Buffalo School Students Shine First in Math

Three South Buffalo first graders pored over pieces of a puzzle, each marked with two numbers ranging from -10 to 10.

Their task: put four pieces together to create a single wheel in which the pieces add up to 10, but arrange them wisely so that the overall puzzle has 10 wheels with the same sum.

In mid-May, Leonardo Galeotti, Isabella Reinhardt and Cillian Byrne, ages 6 and 7 in Felicia Glogoza’s class at Lorraine Elementary School, inspected the pieces of the state-sponsored math game in front of them. Buffalo school students had already ridden six wheels, but the other four were elusive.

Did anyone have a coin with a positive 4? If a wheel already had a -10 coin, what three other positive numbers could add up to 20?

The math was basic, but the critical thinking, concepts, and teamwork required were not. Completing difficult but fun quests like this pushed the three first-graders to test their mettle in Albany on Saturday against New York’s best in the state’s elementary math competition, a partnership between the Department of State Education and First in Math.

With a $5,000 school prize on the line, the trio must conquer a game similar to the one they practiced in class. They will be accompanied on the trip by Pamela Littere, mathematics support teacher at Lorraine primary school.

The Lorraine students’ results — the second year in a row that a team from the school has qualified — are emblematic of Buffalo schools’ aggressive efforts to improve their overall math skills and catch up with the state average.

Given the late release of the state’s assessment results, it could be six months before the public can assess the district’s improvements in math relative to its 15.3 percent proficiency rate for students in grades three through eight in 2023, a mark well below the state average of 38.6%.

The district’s mission starts much earlier and goes much deeper than improving standardized test scores.

“We’re trying to help change minds,” said JaDawn Wagstaff, director of mathematics for Buffalo Schools K-12.

The objective of the mathematics department is to make the subject more fun for students, using digital tools including the First in Math games. Building teachers’ confidence in explaining concepts is essential, and the goal is to provide relief to intimidated parents who might feel disconnected from how children learn the basics.

Wagstaff’s message is empowering: “You are a mathematician. You are capable of doing this. Try it,” she advises.

“It made a difference,” she said. “Even with all the platforms and products, if you don’t change mindsets, it won’t matter.”

The platforms constitute an interesting avenue for improvement. First in Math offers an assortment of grade-specific math games from kindergarten through fifth grade and is free to the district through a state contract. MobyMax, a program used by Buffalo teachers, acts as a screening tool to identify missing skills and then identifies exercises for children whether they are behind or ahead.

The emphasis is no longer solely on rote memorization.

Mastery, a term often used in reading, also applies to math, said Anne Botticelli, chief academic officer of Buffalo Schools. This goes beyond simple mastery of the facts.

“You don’t want to use mental power to calculate basic algorithms,” she said. “You need to know how to do it fluently so you can focus on the problem itself. So, “What does this problem ask of me?” » Not “What is 2+2?” »

Buffalo’s internal metrics show that continued use of these tools – and greater comfort – likely drive student growth.

The district’s target population — about 1,800 economically disadvantaged third graders — started this year with a 1 percent proficiency level in math, according to the iReady diagnostic tool. By midyear, that proficiency rate jumped to 10 percent, within reach of Superintendent Tonja M. Williams’ year-end goal of 15.9 percent.

“It’s a little daunting knowing how much room there is for student growth,” Botticelli said. “But the teachers work really hard, they want the kids to succeed and we’ve given them a lot of tools.”

Glogoza’s class in Lorraine revealed not only how integrated First in Math was into their daily activities, but also how many ways it could be applied.

Twenty first graders were sitting in rows on the floor, watching television. One by one, Glogoza called each student to the screen to answer a question as their classmates cheered them on. Students, seeing a number such as 15 at the top of the screen, would touch one of two options, for example 10+4 or 10+5. They hurried back to their seats when another name was called. Their collaborative goal was to answer as many questions correctly as possible while being pressed for time.

The digital nature of products should not be overlooked, Wagstaff said.

“For us, they’re learning skills that paper and pencil practice just can’t give them,” she said. “You can’t ask them the questions fast enough given the way they practice on their devices.”

All Glogoza students answered a question and returned to their desks, where they took out their Chromebooks and began answering the same questions individually. First in Math awards students a digital sticker for every three correct answers, and once district-wide data is compiled, the top three students, classes and schools are all honored in the district’s weekly report card.

“If you have a kid who has 75,000 stickers, that doesn’t happen during the school day,” Wagstaff said. “That means at home they love it enough to stay there. Once you hook them in that way and they learn and grow in the area of ​​math, it says a lot about how attractive they are to that site.

The tools should help them in the long run. State assessments for grades 3-8 will be fully computerized by spring 2026.

First in Math and MobyMax are the headliners, but not the only assets Buffalo is leaning on. The district has set aside one-hour intervention periods, introduced a new curriculum for middle school grades and offers extensive professional development for teachers. Administrators have worked to provide consistent materials and instructions across the district to properly track progress.

There is now more hope in Buffalo schools in a subject where students have fallen far behind as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“When we talk to families, we always want them to talk to kids about how math can be fun,” Botticelli said. “It takes away the element of fear and gives kids a sense of reward.” ‘Wow, I’m good and it’s fun at the same time.’