ENMS 8th Grade Blended Math Classes
Donation protected
Hello all!
John Humbert, Corrie Eisenhart and myself, Sara Pugliese are part of the 8th grade math team at East Norriton Middle School in the Norristown Area School District. We teach Algebra 2, Algebra 1 and Principles of Algebra. We are trying to obtain Google Chromebooks for our classrooms because technology in our Title 1, low income district is limited. While not all students lack access to technology at home, we are trying to close as many achievement gaps as possible by leveling the playing field. Each day we have students coming to us from all walks of life, the more technology we can have in our school, the easier it is for students who lack technology at home to be successful academically. Having access to technology breaks down these barriers. We can eliminate the language barrier by providing math instruction in multiple languages while exposing students to English through teacher instruction. We can close achievement gap by providing remedial early math instruction and allowing students to catch up at their own speed. We can provide a place for students to access technology and build 21st century skills. Most importantly, we can provide a platform for students to depend on us to provide them with access to technology in a supportive environment where they can thrive!
Why Chromebooks? Starting in the 2015-2016 school year, the 8th grade teachers began implementing a blended classroom (a classroom utilizes both direct, teacher instruction and computer based learning) to teach our students.
To truly find out if a blended classroom increased student achievement, one class utilized the blended model and another utilized a more traditional model for an entire unit. At the end of the unit, both classrooms took the same test. In every single case, the students from the blended classroom scored higher than those of the traditional classroom model and not just by a little - between 10-14% higher! This is incredible improvement in the educational world.


With those findings, we used the technology available to us and with continuous coordination, we implemented blended classrooms for all 8th grade mathematics classes. To our surprise, the students were hooked! We had dozens of students offering to give up their time, either during lunch or after-school, to use the technology with a goal of improving their understanding of math.

Even if it ended there, as teachers, we were on cloud nine! In the beginning of this school year, we received the PSSA scores from last year's students. The Mathematics PSSA is a state test that compares the performance of all students in PA. Students are scored on a proficiency scale: Advanced, Proficient, Basic, and Below Basic. Our students outscored the state average for proficiency by 11.3% in math! We had almost double the percent of students score advanced than the state average. Most importantly, we are closing the achievement gap with incredible results: 40% of PA students scored in the below basic category last year, while only 21% of our students scored in that category!
If our students were able to do this with limited access to technology, imagine what they could do if technology was not an issue. We would be able to change the educational perspective of over 200 students every single year!

If you could donate, even a small amount, it would help not only us out tremendously but, most importantly, our students!
John Humbert, Corrie Eisenhart and myself, Sara Pugliese are part of the 8th grade math team at East Norriton Middle School in the Norristown Area School District. We teach Algebra 2, Algebra 1 and Principles of Algebra. We are trying to obtain Google Chromebooks for our classrooms because technology in our Title 1, low income district is limited. While not all students lack access to technology at home, we are trying to close as many achievement gaps as possible by leveling the playing field. Each day we have students coming to us from all walks of life, the more technology we can have in our school, the easier it is for students who lack technology at home to be successful academically. Having access to technology breaks down these barriers. We can eliminate the language barrier by providing math instruction in multiple languages while exposing students to English through teacher instruction. We can close achievement gap by providing remedial early math instruction and allowing students to catch up at their own speed. We can provide a place for students to access technology and build 21st century skills. Most importantly, we can provide a platform for students to depend on us to provide them with access to technology in a supportive environment where they can thrive!
Why Chromebooks? Starting in the 2015-2016 school year, the 8th grade teachers began implementing a blended classroom (a classroom utilizes both direct, teacher instruction and computer based learning) to teach our students.
To truly find out if a blended classroom increased student achievement, one class utilized the blended model and another utilized a more traditional model for an entire unit. At the end of the unit, both classrooms took the same test. In every single case, the students from the blended classroom scored higher than those of the traditional classroom model and not just by a little - between 10-14% higher! This is incredible improvement in the educational world.
With those findings, we used the technology available to us and with continuous coordination, we implemented blended classrooms for all 8th grade mathematics classes. To our surprise, the students were hooked! We had dozens of students offering to give up their time, either during lunch or after-school, to use the technology with a goal of improving their understanding of math.
Even if it ended there, as teachers, we were on cloud nine! In the beginning of this school year, we received the PSSA scores from last year's students. The Mathematics PSSA is a state test that compares the performance of all students in PA. Students are scored on a proficiency scale: Advanced, Proficient, Basic, and Below Basic. Our students outscored the state average for proficiency by 11.3% in math! We had almost double the percent of students score advanced than the state average. Most importantly, we are closing the achievement gap with incredible results: 40% of PA students scored in the below basic category last year, while only 21% of our students scored in that category!
If our students were able to do this with limited access to technology, imagine what they could do if technology was not an issue. We would be able to change the educational perspective of over 200 students every single year!
If you could donate, even a small amount, it would help not only us out tremendously but, most importantly, our students!
Organizer and beneficiary
Constance Corrie
Organizer
Plymouth Meeting, PA
Norristown Area School District
Beneficiary
