River View Junior High School, River View Local School District, Ohio

eMATH Curricula is Structured, Rigorous and Customizable

Molly Bordenkircher has been teaching mathematics for more than 30 years at the middle school and high school levels. She began using eMATHinstruction (eMATH) curricula seven years ago for the Algebra I and Geometry courses she teaches at River View Junior High School. The students in these courses are grade-accelerated 7th and 8th grade students who are taking high school math courses.

Molly says that eMATH has proven to be a good fit for her and her students. The eMATH curricula appealed to Molly because of the rigor and structure of the lessons, homework, and assessments. Molly appreciates that the materials are editable with a Teacher Plus membership, as she likes having the flexibility to customize without having to create anything from scratch. The students enjoy having a physical workbook and access to the online video lessons. Additionally, Molly says the eMATH curricula are well aligned to the Ohio state standards.

The structure that this curriculum offers makes it ideal for me. I think it meshes well with my personality and my style of teaching. The kids respond well within the structure and predictability of the lesson and homework. They have the capacity to work ahead if they want to or do some additional review work if they need it. It makes them a little more autonomous.
Molly Bordenkircher, Mathematics Teacher

eMATH Implementation

The rigor is in those [eMATH] assessments. We do the review faithfully with each unit, but when those kids sit down for that assessment, there is still stuff for them to apply on their own and connections for them to make. I love that. That piece of eMATH is really the deciding factor for those kids going into the state assessment well prepared. [The state test] wants them to really draw those connections on their own and adapt and apply knowledge. [eMATH] has been the game changer for my students.
Molly Bordenkircher, Mathematics Teacher

Bar graph: Economically Disadvantaged 58%, Students with Disabilities 13%, Caucasian/White 95%, African American/Black 2%, Hispanic/Latinx 2%, Asian American & Pacific Islander 0%, Multiracial 1% — 271 students in grades 7-8

Students Excel on State Tests with eMATH Curricula

Molly says the eMATH lessons and assessments prepare her students for the Ohio State Test, because the lessons increase in rigor and the assessments provide opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and make connections in new ways. Her students have consistently performed above average on the Algebra I and Geometry end-of-course state tests, with four students achieving the highest level of competency in 2022-2023. She says her grade-accelerated students are academically gifted, but the key to their success and high results is directly related to their hard work and the rigor of the eMATH curricula.

eMATH Videos and Workbooks Help Parents Support Student Learning at Home

Another benefit of the eMATH curricula, according to Molly, is that parents can support their students at home more easily. The students in Molly’s classes are 7th and 8th graders who are taking high school level courses, which can be challenging at times. The eMATH video lessons and the student workbooks provide parents with the resources they need to help their students. Molly says she can feel confident that the information in the videos matches what she is teaching in the classroom and parents can access a refresher on content they may not have studied since they were in high school.

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City College Academy of the Arts, New York City Department of Education

eMATH Curricula Provides Scaffolded Learning for Students

Siaka Kone has been a math teacher at City College Academy of the Arts (CCAA) in New York City for 12 years. CCAA is a 6-12 early college school with a 98% graduation rate where students graduate with as much as two years of college credit in partnership with City College of New York.

Siaka has been using eMATHinstruction (eMATH) curricula for five years to prepare his students for college courses. He uses eMATH because it is accessible for students. He says the scaffolding provided in the eMATH lessons allows students to engage with the curriculum and advance through the material effectively. Each lesson and each exercise within a lesson builds upon previous concepts and prior knowledge and includes fluency, application, and reasoning problems. Units early in each course set the foundation, while later units develop more abstract concepts.

Due to the intentionality and scaffolding of the lessons, Siaka says he doesn’t need to provide as much direct instruction for students and can focus on guiding students through the exercises and engaging in discussions about the concepts.

