The Challenge

Leaders at Eugene Field A+ Elementary School noticed that large cohorts of proficient and above-grade level students were not showing equivalent growth as their counterparts each year. Eugene Field A+ Elementary already had programs in place to support students performing below grade level. The growth gap between different proficiency levels of students would need to be addressed. Providing proficient students with an easy to use, independently-driven, and fundamentally challenging program that strengthens mathematical critical thinking and reasoning skills became a vital problem to solve.

Choosing Exemplars

Understanding that the school already had mathematical programs in rotation, it was important to find a resource that would differentiate from other digital apps that didn’t provide enough mathematical meaning which also led to student burn out. The rigorous and engaging performance tasks within Exemplars combined with the inquiry-based approach in learning provided Eugene Field A+ Elementary with a strong initiative to boost mathematical skills in already proficient students that previously showed stagnant growth. Students that weren’t used to challenges began to look forward to working on Exemplars tasks and even asked to use the tool on days when it wasn’t a part of their intervention lesson.

The Outcome

Immediately after implementation, teachers noticed that students were highly engaged with the compelling tasks provided through Exemplars. Soon, students were thriving during their extension and small group time while authenticating their mathematical ability by communicating their math thinking through both verbal and written formats. Exemplars provided a way for students to take problem-solving steps, learn how to work through the rigorous assignments, and to communicate with peers to identify strategies to solve many interesting challenges. As the year went on, students developed more self-agency and peer support and those students that used Exemplars have shown higher growth than previous years. Teachers continue to be amazed at how students are now able to articulate and share their mathematical thinking and reasoning while maintaining their high levels of motivation as they work with Exemplars.