

Here's what a few of the kids wrote to us:

"I like learning from Reflex because I get smarter, better and greater with my math facts. I like the fact pyramid because it shows my progress to see how I'm doing and the fact pyramid shows the facts I still need to practice. I did a lot of facts and I am 100% fluent in addition and subtraction." 

"When I go on Reflex, it motivates me to learn more facts until I know all of them. Reflex helps me keep track of what facts I know and what facts I don't." 

"I like the certificates because it tells me that I am good at math. I like the avatar because I get to dress them up. The games are cool. They are hard. I like that you can do it at home and at school. You can put stuff on the tree like the tree house and birds. That's really awesome." 

"Reflex helps me type faster and get faster on my math facts. Reflex makes me really happy when I learn my math facts. I like the games too because they are really fun." 

"Reflex helps me learn math facts. It helps me get faster and keep track of what I know. It motivates me by getting my facts right. It helps me progress in my work." 

"Our class is getting better every day. Reflex is fun to do."

"What I like about Reflex is it makes me concentrate on school work. Reflex motivates all of us. Reflex is really fun."

"Reflex helps me to want to learn more. It helps me get faster with my math facts. It is cool to see the certificates hanging on the wall."

"What I like best about Reflex is the avatars, the different games, the store, the lightening round and fact pyramid. I like them because it helps me learn." 

"Reflex helps me with my homework to learn new facts." 

"Reflex is awesome and cool. Reflex helps me so much. I like Reflex because it is fun."

"Instead of not knowing my facts and always saying I don't know... Reflex helps me learn math facts and helps me go faster on it." 

"Reflex helps me want to learn math. The games help me with my fluency. I don't think we could have learned math so fast without you." 

"Reflex helps motivate my fluency higher and higher. Now I am 100% fluent on multiplication!"

"Reflex helps me learn my facts. Later when I'm older, this skill I will have down in my head." 

Check out why Reflex is the most effective (and the most fun!) math fact fluency solution with a free Reflex trial.

Reflex Grantee reports "great growth" in students' math fluency

Shawn Gibson is a 5^th grade teacher and Reflex grantee at a Title 1 elementary school in Fontana Unified School District, California. He reports that his students “have made great growth in their math fluency” with Reflex. “They are able to reduce fractions with ease, complete prime factorization problems, and can complete long division and multiplication problems.”

He has definitely noticed a great improvement in his students’ confidence in their math skills. “Students who struggled in math during their 4th grade year are now passing the 5th grade standards with flying colors.”

We took a look at the results from his class today. Twenty-seven of his students have gone from 20% fluency to 86% current fluency in Addition and Subtraction 0-10, and nine have gone from 42% fluency to 95% fluency in Multiplication and Division 0-12.

If you would be interested in applying to the Reflex Grant Program, the program is currently accepting spring applications. Apply for a grant and get Reflex in your classroom. But don't wait! The deadline is February 28th. You can also see more case studies or try a free Reflex trial on reflexmath.com.

Reflex "Wall of Fame"

When her 5th Graders reach 100% fluency on Reflex, this teacher at an elementary school in the Burrillville School District in Rhode Island celebrates their accomplishments by hanging their certificates on her "Reflex Wall of Fame."

The wall is getting full--but it's going to get even more crowded as the rest of her class reaches 100%!

Homeschooling mom says learning math facts can be fun for kids!

This homeschooling mom says her two boys not only want to do Reflex, "but they also ask to PLAY on it several times a day!" She's pleased to have found a resource that makes learning math facts fun for kids.

She's going to be reporting on their progress throughout the spring on her blog, and we're looking forward to hearing more about their success with Reflex.

Try out Reflex for free with a 14 day trial and see why it's the most advanced (and most fun!) math fact fluency solution ever developed.

Teacher decorates her classroom with Reflex certificates

We heard this week from Michelle Boykin, a 5th grade teacher at an intermediate school in Monticello School District 18, Arkansas. Her class is having a lot of fun with Reflex and is working hard. After just over 10 days of usage, they have already doubled their fluency! Ms. Boykin has been celebrating her students' success in all sorts of ways.

"I just want to express how much I love Reflex. My kids have so much fun playing and I can tell a difference in their recall of their facts. We play 3 times a week. If it was up to them we would play every day, all day!"