I’m a big eMATH fan. I like the way eMATHinstruction is scaffolded. It takes the kids from a place of comfort and eases them into the concept. It allows the teacher to step back and allow the students to discover the concept based on prior knowledge.
Siaka Kone, Mathematics Teacher

eMATH Implementation

I don’t have to do as much direct instruction as I used to. You could be on your first day in an Algebra I class, you look at that first lesson and that first exercise, you should be able to do it. The first exercise is always something they’re comfortable with and then progressively they get to discover the new concepts, because it builds onto the previous concepts that they know. I used to stand in front of the class and lecture. But with eMATH, I don’t have to do that and that’s something that I really like.
Siaka Kone, Mathematics Teacher

Bar graph: Economically Disadvantaged 87%, Students with Disabilities 20%, English Language Learners 9%, Homeless 11%, Caucasian/White 3%, African American/Black 3%, Hispanic/Latinx 94%, Asian American & Pacific Islander < 1%, Native American/Indigenous 0%. — 599 students in grades 6-12

eMATH Videos Allow Students to Preview Lessons

The class periods at CCAA are 45 minutes, which Siaka says can make it challenging for him to cover a full lesson each day. He uses a flipped classroom strategy to address this problem. Videos created by eMATH founder, Kirk Weiler, are available online for all lessons. Siaka assigns the students the lesson video as homework the day before so that students can review the lesson and take notes prior to class. Then in class, Siaka focuses on applying and practicing the concept and answering questions, because students already have an introduction to the concept from the video. He says this approach has allowed him to cover the curriculum efficiently and effectively, while still having time to review concepts students are struggling with in more depth.

Reading Comprehension is Critical for Math Education

One of the most significant challenges Siaka says his students face in math is actually related to reading. Many students struggle with vocabulary and grammar, which impacts their ability to understand math problems. Siaka believes that he has a role to play in helping students improve their reading comprehension skills and he looks for creative ways to do this in his math classroom, such as having students read aloud the introductory paragraphs for each eMATH lesson and then discussing what it means. He also has students practice using vocabulary words from math problems in new sentences.

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Greene County High School, Greene County School District, Mississippi

eMATH Curricula Provides Affordability and Adaptability

Diane Box has been an educator for 17 years, including 12 years teaching mathematics at Greene County High School in Mississippi. She first discovered eMATHinstruction (eMATH) in 2014 and the curricula is now used by math teachers in 6th grade through high school in her school district.

For a rural school district with limited funding, Diane says that eMATH is a perfect fit. The materials are high quality and easy to use at an affordable price point through the Teacher Plus membership, which she says has enabled teachers to use eMATH as their primary curricula for math.

The lessons build on each other and Diane says that the materials are easy to adjust and adapt as needed. The editable Microsoft Word files available through the Teacher Plus membership are especially helpful, according to Diane, because they enable her to easily customize assessments. Additionally, she says the videos created by eMATH’s founder, Kirk Weiler, can help teachers prepare for lessons and aid students who need additional support learning a concept.

[As a rural school], we don’t have a whole lot of resources. I buy a lot out of my pocket. We have limited money. [eMATH] has been a good resource for us, because it doesn’t cost a whole lot. What we have right now works really well for us.
Diane Box, Mathematics Teacher

eMATH Implementation

[eMATH] is challenging for some [students], of course. But they know what’s expected out of them and you have to teach them how to respond to some of it. Once they adapt to it and figure out the format, how to read the questions, apply it and the reasoning, they end up doing really well with it, even our lower level students. I think it benefits them because it develops their critical thinking, reasoning, and application skills, rather than just working a plain problem. It’s really helped in that aspect.
Diane Box, Mathematics Teacher

A list of statistics for the 478 students of Greene County High School. — 478 students in grades 9-12

eMATH Contributes to Student Achievement in Math

At Greene County High School, they use the eMATH lesson plans, homework sets, videos, assessments, and more, which Diane says has led to success for both the students and teachers. She says that eMATH curricula has helped improve students’ critical thinking and application skills, as well as their test scores. In 2017-2018, 57.9% of students at the high school scored Proficient or Advanced on the statewide math assessment. This increased to 66.4% in 2021-2022, despite the school’s high rate of chronic absenteeism. Teachers in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades recently began using eMATH materials in their classrooms and Diane says she has already noticed a significant improvement in the knowledge and skills of the students entering her Algebra I classroom.

eMATH Materials Enable Flexibility for Block Scheduling

The high school utilizes block scheduling, which means that class periods are longer and students attend fewer classes each day. Diane has easily adapted the eMATH curricula to fit her schedule so that she can cover all of the content. Some days, she will teach 2-3 lessons in a single class period and other days she will only teach one lesson if it’s a concept that students are struggling to understand. She adjusts her pacing to match the students’ needs and uses the unit reviews as pre-screeners to help her plan ahead for each unit. Diane says she can move more quickly through the lessons with students who already have a foundation in eMATH from middle school.

