All four grades grew above the national norm after one semester

Everything is about reading; there’s nothing for math

Math has been a bumpy road for us, especially in our secondary grades. Like many states, in Colorado, everything is about reading; we’ve been lucky enough to win some large reading grants and build up our reading programs and instruction, but there’s nothing for math. Math has been an area we’ve constantly struggled in, and historically, our math scores are low.

Two years ago, we did a curriculum crosswalk against our state standards to make sure our elementary curriculum was actually covering everything – and it was. So we stepped back and realized that if the curriculum was fine, we had to look harder at where the gaps were and how else we could support our kids. That’s what led us to start looking at intervention programs and eventually Third Space Learning.

With Skye, students have to take the time

What immediately stood out was how different the experience felt compared to other programs we’d used. We’d been using IXL, but many students would simply click through explanations when they got questions wrong. It isn’t really an intervention if they’re not taking the time.

With Skye, students have to take the time. They have to listen, work with Skye, and understand what was wrong, why it was wrong, and how to fix it before moving on.

I also liked the flexibility. Teachers can schedule tutoring whenever it works best; in a small school where staff wear multiple hats, that’s incredibly valuable. And because support is unlimited, we’ve been able to keep supporting students through summer school, beyond the regular year.

Every student engaged in meaningful learning

We chose our combined 4th/5th grade class and our 6th and 7th graders, as that’s where we were struggling most. In the combined class it was especially beneficial: the teacher could split the group in half, delivering direct instruction to one while the other worked with Skye, then switch – instead of one group waiting for support, every student was engaged in meaningful learning.

Student engagement has been very strong. At first, most students saw it as just another computer program, but that changed quickly once they realized Skye was actually listening and responding. One student stood out: a highly advanced 4th grader who often gets frustrated because he learns much faster than his classmates. With Skye, he could work at his own pace and be challenged appropriately; he absolutely loved it.

Real movement after a single semester

More generally, students are now more willing to talk about math rather than shutting down with “I don’t know,” and our teachers have noticed the change in classroom confidence too.

The biggest growth came in 4th and 5th grade, which is exactly where the most usage was – they used it daily. Our NWEA MAP data from this spring, after a single semester with Third Space Learning, showed real movement.

The main benefit for us has been accountability. Coming from a program where kids are just clicking through to get to the end, to one where they’re monitored, directed, assisted, and held accountable for their learning – that’s amazing, it’s a great program.