Case study: How two districts conquered math intervention implementation
Leaders from Seminole County Schools and Vail School District share how they implemented SpringMath across their districts, setting their teachers and students up for success. Read their story below.
Implementing new programs is daunting
From uploading student rosters to onboarding educators across multiple schools, a lot of work goes into ensuring successful implementation and ongoing success. In fact, in a research study, the EdTech Genome Product — a collaborative effort involving more than 100 education research and advocacy organizations — identified support from school and district administration as one of the top 10 variables that make or break implementations.
Constant communication and support from district-level leaders, IT departments, and teachers across the district are crucial for the success of new implementations.
While districts can be as prepared as possible for implementing a new program, there needs to be support from vendors as well. Answering questions, providing ongoing professional development, and being a true learning partner make a world of difference in a successful implementation that sets teachers and their students up for success and avoids a failed implementation that results in hard feelings and wasted time.
Change is about the people, not the software or the platform
Working hand in hand with districts across the nation, the SpringMath team ensures teachers feel comfortable and confident using the evidence-based math intervention program — resulting in true team efforts that set districts up for success.
A need for RTI and MTSS support
Seminole County Schools in Donalsonville, Georgia, is home to more than 1,300 pre-K through 12th grade students. Seminole County Schools Assistant Superintendent Felicia Purdy, reached out to SpringMath after recognizing that students lagged in math scores in part due to Hurricane Michael in 2018 and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“We worked with SpringMath’s coaches to identify those in need of individual intervention in grades 3–8,” says Purdy. “We learned that when our classes weren’t making progress and the classes were static for a couple of weeks, we actually weren’t catching the students struggling and falling behind. Once we became aware of those students, we started looking for them.”
That realization led to the district and the SpringMath team working together to retrain staff members, recognizing that when humans learn something incorrectly, it takes a lot more cognitive effort to unlearn and correct that behavior.
“We’ve had a lot of support from the SpringMath team, and our coach has been a great system of support for us,” says Purdy. “I feel like we can call her at almost any time and she’ll answer the phone. I recommend any district looking to implement SpringMath to invest in the Sourcewell Technology Advantage. We need that guidance to ensure we adhere to the program as it’s designed.”
Now, leaders at Seminole County Schools are seeing an impact on students. “We are seeing positive outcomes,” Purdy explains. “We’re monitoring student progress. So far, it’s been a great experience.”
“We are seeing positive outcomes. We’re monitoring student progress. So far, it’s been a great experience.”
- Felicia Purdy, assistant superintendent, Seminole County Schools
Constant communication and support
Approximately 2,000 miles away at Vail School District in Vail, Arizona, Director of Assessment & Innovative Learning Kelly Pinkerton helps serve more than 14,000 K-12 students. The district has partnered with SpringMath since 2017 and uses the program to monitor students’ growth at both district and school levels to provide classwide and individual math interventions.
“We picked a couple of schools who said, ‘Sure, let’s try this,’” says Pinkerton. “We jumped into those schools, and when they ran SpringMath successfully and really bought into the process, we shared their successes with other schools, and that’s when those other schools wanted to use SpringMath as well.”
Since the initial implementation in 2017, Vail has rolled SpringMath out to all of the district’s sites and is focused on training new staff.
“For us, the SpringMath support page has been super helpful,” adds Pinkerton. “The articles and videos have helped, even as I’ve trained other people on SpringMath, just to point them in that direction.”
While district leaders make the ultimate purchasing decisions, a strong district-school relationship where district-level leaders listen and gather input from their teachers sets the foundation for a successful implementation. After all, teachers are the ones who use the programs in their classrooms. At Vail School District, Pinkerton and others recognize this.
That strong partnership translates to Vail School District’s partnership with the SpringMath team at Sourcewell. In fact, Pinkerton and her team often provide feedback and suggestions about the program.
“We appreciate their openness to suggestions,” says Pinkerton. “We’ll bring up ideas and suggestions and the Sourcewell team will say, ‘Oh, that’s a great idea’ or ‘We can put this in here.’ It’s been really helpful to not only have the support page, but also a supportive team willing to listen and even implement some of our suggestions.”
Thanks, in part, to its successful implementation of SpringMath’s evidence-based math intervention program, Vail has been recognized as a top-performing district in Arizona.
While district leaders make the ultimate purchasing decisions, a strong district-school relationship where district-level leaders listen and gather input from their teachers sets the foundation for a successful implementation.
The Sourcewell Technology Advantage
When implementing any new program, it’s important to rein in expectations and be clear about goals. Often, districts purchase a new program and expect it to have an impact almost overnight. A strong implementation takes time, but results will come.
The SpringMath team works hand in hand with districts across the nation to ensure teachers feel comfortable and confident using SpringMath, resulting in a true team effort that sets districts up for long-term success. The team supports each implementation with what’s called the Sourcewell Technology Advantage®, combining a user-focused approach with a proven process for successful change management.
The unique implementation approach is centered on building true partnerships with districts, establishing a shared vision, defining roles and responsibilities, reviewing current student data, and discussing ways to use SpringMath student data to help drive classroom instructional decisions.
Throughout implementation and beyond, consultants and coaches work with districts to tailor unique training strategies designed to strengthen overall implementations. From technical consulting to new-hire training, the SpringMath team provides the specialized training and support that districts need to be successful.
Discover implementation best practices
Free guide: 6 Best Practices for Implementing a K-12 Math Intervention Program
Ensure teachers and students get the most out of your math intervention solution when you implement it with fidelity. From identifying your goals to streamlining implementation with a proven process, our tip sheet outlines best practices to ensure a strong implementation.
We’re here to help drive student success
Interested in learning more about SpringMath? Our dedicated and knowledgeable team of education technology experts is here for you.
Contact us at: 651-999-6000 | info@springmath.org