Ms. Boykin hangs up her students' fluency certificates on the wall. She said that at first she hung up every award, but she quickly ran out of room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ms. Boykin also displays student progress on a cabinet in her classroom. "The first three numbers in green show number of facts fluent. The second half shows the percent of which they are fluent. As they earn a new award, they move their apple or school bus!  Their goal is to be one hundred percent fluent."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ms. Boykin has two classes and "they have made it a competition to see which class can learn more facts than the other!" She displays the certificates for total facts solved for both of her classes so they can check on each other's progress and see who is ahead.

We look forward to hearing more about the success with Reflex Ms. Boykin's 5th grade class is having as the year progresses.

If you'd like to try out Reflex in your classroom, you can take a free 14-day trial or apply for our Reflex Educator Grant Program.

 

 

 

 

 

Reflex Grant Program now accepting spring applications

A 4th Grade Teacher and Reflex Grantee in Lake Local School District in Ohio wrote to tell us how well the Reflex Grant Program is working in her classroom. Her students "have made great progress so far. They have gone from 25% to 86% in addition and subtraction. We collect data on fact fluency for all students in the 4th grade, and, by comparing data, it is obvious the Reflex program is working."

She also had a success story to share. "I have one student in particular who does not like math and struggles with facts. He really enjoys Reflex though and even takes the opportunity to do it at home. He is at 75% fluency right now and continuing to make progress each day. 

The teacher adds that "I think all of the teachers in my grade level would benefit from this program. Students who have mastered facts can go on to learn more complex concepts since they do not have to use so much energy trying to recall simple facts." 

If you would be interested in applying to the Reflex Grant Program, the program is now accepting spring applications. Apply for a grant and get Reflex in your classroom. The deadline is February 28th. You can also see more case studies or try a free Reflex trial on reflexmath.com

Kids celebrate solving 26,000 facts!

Kids at an elementary school in Regional School District 6 in Connecticut celebrate solving 26,000 facts! Each class took a turn and posed for these photos in front of the certificates they earned with Reflex.

Congrats to all the students for their hard work!

You can try out Reflex in your classroom with a free trial, and find out more at reflexmath.com. 

Kids graph their success with Reflex

Karen Trivino, a 4th Grade Teacher in an elementary school in Klein ISD in Texas wrote to us about how much her students like Reflex:

"The students love Reflex. I have never seen students so engaged in a learning program ever. The kids are begging to get on. They even want to skip recess on beautiful days because they want to log on."

To track and celebrate their progress, the kids have drawn a big graph. "The kids worked hard. All characters were hand drawn and colored by my 4th graders! P.S. the graph even has a kid drawn Crabby!"

Her 28 students who have been on 30 or more days (mean usage=38 days) doing multiplication and division 0-12 have gone from 15% starting fluency to 80% current fluency!

"I told them I’d give them a big party with cake when everyone is at 100% fluency," adds Trivino. We're sure they'll be having the party soon if they keep working so hard!

Take a free 14-day Reflex trial to see why kids love it so much, and see more success stories.

“Reflex is the best fact fluency program I have ever used"

Two Teachers at an elementary school in Canyons School District in Utah are using Reflex for the first time with their 5^th Grade students.

“My students love Reflex,” says Shannon Tracy. “They really enjoy playing the new games, but still go back to the original ones as well. They are always excited to tell me when they get to buy more stuff or games.”

“I like the enthusiasm my students show towards learning their math facts. I love the look of satisfaction and the self-confidence they are experiencing each day as we do math,” says Michelle Johnson.

“It keeps them engaged and doesn't make them frustrated. They are all getting better at math fact fluency,” says Ms. Tracy.  Their fifth graders are making tremendous progress. In one class, eight of the kids who have used Reflex for 20+ days doing multiplication and division 0-12 have gone from 26% starting fluency to 89% current fluency.

“Reflex is the best fact fluency program I have ever used. The progress being made is amazing,” adds Ms. Johnson. “Even my resource students have made huge strides in learning their math facts.”

We look forward to hearing more success stories from Canyons School District as the kids continue to use Reflex this school year!

Case Study: An Interview with Cheryl Hastings, Resource Room Teacher, Snohomish SD 201, WA

Cheryl Hastings has taught in elementary schools for 22 years. She has worked as a classroom teacher, an ELL teacher, a self-contained teacher, and a resource room teacher. She was previously a math leader and a math teacher trainer.

How did you first hear about Reflex and what made you try it with your students?

