blogposts

NCTM math teaching practices

You Know What Good Math Teaching Looks Like. The Hard Part Is Doing It for 28 Kids at Once. Every math coach and administrator I talk to says some version…

31 Mar

Expanding Teachers’ Reach

Expanding Teachers' Reach by Kayleigh Gray

23 Mar

March Mathness 2026: More Math Madness

We’re continuing our series of fun March Mathness problems this week. Here are a few more problems that your class is sure to enjoy. St. John’s and Duke will play…

17 Mar

March Mathness 2026

As we prepare for the actual games, some folks out there are having special fun with the 68 teams. USA Today presents a ranking of the teams according to their team…

4 Apr

🏀 Hello, math enthusiasts! ⛹ We’re wrapping up March Madness with a final challenge! Let’s dive into some engaging basketball-themed math problems. ⏱️Game Duration Comparison NBA games consist of four…

27 Mar

March Mathness 2025

We’re continuing our series of fun March Mathness problems. Your students are sure to enjoy these! NBA games have 4 12-minute quarters. College games have 2 20-minute halves. Which games…

25 Feb

Boost Engagement Through Collaboration and Fun Challenges

Boosting Math Engagement Through Collaboration and Fun Challenges by Marjorie Briley

18 Jun

Writing by hand improves outcomes for thinking & learning

Writing by hand improves outcomes in the classroom

13 Sep

Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning by Marjorie Briley

21 Dec

TIPS TO LEVERAGE CLASSROOM TIME

With limited staffing resources, here are teacher observations on best practices to maintain effectiveness and efficiency while reducing demands on teacher time • Identify Starting Points By identifying the level…

20 Feb

Change the Paradigm

Most programs put kids into three categories, the lows, the middles, and the highs. I’m so proud that Ascend Math architecture allows kids to work at their own pace. So…

30 Jan

Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal

2020 not only marks a new decade, it also marks the 20th year I have had the privilege of working in education. Every day I have the opportunity to work with amazing…

8 Jan

Teach Your Kids To Fail

I read a great article by Jessica Grose this morning that I had to share with you. It’s not a new story, but with all the dissonance on the subject…

18 Apr

Earth Day Math!

We’ve shared fun Earth Day math problems from our Ascend Math Partners over the years. Here are a few of our favorites to share with your class. If a tree…

16 Apr

Celebrate Earth Day 2019 and receive a pack of Earth Day Pencils!

Monday, April 22nd is Earth Day! This year’s Earth Day theme is to Protect Our Species. We hope you have lots of Earth Day fun planned for your classrooms. Share…

2 Apr

March Mathness VI

Here are two awesome examples of past March math problems! But first we would like to challenge your classes to create and submit your own NCAA tournament related math problems!…

12 Mar

March Madness is here!

March Mathness: A Fun Way to Connect Math and Basketball!

22 Oct

Fidelity/Integrity Underlies Success

No matter how effective a solution, without fidelity of implementation that solution will not be successful. Fidelity of implementation, sometimes referred to as “Intervention Integrity” simply means that the intervention…

9 Oct

Data – Crucial to Decision-Making

Although widely acknowledged for more than a decade as critical to student success, the use of data in the decision-making process is still far from being maximized in schools. It’s…

30 Aug

Progress Monitoring – Central to Motivation and Success

Progress monitoring refers to the process of frequently gathering student achievement data, analyzing the data in a timely, repeatable manner, and making sound instructional and intervention decisions based on the…

13 Aug

Why True Individualization Matters

Every student is unique, with different instructional gaps at different levels. Typically, students are instructed according to grade level and with an assumption they have mastered all the preceding building…

12 Jul

How Universal Screening Identifies At-Risk Students

There is widespread agreement among education researchers and experts that universal screening is central to an effective RTI program. Implemented as part of a Tier 1 Intervention, universal screening identifies…

22 Jun

The Key Role of Tiered Intervention

Researchers agree that a tiered system of intervention is critical to an effective RTI model. The tiered design includes three, increasingly intensive, levels of intervention depending on a student’s needs…

14 May

Ascend Math Honors 37 Schools for Math Leadership!

Ascend Education recently announced that a record 37 schools are being recognized as Gold Medal schools this year. The Gold Medal Award was established in 2010 to honor the schools…

7 May

Equity in Education: Achieving a Math Identity

The goal for math equity is to achieve a math identity for all students. When I think about the many challenges schools and districts face in addressing all students, I…

19 Apr

Equity Begins with Awareness

When my husband, Kevin, and I founded Ascend Math back in 2007, it was with the goal of helping to give all kids the gift of math literacy, especially those…