FRASER, Mich. – Elementary school students could be motivated to do math over the summer after reaching a major milestone.
The students at Emerson Elementary school in Fraser will finish the school knowing they completed one million math problems.
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The students did the problems using IXL, a web-based math program that they can continue to use over the summer.
"We did it! Emerson made it to the one million mark, averaging about 2,700 math problems per student this year," said Sam Argiri, Principal at Emerson Elementary.
Fraser Public Schools rolled out 5,000 iPads during the school year, which the district said is the largest K-12 iPad rollout in Michigan.
The iPad program gave Fraser Public school students access to the tablets both inside and outside the classroom. The school said the iPads created the opportunity for the IXL to become an extended learning opportunity for its students.
"Our students now have 24-hour access to practice math skills ranging from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade, algebra and geometry. IXL became a part of their daily math workshop, but students also earned extra hours at home," explained Argiri. "This is a learning opportunity our students didn't have in the past, truly extending their math practice beyond the walls of the school."
The highest achieving IXL students were called the Top 10 Math Dogs for the 2012-2013 school year. Emerson students are called Bulldogs.
The following is the complete list of Top 10 Math Dogs:
Tom McNelis 5th, 162 Skills Proficient
Austin Kruzel 1st, 148 Skills Proficient
Hannah Ritchey 2nd, 147 Skills Proficient
Mason Woodring K, 138 Skills Proficient
Aron Geml 6th, 137 Skills Proficient
Jacob Keuning 4th, 130 Skills Proficient
Amber Augusti 6th, 128 Skills Proficient
Brody Gray K, 128 Skills Proficient
Rachel McMenamin 5th, 128 Skills Proficient
Noah Cracchiolo K, 125 Skills Proficient
Alex Keuning 2nd, 124 Skills Proficient
Garrett Sullivan 1st, 123 Skills Proficient
Tom McNelis was the leading student who begins the summer having demonstrated mastery in 162 skills. He will be in sixth grade next year.
"IXL was a good addition to the school this year. All students could work at their own pace. With the new iPads, students could work not only at school but at home too. I think IXL made everybody smarter this year, including me!" said McNelis.
While the students have to turn the iPads in for the summer, they will have access to the IXL program on their home computers or mobile devices so they can use it over the summer and continue developing their math skills.
"The culture and attitude towards math has changed for the positive at Emerson. We're extremely proud of our students," said Argiri.