I first learned about Reflex when I was looking online for a grant for our school tutorial center. I was intrigued by watching the videos on the website, so I decided to apply for the Reflex Educator Grant. After receiving the grant and finishing the training webinar, I was anxious to try it with my students.

What were your overall impressions of Reflex?

This is the most amazing program I have ever used in 22 years of teaching! I have never seen anything that is so motivating and beneficial for students. When we first started, the kids were instantly hooked and kept asking when it was their turn for more Reflex. I thought the excitement would wear off quickly, but it hasn't.

I am impressed by Reflex because in addition to being very fun for the kids to use, there is also a coaching/instructional component. As kids are progressing through the facts, they are receiving instruction to help them learn fact families for addition and subtraction or multiplication and division. Each game includes the facts that an individual student needs to work on. I think it is wonderful that all kids can play the same games, regardless of their skill level. This helps to build the confidence level of the students who are struggling.

What have your students' reactions been to using the program?

The kids LOVE Reflex! They regularly ask to stay in at recess for Reflex. It has been great to have a program that truly does make ALL kids feel good about their progress with fact fluency, regardless of their skill level. It has been wonderful to listen to kids talk together about Reflex. They encourage each other to "keep going until they get the Green Light", give recommendations as to what games they think their friends should unlock, talk about what they like about different games, and give each other tips and advice for learning their facts. In addition to helping with fact fluency, Reflex has also helped build a great sense of community.

How do you use Reflex with your students?  (For example, are you using it in the classroom, the computer lab, or at home? Are you using it in with the whole class or just with some students?)

As a resource room teacher, I have used a variety of approaches to make sure that my kids have access to Reflex at least three days a week. For students that are in my classroom at least an hour a day, I am able to plan this into their regular schedule. For the students that I see for shorter periods of time, or the students who are not on my caseload that are using Reflex as an intervention, I have worked out a schedule with their classroom teacher. Some students use Reflex in their classrooms on a student computer, and some come into the resource room at another time in the day for Reflex. I have also reserved the computer lab for 90 minutes on Fridays. This allows teachers to send their students at a time that works with their schedule.

To encourage students to work on this at home, I also laminated and sent home their Reflex login cards. Not all my students have Internet access at home, however, all of them with Internet access are using Reflex at home.

Can you tell us about the results you have experienced so far?

The results have been incredible! My class started working on Reflex a couple months ago. When we started our average fluency was 21%; now our average fluency is 70%. I have several students who have reached 100% fluency with their math facts--some in as little as 20 days of using Reflex.

What has motivated your students to continue using Reflex?

Reflex was designed to motivate kids to want to practice math. First of all, by earning tokens, kids are excited about and rewarded for learning facts. The games are very engaging, so the kids want to play them. Since they can unlock new games by regular use, they are motivated to work on this daily. They love spending their tokens at the store to dress up their avatar. Since kids can't open the store until they have earned their Green Light indicating that they have practiced enough for the day, this ensures that they are getting enough practice. My students are also very excited about the milestone certificates. As I read who has earned a certificate, the kids all cheer for each other.

Tell us how you have used the reporting facility and about your favorite reports?

I love the ease of using all the reports. I can quickly monitor the usage and fluency growth of my class. I love showing students the correlation between how much they are using Reflex and how their fluency is improving. One of my favorite reports is the fact fluency pyramid. I think it is great that students and parents can easily access this as well. The report was a great tool to use with parents at conferences.

If you have used other programs to help students develop math fact fluency, how does Reflex compare?

I have used several other programs and approaches, both as a classroom teacher and a special education teacher. In terms of student engagement, confidence level, and fact mastery, nothing even comes close to Reflex.

What evidence do you have that Reflex is making a difference for your students? Would you recommend it to other educators?

The biggest difference that I have seen with my students is an overall improved attitude about math. I also have noticed a big improvement with paper/pencil timed tests. I have heard from many classroom teachers that they have noticed a big difference when their students are working on computation problems in class.

Do you have any other comments or statements that you'd like to make about Reflex?

I have a great success story to share. One of my sixth grade girls really struggled with memorizing multiplication facts last year. Even though an adult worked with her 1:1 a couple days a week, she didn't make much progress. I started her on Reflex and she loves it! She does Reflex at home at least five days a week, sometimes even in the mornings before school. In 40 days of working on this, she is now at 98% mastery. Last week I gave her a paper and pencil fact assessment for multiplication and division through 9. She scored 100% accuracy on the assessment. This has been such a great boost for her overall confidence.

