Achievement Indicator - Mastery of Math Facts, Grade 4
Introduction
This achievement indicator, Mastery of Math Facts in Grade 4, examines which of our fourth graders have demonstrated mastery of their math facts. Students complete a short assessment of 72 single-digit multiplication problems (e.g., what is 8x7?) in 60-seconds. Students who answer 25 or more problems, correctly, are considered masters of their math facts.
The ability to accurately recognize simple one-digit multiplication products is critical for students to productively study and learn future, higher level math and science concepts. Without quick, accurate recall of these elementary math facts, students will struggle to keep up with the pace of future, more complex math and science instruction. This will require additional time to calculate answers that really need to be on immediate recall. Multiplication problems are used because they are directly linked to similarly needed quick-recall division and they incorporate the concepts of addition and subtraction in ways that capture all the requisite recall knowledge needed.
As the historical data show, disparities exist between students of different racial backgrounds for years both in pre-and post-pandemic eras. We believe these gaps are rooted in both the readiness of our incoming kindergarten students as well as ways in which our instructional practices need to increase in cultural responsiveness. This action plan seeks to address these and other possible causes of the gaps.
Current Update: July 2024
Action Plan
- Employ a systematic, data-driven approach at the elementary level to identify students’ strengths and areas of need. Reflex Math Fact Fluency is an adaptive and individualized tool for helping students master basic math facts. Other measures of student progress include curriculum-based assessments and formative data, such as observation and anecdotal classroom notes. These data are essential for determining students’ strengths and needs.
- Continue with professional development to ensure teachers are implementing best practices in math instruction, including small group instruction for targeting students’ individual needs.
Achievement Indicator - Mastery of Math Facts, Grade 4
In this table and chart, the data are represented as percentages of students who mastered their math facts by racial sub-group and school year. Data from the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years are not included in this table because of the COVID-19 global pandemic that started in March 2020. To interpret these data, an example is: in the 2016-2017 school year, 85% of Asian students in fourth grade demonstrated mastery of math facts.
| 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | |
| Asian | 85.00% | 89.55% | 93.75% | 91.07% | 90.28% | 92.42% |
| Black | 40.54% | 58.82% | 48.48% | 35.00% | 66.67% | 56.82% |
| Hispanic | 37.50% | 40.00% | 50.00% | 37.50% | 51.35% | 56.76% |
| Multi-Racial | 60.87% | 72.00% | 58.82% | 71.43% | 75.00% | 87.50% |
| White | 55.60% | 63.29% | 74.24% | 63.39% | 75.98% | 75.37% |
| All Students | 57.98% | 66.76% | 72.85% | 65.70% | 75.48% | 75.39% |