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East Hickman High School, Hickman County School District, Tennessee

eMATHinstruction Supports Rural Students Through Standards Aligned Curricula

Alice Guardo is a mathematics teacher with 23 years of classroom experience, including 16 years at East Hickman High School, a rural school in Tennessee. She started using eMATHinstruction (eMATH) curricula more than four years ago based on the recommendation of a colleague and says the materials have helped her teach Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry courses. Several of the other math teachers at the school use eMATH materials to varying extents as well, which provides some opportunities for collaboration.

Alice uses eMATH almost exclusively in her classroom, which she believes has directly contributed to her students’ improved test scores. The lessons are aligned to the state standards in Tennessee and are easy to teach, according to Alice. She says the students find eMATH challenging, but they do well with it.

[My rural students] are smart kids and they want to understand things, but they don’t want to spend endless hours practicing. The curriculum is made so they get a concrete understanding of how math works. And then they don’t need hours of practice on fluency because they better understand the underlying concepts.
Alice Guardo, Mathematics Teacher

eMATH Implementation

eMATH Curricula Provides a Conceptual Foundation

Alice says that eMATH has helped meet the unique needs of her rural students, whom she describes as independent and self-sufficient with limited time for homework and extensive practice. The students in her classroom want to understand the practical applications of what they’re learning and the reasoning behind it, which eMATH provides. The lessons focus on providing a conceptual foundation for students rather than being overly focused on fluency, which appeals to Alice and her students. She says that the problems presented require thinking rather than rote memorization. Additionally, many students in the school do not have internet access at home, so it can be difficult for them to get additional assistance with math homework. As such, Alice says it’s critical that students learn in the classroom how math works, and not just simply how to use an algorithm to solve a problem.

Focus on Supporting Teacher Needs

eMATH works to ensure that teachers have the resources and support they need to teach engaging standards-aligned math lessons. Alice says that she appreciates the customer service she receives from eMATH, especially when she needed support finding creative solutions for how her students could access the video lessons offline.

In an effort to continuously improve its curricula and support teachers, eMATH releases updates and additional materials every month for each course and Alice says that she especially enjoys getting access to multiple versions of tests as well as extra activities and problem sets.

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Five Schools across New York State

Five Schools across New York State Share How eMATH Curricula Has Supported Teaching and Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

How have eMATHinstruction materials helped teachers?

Empowering teachers to continue providing math education during the chaotic early days of the pandemic by using the eMATH video lessons and online lesson materials.
Providing supplemental materials to help teachers address the learning gaps students are exhibiting due to the disruptions in education.
Offering standards-aligned content that is scaffolded, with each course building on the previous one in 6th -12th grade.
Assisting teachers and students in covering content that was missed during absences through the eMATH video lessons

COVID-19 Pandemic: Educational Impacts

At the end of the 2020-2021 academic year:

U.S. students were an average of 5 months behind in math in 1st – 6th grade.¹
Chronic absenteeism for 8th
through 12th graders increased
by 12 percentage points across
the country.¹
Without intervention, pandemic-related unfinished learning could reduce lifetime earnings for K–12 students in the U.S. by an average of $49,000 to $61,000.¹

1. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/covid-19-and-education-the-lingering-effects-of-unfinished-learning

eMATH Videos Helped Teachers Provide Instruction During the First Months of the Pandemic

Students, teachers, and schools are concluding their third academic year impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This period of time has brought unprecedented challenges as educators and students have managed prolonged periods of remote learning, schedule disruptions, technology issues and constant uncertainty.

Minisink Valley Middle School was using eMATHinstruction (eMATH) curricula for less than a year when the pandemic hit in March 2020 and the school closed. Jeffrey Malara, a 22-year veteran educator, says the teachers posted the eMATH lessons and videos for students to review independently, which helped students continue learning even though they couldn’t meet with their teachers regularly. He says the math teachers were grateful to be able to rely on eMATH materials when many other teachers had nothing.