You can find out more about the Reflex Educator Grant Program or sign up for a free 14-day trial of Reflex. And you can find out more about Reflex when you check out our case studies.

"Reflex builds confidence in struggling students" reports a Reflex Grantee

Lela Lyman, a Reflex grantee and a 6^th Grade Math Teacher in the Huntsville School District 1 in Arkansas, started using Reflex with her students in September. She saw the value right away. “I teach 6th grade math, so at this point math facts should already be learned. The reality is, they are not.”

Since Ms. Lyman's students began using Reflex, they have made “enormous progress in fact fluency, both written and verbal.” They have already quadrupled their starting fluency. “I think the program is fantastic! Reflex builds confidence in struggling students. Once there are fluency gains, a student's mind is freed up for higher-level thinking.” 

Although her students are all making progress, one student in particular stands out for Ms. Lyman. “I have a student who scored below basic on the Benchmark exam last year. She came to me this year with little to no fluency. She plays the game consistently at school and at home. I have seen huge improvements in her math scores and her confidence is through the roof.”

The Reflex Educator Grant Program has extended its deadline! Now educators have until December 10th to apply for a grant and get Reflex in their classrooms. You can see more case studies or try a free Reflex trial on reflexmath.com

Letters from a "master at multiplication" and other math whizzes about Reflex

Fourth and Fifth Graders at an elementary school in Miami-Dade, Florida wrote us their "opinions" about Reflex — and one of them drew us this great portrait of Crabby!

We were very happy to hear that they're not only having a good time playing Reflex, but they're also seeing the impact of knowing their math facts on their test scores.

"It has made me almost a master at multiplication. Reflex Rocks!"

"I remember going from B & C to all A's because of REFLEX!"

"I love Reflex because it is just very cool and unique... Never will I forget Reflex!"

"I think Reflex is an awesome program because it makes kids better at their times tables and their division problems and makes doing math fun."

"Reflex is really fun and has games that blow your mind considering that you're learning."

"I think that Reflex is great because I used to be at a 3rd grade level in 4th grade but now I'm at a 6th grade level."

"It has increased my test scores. If you compare my third grade test scores and my fourth grade scores now, you can see a huge difference... I do Reflex every day and enjoy it. I wish it will never end."

"I think Reflex helped me with my multiplication and made solving problems easier."

"I love Reflex! Not just because my favorite subject is math, but becuase it teaches you math in a fun way."

The 5th graders who have been on Reflex 20+ days (mean usage = 26 days) already have progressed from 34% fluency to 84% current fluency. And the 4th graders who have been using Reflex 20+ days have gone from 25% fluency to 76% current fluency (mean usage = 30 days). The kids are doing great, and we're so glad to hear they're having such success with Reflex!

Letters from Kids about Reflex

We always love to hear from kids about how much they enjoy Reflex, and this week our mailbox was stuffed with letters from 4th Graders at an elementary School in Loudon County, Virginia. Here's a few things they had to say:

"I love Reflex. It's helping me to do math faster."

"I really love Reflex! I like that it pays off--big time!"

"I really like Reflex. It really helps me with math facts like 6 x 8."

"I'm in love with Reflex. One of my favorite games is Alien Sundae... I think Reflex is... AWESOME!!!"

"My most favorite game on the island is Alien Sundae. It is (in my opinion) the best math game I have ever played."

"My favorite game is Quick Slither. My high score is 28,800. It was really hard. There were 3 lines coming at me!"

"My favorite game is Swamp Chomper because I think the music and the count down is so funny. I just laugh out loud every time."

"I'd like to be able to talk to Crabby. That would be so cool."

"I just love Reflex, because not only does it educate you, but it rewards you for being educated."

"Please keep the fun going on and on."

Keep up the good work! And keep the letters coming...

M.A.T.H. or "Making Amazing Things Happen" Reflex Achievement Wall

Kathy Schlachter, a teacher at a Catholic school in Kentucky wrote us that her "math class is absolutely obsessed with Reflex. I have a wall in my hallway that I have dedicated as our M.A.T.H. wall - Making Amazing Things Happen. All the printed certificates go there… There are quite a few. For instance, just this morning I hung 19! I also email them and their parents when a milestone has been reached, so I was doing a lot of emailing this weekend… They loved it!"

