By my second year, students in fourth grade having had the program, about half were in 54, a quarter in 65, and another hanful in 76. Students in this fifth grade class came in with the strongest math skills I've ever seen with an incoming class. The majority of students in that 76 class tested beyond the 87 book. Finally this year, I have a greater percentage of students in 76 than 54 and 65 combined. Skills of incoming students have been better each year.
Students say math is their favorite subject.
They experience consistent success and improve self esteem. Further, the argument that students are not going to learn if they don' t get a concept the first time does not prove to be consistent in my case. The majority of students do eventually master the concepts through the repitition. Moreover, remediation is made available for students who continue to struggle. The program is difficult in its first year because students do not have the background with the program they may need.