Midnight Sun Family Learning Center

HeyMath! Usage = Higher Math Proficiency

Midnight Sun Charter School, located about 60 miles north of Anchorage, Alaska, first opened its doors in September of 1998. Presently there are 164 students from grades K through 8 in multi-age classrooms. MSFLC aims at promoting academic excellence, character development and educational enthusiasm resulting in responsible, productive citizens.

This is their HeyMath! story

1. Each student has a computer at his/her desk.
2. Each morning the teacher assigns a lesson per grade level and the students are required to login to the HeyMath! website to go through the lesson and complete the assignment. (an image of assignment sample is shown below)
3. Students can run the lessons as many times as they need to.
4. When completed, the lesson assignment and required paper and pencil work is placed on the teacher's desk. The teacher keeps track of their work using date-and topic-assigned method.
5. HeyMath!'s Pre-Algebra component was extensively used (95% of the time) by the 7th and 8th graders.

Here's what the teacher had to say

By far, the biggest advantage of HeyMath! has been students learning how to learn. Their dependence on the teacher was broken; and they found that they could learn without having first been given instruction by the teacher's explanation. Moreover, the ability to run the lessons over and over again helped turn around most kids.

I am excited about having all my students ready for HeyMath! right from the beginning of the year. Last year was a great success for the 5th grade through 8th grade students, but it kept me busy preparing on the weekends. This year, now that I am comfortable with the program, I'm preparing for the lessons ahead of time. Besides, I want to share what I'm getting ready for my students with the teacher next to me. Based of her observation of the students doing HeyMath! and the fantastic results, she, too, has decided to include HeyMath! in her 2-8 multi-grade classroom curriculum.
- Nina Brady

Analysis of student performance - Teacher and parent feedback

• "Student #9 had to take a pre-qualifying exam in math before being accepted at the District's career and tech high school. He did exceptionally well on the exam and was told by the administrator of the exam that he scored the highest score she had ever seen. This is the same student who struggled and fought math for many years, so needless to say, he was exceedingly pleased."
• "Student #11 is a student who has had a long history of math difficulty. This program was perfect for him because he had access to it at home where the parents could work alongside him to discuss the concepts being presented."
• "Student #8 mentioned to me how he was able to help his cousin with her 10th grade math assignments because of the knowledge he has gained."

HeyMath! meets curriculum criteria set by

• California Learning Resources Network (CLRN)
• Massachusetts Department of Education for Javits Gifted and Talented Education Grants
• British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta), U.K. for Curriculum Online
• Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education (GCE - O)
• Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), India | Indian School Certificate Examinations (ICSE)