"I am so incredibly proud of my kiddos. We only started the program on Oct. 9th and the gains they have made are unbelievable. I literally have almost run out of space on my wall... I love taking every chance I get to make them feel good about themselves. Your program helps me to do that."

Students in her class have gone from 29% starting fluency to 72% current fluency in addition and subtraction facts in just 14 days with Reflex! We look forward to hearing more about the success of her 3rd graders over the school year. Judging by the progress on their M.A.T.H. wall, they may need another wall (or two) for all their certificates!

Find out more about our Reflex Educator Grant Program or take a free Reflex trial and see how Reflex motivates kids to learn and achieve.

"You would have thought it was Christmas" when new Reflex game debuts

We received this email from a Reflex Grantee the day after we announced the debut of our new game Fizz Heads:

Dear Crabby and Coach Penny,

By the time I had a moment to check my email tonight, this message was old news to me. The news broke for me earlier today in my morning math club at 7:25!  The kids freaked out when they saw the new game. Two of my kiddos have already unlocked it. One child was actually jumping up and down and clapping her hands with excitement. 

You have no idea what this grant has done for the struggling students in my school. Their enthusiasm is unbridled at this age, and we are loving every minute of Reflex Math. I know your team must be excited about the new launch, I just wish the people who worked so hard in development could have seen the pay off this morning. You would have thought it was Christmas.

Yesterday I had a student tell me that what we were starting to learn in class (adding 10) he had already learned from Coach Penny that exact morning. I told him I was proud to be on the same page as Coach Penny. Then today he told me that he surprised Coach Penny when she was having him review, because we had done it in class. His exact words... "I think she was shocked that I was so ready for her. I have all those plus 10's locked and loaded. Between you and Coach Penny... I'm gonna get 'em all this year."

Many thanks,
Sara Leader
Norman Independent School District 29, Oklahoma

We took a peek at her 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students' results, and we were happy to see that they had already almost tripled their starting fluency after less than 20 days!

We're sure her students are going to continue to make great improvements, and we're so glad they're enjoying Fizz Heads.

These kids love Reflex!

The students at an after-school program in an Albemarle County Elementary School in Virginia sent us a note to explain why they love Reflex so much!

We're so happy to know that they think Reflex is "awesome," that "it rocks," and is "the funnest way to do math." And we look forward to hearing about their success with Reflex--inside and outside school--throughout the year.

Students build fluency with Reflex--and love doing it!

After a successful pilot program last year, Lakehill Prepatory School in Texas was able to get Reflex for all their Second, Third and Fourth graders with a grant from the Powell Foundation.

"These math facts are the building blocks for everything our students will do in Middle School and beyond. This program really delivers on its promises. Students build fluency in math and love doing it! They feel like they are playing a video game," says Casey Pike, the computer teacher at Lakehill Prepatory School.

You can read about how much fun the kids at the school are having learning math facts with Reflex at neighborsgo - The Dallas Morning News, and you can see more Reflex case studies on our website.

Student "Wall of Success" Celebrates Reflex Milestones

Ian Fischer, one of our Reflex Grantees who teaches at Holy Redeemer Elementary School in Ottawa (Ontario, Canada), reports that his 6th grade class is already making a lot of progress on Reflex. After only two weeks, and with just 6.5 days of average usage days per student, Mr. Fischer's class has more than doubled their math fact fluency!

Mr. Fischer explained what he's doing to help his students be successful:

First of all, they have set up a Reflex "Wall of Success" in the hallway. He sent us a photo of it so we could see his how it works. Each morning he writes the "names of students who accomplished milestones over the previous day. Those students then get to sign their name on the poster."  

He also checks in "almost daily" to "ask students how they are doing, what is the newest thing they purchased, how their tree is doing, etc..." But he doesn't just rely on student feedback. He also pays attention to low usage alerts and has the students work on Reflex during school hours if they're falling behind.

There's also another grantee at their school teaching a 5th/6th grade class, and the two classes have a healthy competition going. The other class also writes their names on the "Wall of Success" when they achieve certain milestones. And then "when we reach class milestones, we have a bit of a bragging parade in the other classroom..."

It looks like everything Mr. Fischer is doing is working well--and we look forward to seeing his students reach 100% fluency with Reflex!

