Stockbridge Community Schools Customer Story

Superimposing Math MTSS to Drive Math Proficiency Gains

Stockbridge Community Schools, MI

The struggle with math proficiency is a common challenge for many school districts. Amy Hodgson, a long-time educational leader and currently the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum for Stockbridge Community Schools in Michigan, has seen this firsthand. A dedicated advocate for students and evidence-based instruction for all students, she notes that the central problem is students advancing through grades and curriculum without mastering foundational skills.

“Students go through the whole system and come out without mastery of foundational skills,” Amy observed. She explained that a lack of fluency with math skills drains a student's cognitive load and increases frustration. Weak math fluency affects even high-performing students who are otherwise capable of advanced math. “They’re using cognitive load on all of these basic skills that should be fluent,” she said.

Dramatic Gains in State Test Scores

Ms. Hodgson had directed the use of SpringMath in her prior district as Superintendent of Schools. When she needed to solve a similar math problem in Stockbridge, she began building capacity to effectively implement SpringMath in her new system. During the 2023–24 school year, Stockbridge leadership guided the implementation of SpringMath to achieve extraordinary results.

Right away, teachers and leaders saw gains on the most sensitive measures inside their “Growth” tabs. The graph below shows that very few students scored at or above the target during the fall screening (yellow bars) on grade-level skills, but following classwide math intervention, most students scored at or above the target (brown bars).

These impressive results have helped cultivate a positive math culture among staff and generated buy-in for data-driven, evidence-based interventions across all grade levels.

Collective Strategies for a Successful SpringMath Rollout

Ms. Hodgson credits the accelerated success of her second implementation to a few key system-wide strategies:

Dedicated Point Person for Implementation Support

A crucial step for successful implementation was transforming an intervention teacher into a Math Coach. This coach serves as the internal point person for SpringMath, providing non-evaluative support and performing joint fidelity checks with district leadership. The coach acts as “the oil that makes all the gears turn,” ensuring high fidelity and giving all teachers a supportive resource. This structure emphasizes that implementation success is a shared responsibility.

Full Investment in Interventionists

To maximize the program’s impact, the district hired dedicated paraprofessional interventionists to work with SpringMath. These interventionists pull students for data-driven, small-group and individual (Tier 2/3) intervention support when recommended by SpringMath.

Ms. Hodgson noted that for many, becoming a SpringMath interventionist is “the best job they’ve ever had” because of the rewarding effort and “the fact that you’re seeing real change” in student outcomes. She asserts that this structured approach is like “superimposing an MTSS system over your math and curriculum.” She stressed that intervention must be based on data, and students should not be “stuck there forever,” but rather move fluidly in and out as they achieve mastery, which SpringMath does.

Fostering a Culture of Celebration and Motivation

The math coach introduced creative, engaging ideas to motivate teachers and students. A standout example is the “GOAT Award” (Greatest of All Time), a 3D-printed medal given monthly to the teacher who achieves the greatest percentage of students with increasing scores. This recognition encourages the entire teaching staff to focus on increasing the number of students experiencing math success and celebrates the progress of all learners, making it a collective celebration of success.

Advice for School Leaders: “Go All In”

When asked for her best piece of advice for school leaders considering SpringMath, Ms. Hodgson’s answer was clear: Invest in it fully.

“Do not just purchase the tool, but ensure that people get the training that they need to be able to implement it well,” she advised. This includes:

Designating a specific, non-evaluative leader or point person (like a coach) to support the program.
Regularly monitoring data (weekly) to check on student progress and support needs.
Investing in dedicated paraprofessional interventionists and motivational resources.

Stockbridge Community Schools’ ultimate vision is for SpringMath to create a system where students work “all the way through from kindergarten,” graduating with strong math skills. This would ensure all students are “foundationally strong and ready for Algebra 1,” opening up a gateway course that can be life-changing for their academic and career paths.

“We can no longer use public dollars to experiment on small humans...when we know that there are things that work. There is now research that tells us what we should be doing.”