In order to ensure that our students maintain the math fact fluency they worked so hard to achieve this year and that they are ready to begin their math work next fall with the basic tools they need to be successful,
we are requiring that all students entering grades 3, 4, and 5 continue to practice their math facts this summer.
In order to accomplish this, we have set up a summer Reflex Math account for your child. Reflex Math is the online fluency program we began using at Cambridgeport this year; our data shows it to be extremely effective. It’s also extremely fun to use. Many students
used the program this year in their classrooms or at morning or afternoon math intervention sessions, and they will already be familiar with how to login and use it. Those who have not used it before have been introduced to the program this week and were given info sheets to bring home containing login information.
Because Reflex Math is web-based, it can be accessed on any desktop or laptop computer that can connect to the internet. (Unfortunately, it cannot currently be accessed on an iPad or other tablets.) For those families who do not have a computer or internet connection at
home, we recommend using the free computers and internet at any of the Cambridge Public Library branches. We will also send flash cards home for any students without home computer/internet access; however, flash cards will be most effective as supplements to Reflex Math use, so we highly encourage use of the public libraries.
The expectation for Reflex use this summer is a minimum 3 times per week. More use will provide better results. Each day your child uses Reflex, they should work toward getting a “green light,” an indication that they have done their required work for that day. It usually takes from15-20 minutes of use to get a green light. Use does not need to be
continuous, so a student could do several short sessions in a day, or one long one, depending on what works best for their schedule.
Your child will bring home information that will allow you set up a Reflex parent account so you can monitor your child’s progress, see which facts they have mastered, which facts they are currently working on, and which facts they still need to learn. We ask that you help your child remember to do their Reflex work, and that you set up your parent account and check it regularly to make sure they are using the program often enough and long enough to get green lights.
Our math coach, Glen Sherman, will be monitoring use through the summer. If you have any questions about the program, please email him at:
[email protected].