Special Education Students Learn Math Facts with Reflex

We've heard from many teachers and parents in schools across the country that Special Education students have made great strides in increasing their math fact fluency with Reflex. We’re always happy to hear good news, so we were glad to hear from a private school that teaches kids with dyslexia and other learning disabilities in reading and writing. Their math department head wrote us that Reflex “is the best way that we’ve found so far to support our students' work on fluency. A large number of students have found this program engaging and they are willing to work independently." She was also impressed by their gains in every grade level at their school.

Students with learning disabilities often have mixed feelings about school since learning can be so challenging for them, so we were pleased to hear that kids were enjoying learning their math facts with Reflex. “Unlike other programs we’ve tried, Reflex does not seem to cause anxiety and has a good balance between games and learning,” added the head of their math department.

Keep up the good work!

Teachers (and students) love the Reflex Educator Grant Program!

 Many of our Reflex Educator Program grantees are now using Reflex in their schools, and we've been hearing lots of great feedback from teachers across the country!

From a middle school teacher in California:

"My students all have special needs. This is the first program in 17 years that they can't wait to work with... and they enjoy their success..."

From Oregon:

"My students love this. They are jazzed each Reflex day.  They seriously can't wait!!"

From Arkansas: 

"The students are LOVING the program. We are all addicted!! Many came back and said they logged on from home last night..... Love it!!!"

From Virginia:

"I did the training last evening and started my kids on it today and they LOVE it. I'm not exaggerating! They kept saying how fun it was, wanted to do it at home, etc. I can't wait to see the results at the end of the year. Thank you for this opportunity." 

Tenaha ISD in Texas announced proudly on their website that they have two Reflex grantees, and that their teachers "believe that a strong level of fact fluency will lead to higher levels of mathematic success for their students."

The newsletter for Westminister Christian School announced that they'll be trying Reflex with their 4th grade students, and are excited to be trying something new!

And from the blog of a teacher in Florida: 

"Reflex offers an alternative to the traditional "drill and kill" routine and really engages kids with a structured and scaffolded approach to mastering the basic facts in both addition/subtraction and multiplication/division. Since then, I've had my kids on it every morning and they volunteer to come in at lunch, as well as utilizing it at home!  They have already logged thousands of fact practices and are loving the game format!  I have also noticed with a few of my struggling mathematicians, their confidence is increasing and they are definitely bringing their learning back with them to class....today, I was working with a little girl who said, "Oh, I did this fact family this morning on Reflex" and proceeded to explain the relationship between multiplication and division!"

There's just 10 days left to apply to the Reflex Grant Program! To find out more, go to http://news.reflexmath.com/educatorgrant/

Teachers and students in Platte County School District talk about Reflex

This elementary school in the Platte County School District in Kansas City, MO, is using Reflex, and the teachers and students love it. At their school, math fact fluency is improving, and the students' test scores and confidence in their math skills are going up, too.

Watch this video to find out more about this elementary school's success with Reflex:

 

"Skip the flashcards. This is the ticket!"

Tracy, a homeschooling mom, learned about Reflex on a forum for fellow homeschooling parents. She gave it a try, and soon she and her son became big fans. 

"My son not only answers his math facts more quickly, but he can now do them in his head! He was even introduced to subtraction for the first time, and he never missed a beat. All in only 2 weeks time!"

She absolutely recommends Reflex "particularly if your child is a hands-on (kinesthetic) learner. Skip the flashcards. This is the ticket!"

You can read more about Tracy's experiences with Reflex on her blog.

"Thank you for making learning fun"

We love when schools that are using Reflex contact us, so we were excited to hear today from a third grade teacher at College Station Elementary School in Arkansas: 

"Prior to using Reflex, my students struggled with math fact fluency. Once they began the program, their fluency and confidence in solving problems began improving almost immediately. The students walk into class ready to get on the computer for 'Reflex time.' I only wish I would have had this program at the beginning of the school year. Thank you for making learning fun."

And their results look terrific. After just 20 days of usage, the mean fluency percentage went from 26% to 69% for 3rd graders in addition and subtraction. Wow!

 

Congratulations and keep up the good work! We're so glad to hear Reflex is making learning fun for your students.

The difference a season can make: Reflex fuels student achievement in GA

As more schools across the country adopt Reflex, more positive results roll in. An Atlanta Public School in Georgia used their AIMSweb math computation benchmark assessment to see how Reflex affected students’ computation work outside of simple response time to math fact fluency.

