The Aftermath of Catch-up Math

 

As the chairman, since 2008, of the Special Education Department at my high school, I have been concerned about the progress of our students in general in math. However I have been particularly concerned about the progress of our special education students who, as a group, have and are underperforming in this critical core area. In December, 2011 I received an email about a web-based math program called Catch-up Math http://catchupmath.com/how-it-works/ which allows students asynchronous (anytime/anywhere) access and help in basic math, pre-algebra, algebra and geometry with or without the assistance of a teacher (HotMath, Inc., 2014).

After investigating the program, including several conversations with cohorts in my department, emails to a contact in another building, and discussions with my principal, I ordered the Catch-up Math program in January, 2012. As extensive as I believed then that those conversations were I have learned here that they did not even begin to scratch the surface of what should have been described as a far-reaching project; to turn around the overall math progress of many of our 9^th, 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th graders using Catch-up Math.

To begin, the program’s effect has not been successful. None of the valuable tools and most of the strategies learned thus far in our course was known to me then. A preliminary project analysis would have uncovered the fact that the students from our feeder middle schools (there are two), which teach 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade; students who were by then enrolled in our math classes had already struggled with math, especially pre-algebra (Lin, 2006). This was a known unknown, easily obtainable from several of the middle schools’ prior academic report cards (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2008). The preliminary analysis would have also guided my conversations with my colleagues so that I asked the right questions, not just engaged in informational conversation regarding their opinion about implementing the program.

Although the principal approved ordering the Catch-up Math program and was very supportive, I would not describe him as a champion of the project because of his many commitments. As a result, because of the many priorities of administration and attributable to my not utilizing an analysis and other tools associated with project management, administrative support was not as strong as it could have been (Portny, et al, 2008). A scope of the project would have exposed the need to identify and enlist additional stakeholders, to train teachers on the use of the program, and make available advisors to help teachers organize lessons and track student progress (Portny, et al, 2008). In addition to the preliminary analysis, other methods that I would undertake differently at a minimum include framing a Statement of Work, a Scope of the project, and Work Breakdown Structure documents (Greer, 2010) & (Portny, et al, 2008). These tools would have provided more structure, support, direction and ultimately success to the project.

As has been noted, while Catch-up Math has some excellent features, including video support, and more than one hundred students were eventually enrolled in Catch-up Math, the most frustrating part of the project was getting consistent buy-in from teachers and students (Greer, 2010). Use of the program by both groups was inconsistent and lukewarm at best. If implemented properly through the project management process, and, being aware of the many supports available from the vendor, I have confidence that the probability of the project’s success would have been greater. For me this is the most professionally satisfying part of this project (Greer, 2010). 

 

References

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your

projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

HotMath, Inc. (2014). Catchup math. Retrieved from

http://catchupmath.com/how-it-  works/ [Video].

Lin, H. (2006). Instructional project management: An emerging professional practice for

design and training programs. Workforce Education Forum, 33(2). Retrieved from

http://voc.ed.psu.edu/projects/publications/books/Fall2006/WEF_fall2006.1.html

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B.

E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.