Steve Weissburg, who has been teaching at Ithaca High School for more than 30 years, says that having eMATH as a completely online math curricula with videos made the transition to virtual teaching easier. And Marcy Boyd, an educator at York Middle/High School, noted that the QR codes on the lessons also helped students easily access the videos that accompany each lesson.

Schools Featured

Ithaca High School in Ithaca, New York
Catskill High School in Catskill, New York
York Middle/High School in Retsof, New York
Great Neck North Middle School in Great Neck, New York
Minisink Valley Middle School in Middletown, New York

When the pandemic first hit and we were out of school from March on, we weren’t prepared for Google Meet teaching and neither were the kids. So we were able to post the video lessons and have Kirk teach the lessons and then us just talk about it more. That helped us get through that first period of ‘what do we do here?’ It was a huge help having the [eMATH] videos.
Jeffrey Malara, Mathematics Teacher at Minisink Valley Middle School

I like how eMATH lends itself to different teaching strategies and uses for different years and different classrooms. I’ve definitely seen where eMATH has not only helped increase our performance on tests, but I think it’s also going to be an integral part of closing the gaps that were created because of COVID in the past two years.
Marcy Boyd, Mathematics Teacher at York Middle/High School

Teachers Use eMATH to Help Fill in the Learning Gaps

More than two years of disrupted learning has resulted in significant knowledge gaps for many students. Marcy says this is especially prevalent in math where skills build upon each other. At York Middle/High School, teachers are working with each other across grade levels to identify and address these gaps and they are utilizing eMATH materials, such as warm-up exercises and exit tickets, to help them do it. Marcy says that using eMATH curricula from 6th grade through high school has provided a common framework for teachers, which has aided in this process.

eMATH Videos Minimize Loss of Instruction Due to Absences

As schools offered hybrid or blended learning options during the 2020-2021 school year and returned to in-person instruction for the 2021-2022 school year, math educators continued to turn to eMATH videos and online materials. Zachary Boyt, a teacher at Great Neck North Middle School, says that students having access to the eMATH lesson videos has been critical throughout the pandemic to ensure that absent students don’t fall further behind. He says that students view Kirk Weiler as their second teacher.

Erin Holdridge-Carlile, who teaches at Catskill High School, says another challenge educators are currently facing is the lack of available substitute teachers, so teachers are often filling in for each other in subject areas that are not their specialty. She says that eMATH videos help ensure that her students don’t miss a day of instruction when she’s absent.

We’ve had kids out for extended periods of time on quarantine. With the videos, I can tell them: watch the video, do the notes, try the homework, and tell me where you got stuck. It’s turned out to be very helpful in the unfortunate situation that we’re in.
Erin Holdridge-Carlile, Mathematics Teacher at Catskill High School

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Jerome W. Stampley 9th Grade Academy

Jerome W. Stampley 9th Grade Academy, Clarksdale Municipal School District, Mississippi

eMATHinstruction’s Flexible and Standards Aligned Curricula Are Useful as Supplemental Materials

Angela Griffin, a 24-year veteran educator at J.W. Stampley, found eMATHinstruction (eMATH) materials approximately three years ago when she was searching for supplemental materials for her Algebra 1 course. As a 9th grade academy with 171 students, Algebra 1 is the only math course offered. She uses the eMATH Algebra 1 curriculum in conjunction with another Algebra 1 curriculum provided by the school district, but she prefers many aspects of eMATH, especially the homework. She says the eMATH materials are a helpful addition.

In her experience, the eMATH Algebra 1 curriculum is well-aligned to the Mississippi state standards and easy to customize, even though she often uses the lessons with no adjustments. Angela says that she has appreciated the wealth of information and resources available through her eMATH Teacher Plus membership, and consistently uses the lessons, homework sheets, videos, exit tickets, and reviews in her classroom.