The graph to the right shows that although the 2nd graders in 2011-2012 scored similarly to the previous year’s 2nd graders in the fall (red points), their winter scores (green points) were significantly higher. The school attributes this increase to Reflex!

A 2nd grade teacher there wrote to us gushing:

“I have GREAT news!!! I am so excited to tell you that I had 14 out of 22 students complete the mad minute with 100%! We have done this for a number of years and I have NEVER had such success. Even the kids who didn’t make 100% had 80% or above. I can now see how much Reflex is helping our kids learn their facts. I have been teaching here for 6 years and there has always been a push to have kids know their math facts and this is the first year I can say with confidence that my kids will be leaving 2nd grade knowing their addition and subtraction facts. Keep up the Reflex incentives and I will keep pushing them to get on in the classroom and at home!!!”

We ran our own analysis of the results at that school, and we can see why the teacher is so optimistic. Among the 52 students who completed 50 days of usage, the mean fluency percentage there climbed from 15% to 78%!

Congratulations to all those hard working students and teachers. Keep up the good work. We can’t wait to see your spring 2012 results!

Teacher declares Reflex “is the greatest math tool ever created!”

When we launched Reflex we said it was going to revolutionize the way children learned their math facts.  We’ve made good on that promise and administrators, teachers, and students alike are singing its praises!  The affirmations we have received have been overwhelming.  One 6th Grade Math Teacher of Galloway Township Public Schools in New Jersey had this to say about Reflex:

“I cannot get enough of Reflex.  It is the greatest math tool ever created.  All teachers and parents should use this program to help children improve their computation skills.  Reflex proves to students that math can be exciting.”

Not only are we working hard to keep Reflex exciting, but also intuitively challenging.  Because Reflex focuses on the automaticity of math facts in a game-based system, students not only get great at basic facts, they do it while having fun!  The same teacher went on to say:

“Using Reflex has been a positive addition to my classroom instruction. I have seen a drastic change in accuracy and speed when my 6th graders solve basic computation problems.  Many of my 6th graders are more confident in their multiplication and division skills thanks to Reflex.  Moreover, my students are addicted to the games and never get tired of playing them, even at home.  One student told me that his mom made him get off of Reflex to go to bed.  Yes!  It is that addictive, for both students and adults.  Thank you, Reflex, for showing my students that learning math can be exciting.”

As they say, the proof is in the pudding!  So don’t wait any longer. Try Reflex today and see the difference it can make.

Fluency Three Times Higher in Just 30 Days of Usage

Second and third graders at a Title I elementary school in Bryant School District 25, Arkansas have been using Reflex with great success in their classrooms.

Before using Reflex the typical student only had fluency in about one-quarter of his or her addition and subtraction facts. In just 30 days of usage the typical student gained fluency in over three-quarters of his or her math facts!

While there is still more work to be done, these students are making amazing progress in learning their math facts.

“The growth has been unbelievable. As a Math Instructional Facilitator it is part of my job to give a math screener to every student referred for Response to Intervention. Part of the screener is a math fact fluency piece. The kids have performed much better on this part this year. When a child knows a tough fact, I usually ask why they know that fact. The answer every time this year is ‘I learned it on Reflex.' Thanks for the wonderful product.”

                    -Mary Armstrong, Math Instructional Facilitator - Bryant School District, Arkansas

 

 

Charting With Reflex

We love the math fact fluency charts inside of Reflex, but

we are kind of partial to the hand drawn varieties too.

 

 

Blake Loves Reflex

While "my dude looks awesome" is not exactly scientific testimony, we think it's high praise.

Max does not let autism stop him from learning math

 

‎"I completely LOVE IT!"

Dawn Rowley works in professional development for ExploreLearning in Georgia. Members of a Georgia elementary school actually sent her Reflex Christmas Cards. We completely LOVE IT.

The iPhone Mom Reviews Reflex

ReflexMath.com

Written by Heather Leister

January 3, 2012

Like

Julia Given and 2 others like this.

Screenshots

Today instead of an app about math I’m going to tell you about a website called Reflex Math that helps students with their math fact fluency. Reflex adapts and creates individualized instruction for everyone who uses the website. The students who use the site will find fast-paced games and rewards. Teachers can use the site for reports that will help them monitor and track their students’ progress. Sounds like a win for everyone. I have checked out the tour of the site and the games and graphics look especially engaging and just like the sort of activities my kids find entertaining.

