Crooked Billet is 'First in Math'

second-grader Andy Cronlund was beaming Thursday as he showed off his orange First in Math Player of the Day and blue Player of the Week lanyards.

 First in Math is a computer learning program, which involves a series of specially designed games that develop and reinforce math concepts and the mastery of problem-solving, computation, critical thinking and pattern recognition.

 Students progress at their own pace and earn electronic award stickers for each of the eight levels they complete.

 “I’m already in the fives,” Andy said.

 Principal Kari Hill, who came to Crooked Billet from the School District of Philadelphia in August, introduced the program to Hatboro-Horsham.

“It did such a great job for my kids,” Hill said of her Philadelphia students. “I knew what an impact it had.”

First in Math launched in Hatboro-Horsham in January, with Crooked Billet chosen as a demonstration school. Every grade from kindergarten through fifth grade is participating in the program. Other schools in the district have some individual classes using First in Math, but not the entire building.

 “It will be rolled out in all of the elementary schools this fall,” Hill said.

Since January, Crooked Billet's 274 students have earned more than 172,000 stickers in just four months and solved more than 517,000 math problems.

 “We’ve done phenomenally. The kindergartners love it. The fifth-graders love it,” Hill said.

 While the top player lanyards are a point of pride for the children, top teams also receive special parties and incentives, Hill said.

 They can also go up against other schools in the district and the country, regardless of size by comparing team stats.

 “We can still trample them,” Hill said.

While the students play the computer-based games for a short time in school, they each have logins to play at home by themselves and with their families, who can learn and tune up math skills along with Crooked Billet students.

 In fact, Hill encourages students to play over long weekends, calling them marathon weekends where she’ll calculate the number of stickers earned from 4 p.m. the day they leave school until 8 a.m. the morning they return to school.

 Andy’s mom, Lisa Cronlund, is thrilled to watch her 8-year-old get excited about succeeding with First in Math.

 “To see him, it makes me feel good. It gives him the extra boost in confidence,” she said.

 The program is a hit with the teachers as well, who appreciate the assessment component.

 While there are a lot of pieces in place for reading enrichment, before First in Math came along, there were limited options to enhance math skills, according to Hill.

 The program also gives immediate reinforcement to students. For instance, “Astounding” came on the computer screen when Lily Bigley, 9, answered correctly on a telling time game.

 First in Math also provides students additional tries to master individual skill sets.

 According to Lily’s fellow fourth-grader Cameron (Litchko) Dutter, people who enjoy math will enjoy the learning program.

 “The hardest part about First in Math is remembering your password,” he said.