I came upon eMATHinstruction and I was just really impressed. I like the codes that you can scan to watch the videos [and] I like the worksheets, especially the homework with the fluency part. When I go through the content that is in the lessons and the worksheets, everything just aligns.
Angela Griffin, Algebra 1 Teacher

eMATH Implementation

Algebra I

Students Increase Proficiency with eMATH Materials

After several years of disrupted learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Angela says that she noticed significant learning gaps for students entering her class. She has used eMATH materials to help bridge those gaps for students who are struggling and to further challenge her advanced students. She says that students are now doing very well at the end of this academic year.

Students also like using the eMATH materials, according to Angela. They especially like being able to scan the QR codes to access the video lessons, which they can review at their own pace.

eMATH Offers Spanish Translation

Angela says another benefit of using eMATH is that there is a Spanish translation for the Algebra 1 curriculum. This has been very helpful when she or the other math teacher in the school have had Spanish-speaking students in their classes, since they have limited resources for the few ELL students in the school. Translating materials can be challenging and inaccurate so it has been powerful to have Spanish translations of the eMATH materials easily accessible.

Johnny Maddox, the other Algebra 1 teacher at the school, says that the eMATH curriculum saved him time as he was planning this year, because he was able to easily access Spanish materials for a Spanish-speaking student in his class. He says that eMATH materials have been effective learning tools for both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking students in his classroom this year.

eMATH has helped me provide more resources to my students and given me resources for my ELL students. The lessons are well planned and they challenge the students. It has saved me time when planning.
Johnny Maddox, Algebra 1 Teacher

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Eric S. Smith Middle School

Eric S. Smith Middle School, Ramsey School District, New Jersey

eMATH Provides Opportunities for Critical Thinking in the Classroom

Scott Sirota, a 16-year veteran math educator at Eric S. Smith Middle School, says he began using eMATHinstruction (eMATH) materials because he was looking for a curriculum for Algebra I that encouraged critical thinking skills. The Algebra I teachers at the school have now used the curriculum for years and they have continued to see success with it. Scott says that students in the school always perform well on standardized tests, but the teachers have seen an improvement in the students’ thinking skills since switching to eMATH, which is harder to measure.

The eMATH curricula provides students with thought-provoking problems and the materials are accessible for students. The focus on problems that require students to think carefully rather than problems that rely on rote memorization is one of the reasons that Scott says he has enjoyed using eMATH materials. The eMATH videos also include these elements, which Scott says makes it effective for him to refer students to the videos when they are absent from class or need a refresher.

We were looking for a curriculum that would offer students an opportunity to think. I’ve always viewed curriculum as a good springboard for discussion and more thought in the classroom. When I looked at eMATHinstruction, I thought it had really great thinking pieces.
Scott Sirota, Math Teacher & Instructional Coach

eMATH Implementation

Algebra I

eMATH Materials are Accessible and Cost-Effective

Scott says another benefit of eMATH materials is how accessible and affordable they are for educators. eMATH materials are inexpensive for schools to purchase or for an individual teacher to buy as a supplement, which is part of the appeal. In fact, all of the lessons, homework sets, and videos are available to download for free online. Smith Middle School purchases yearly paid memberships for the Algebra I teachers, so they can also access the answer keys, assessments and more, which Scott says has been beneficial.

The eMATH materials are also easy for educators to implement. Scott appreciates how clearly the lessons are laid out and the way they are aligned to the learning standards. He says that this helps ensure that he is addressing all of the standards.

eMATH Offers Connection

Kirk Weiler, who provides all of the instruction on the eMATH videos, has become a celebrity among the students, according to Scott. For the students, Scott says that it feels like Kirk is their math teacher and they can ask him questions, which has created a sense of community.

Scott feels like he’s also a part of the eMATH community. He has appreciated that Kirk has been available to answer questions about lessons and has responded personally to emails. Scott also enjoys engaging with eMATH on social media and feels more of a connection to eMATH than other education publishers.

The kids like [Kirk’s] videos. They joke about the things he does. He’s that goofy math teacher, but he backs it up with quality. It’s all well-thought-out.
Scott Sirota, Math Teacher & Instructional Coach

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Ithaca High School

Ithaca High School, Ithaca City School District, New York

Standards Alignment and Customization Make eMATH Curricula the Obvious Choice

Ithaca High School (IHS) is home to a math department of 16 teachers, led by 30-year veteran educator, Steve Weissburg. He says the school found eMATHinstruction (eMATH) at just the right time. As New York was transitioning to the Common Core State Standards in 2011, schools like IHS were looking for new textbooks and curricula. The standards-aligned framework, online accessibility, and customizability of the eMATH materials impressed the search committee.