ExploreLearning, the company behind Reflex Math, recently announced that since they launched in April 2011 they have reached one million student logins with over 125 million math facts being solved. That’s a tremendous amount of math facts in that amount of time, my mind can’t even really wrap around it! From reading the user testimonials people really like this product and it sounds like Reflex is onto something great.

Reflex is offering a free trial to iPhone Mom readers. You can follow this link to sign up and then enter Iphonemom at the “PROMO CODE” at the bottom left of the sign-up page. Happy multiplication, division, addition and subtraction everyone!

http://www.theiphonemom.com/reflexmath-com

 

 

 

 

Great article on Reflex from Ontario

Computer program makes math fun

By RACHEL PUNCH, THE SAULT STAR

Posted 3 days ago

The teaching of basic math skills has come a long way from using pencils, paper and a stack of flash cards at St. Pius X Catholic School.

Students now spend about 20 minutes at least three times a week learning math the fun way -- using a computer.

Grade 6 student Jordan Attoni sits at one laptop, the colourful screen flashing math facts such as 2 x 5 and 14 / 7. As Attoni keys in the right answers, tiles flip on the screen to reveal a picture.

"I like this because it actually makes it fun. It's not just plain questions on pencil and paper," said Attoni, who turns 11 on Saturday.

The school prints out certificates when the students reach certain milestones.

Students can also rack up tokens on the game, which can be used in the virtual store.

"You can buy stuff for your virtual avatar. After a while, you get a tree and you can buy cool stuff for your tree like a pond or a beehive," Attoni said.

Teacher Emily Thibodeau's Grade 5/6 class piloted the program -- called Reflex Math -- for about a month.

She said students were struggling to learn their facts on pencil and paper, no matter how much they were drilled.

"Being that the students are digital learners, we noticed that they responded really well to learning their facts online," Thibodeau said. "We noticed that by going three or four times a week, their fluency and their knowledge of new facts is improving at a faster rate.

"Without their basic knowledge of facts, it hinders them in every other aspect of math. They really need to know their basic facts to grasp every concept," she said.

Students can also use the program at home by logging in online. When asked by Thibodeau how many were using Reflex at home, almost all raised their hands."The parents love it," Thibodeau said.

Her class solved 75,000 facts collectively in about a month.

The program was so successful in the pilot classes, the school has decided to offer it to all students. The classes use the about 25 laptops set up in the school's computer lab.

"It's an excellent program where they are very motivated," said principal Silvana Carlascio. "They come into class and they can't wait to get on the computer."

Teachers can track each individual student, or the class as a whole.

"Some of the kids are up to 80% fluency in their facts," Thibodeau said. "The ones that really struggled, it took them a few weeks to show any progress, but now I am noticing they are up to 30% and 40% fluency.

"I don't think they would have made those gains with pencil and paper."

 

Nice review from the folks over at Tech Powered Math. Thanks Lucas.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been looking at a system called Reflex Math, designed to help kids learn arithmetic facts. The stated goal of Reflex Math is to gain “math fact fluency.” Reflex is designed to help students achieve fluency through an interactive system of games and puzzles.

Relflex Math's "Egyptian Conniption"

Reflex is a cloud based system, meaning there’s nothing to download to your computer. As long as you have an up-to-date browser, Reflex runs right in that browser. As a high school teacher, I didn’t have elementary students to work with on Reflex, but I spent quite a bit of time trying it out in Chrome, where I didn’t encounter a single bug. I also showed it off to a few of my high school students who seemed a little put out that “they didn’t have anything like that for us when we were kids.”

More from the article at techpoweredmath.

 

Reflex reports get 5 stars

Stephanie Wyeth teaches third grade at Bryant Elementary School in Arkansas. She gives Reflex 5 stars.

I really like the "reports" - they help me with progress monitoring. I like the fact that ALL of my students want to do it - especially my struggling learners. But, it is challenging enough (and FUN) to keep the interest of my advanced learners too. I like that the program automatically "differentiates" for me - that is a blessing of time. I certainly need that in today's busy classroom. Thanks.

Your program is far superior in many ways. The students beg for Reflex time. Kudos to you for building in all the color, sound, games, incentives, and avatar/shopping features that make your program so exciting for kids. They don't even feel like they are working to learn - they are just having FUN!