Soon, teachers at the school were using eMATH lessons, homework sets, student workbooks, videos and more for Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry courses. The pass rates on the New York Regents Exams increased for all three courses and have remained high since the transition to eMATH materials. Though there were other shifts in the math department at the same time, Steve says eMATH has played an important role in this success.

There’s a lot of power in teachers using the same materials, even if they modify it. Then we can get together and have focused discussions about lessons. We’ve been doing this ever since we started using eMATH.
Steve Weissburg, Math Department Chair

eMATH Implementation

eMATH Provides Space for Modification & Collaboration

Steve says the eMATH curricula provides an excellent framework that ensures all content gets covered, while still giving space and flexibility for teachers to be creative and adjust to student needs, such as by adding projects and investigations. The curricula also offers a common language and structure, which aids in teacher collaboration and discussion about what worked or didn’t work about a lesson and where to supplement. Ben Kirk, who has been a math teacher at IHS for 14 years, says that eMATH materials also make it easier for educators to teach a new course or for new educators to start teaching because each course is so clearly laid out and tied to standards. The lessons are high quality, accessible, and easy to modify as needed.

Instructional Videos are Helpful for Teachers & Students

Steve says that the videos provide a useful review before teaching a new concept, and the teachers at IHS often use the videos as part of a flipped classroom model, a review for students, or as a way to catch up students who were absent. On course evaluations at the end of the year, Ben says that students report liking the eMATH materials and many students cite the videos as particularly helpful, because they offer a review of a concept or an alternate explanation.

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River View Junior High School, River View Local School District, Ohio

eMATH Curricula is Structured, Rigorous and Customizable

eMATH Implementation

Students Excel on State Tests with eMATH Curricula

eMATH Videos and Workbooks Help Parents Support Student Learning at Home

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City College Academy of the Arts, New York City Department of Education

eMATH Curricula Provides Scaffolded Learning for Students

eMATH Implementation

eMATH Videos Allow Students to Preview Lessons

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Reading Comprehension is Critical for Math Education

Greene County High School, Greene County School District, Mississippi

eMATH Curricula Provides Affordability and Adaptability

eMATH Implementation

eMATH Contributes to Student Achievement in Math

eMATH Materials Enable Flexibility for Block Scheduling

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East Hickman High School, Hickman County School District, Tennessee

eMATHinstruction Supports Rural Students Through Standards Aligned Curricula

eMATH Implementation

eMATH Curricula Provides a Conceptual Foundation

Focus on Supporting Teacher Needs

Results After Adopting eMATH

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Five Schools across New York State Share How eMATH Curricula Has Supported Teaching and Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

How have eMATHinstruction materials helped teachers?

COVID-19 Pandemic: Educational Impacts

Secondary Chronic Absenteeism Rate in New York State Increased During the COVID-19 Pandemic

eMATH Videos Helped Teachers Provide Instruction During the First Months of the Pandemic

Schools Featured

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Teachers Use eMATH to Help Fill in the Learning Gaps

eMATH Videos Minimize Loss of Instruction Due to Absences

Jerome W. Stampley 9th Grade Academy, Clarksdale Municipal School District, Mississippi

eMATHinstruction’s Flexible and Standards Aligned Curricula Are Useful as Supplemental Materials

eMATH Implementation

171 Students in Grade 9

Students Increase Proficiency with eMATH Materials

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eMATH Offers Spanish Translation

Eric S. Smith Middle School, Ramsey School District, New Jersey

eMATH Provides Opportunities for Critical Thinking in the Classroom

eMATH Implementation

eMATH Materials are Accessible and Cost-Effective

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eMATH Offers Connection

Ithaca High School, Ithaca City School District, New York

Standards Alignment and Customization Make eMATH Curricula the Obvious Choice

eMATH Implementation

eMATH Provides Space for Modification & Collaboration

Instructional Videos are Helpful for Teachers & Students

Results After Adopting eMATH

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