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Sustainablearning Overview
Sustainablearning Overview
Sustainablearning Overview
SUSTAINABLE
LEARNING
Our Mission
Sustainablearning is dedicated to helping students
gain math proficiency through technology‐
enabled, volunteer‐supported learning
Table of Contents
Our Challenge 3
Initial Target Programs and Projects 4
Our Students 5
Volunteer Coaches 6
Coordinators 7
Partner Organizations 8
Services 9
Evaluation 10
Funding and Fundraising 11
Technology 12
Development Plan 13
Company and People 14
Sustainablearning
192 High St.
Newburyport, MA 01950
Art Bardige – 617‐230‐4447
Larry Reeves – 978‐290‐2731
Our Challenge
Our nation faces great 21st century educational challenges: to increase college graduation rates by 50%
over the next decade, to close the achievement gap that threatens to bifurcate our society, and to
ensure that our students have STEM1 skills when today over a third of our college entrants are not
college‐ready in math. And, we must meet these challenges during a time when schools and teachers
face increasing demands with diminishing resources.
The Sustainablearning Math Solution
Proficiency in arithmetic skills is the key to success in algebra. You can’t solve linear equations if you
can’t recall the multiplication facts quickly and easily. And proficiency in high school algebra is necessary
to succeed in college algebra. You can’t graph functions if you can’t solve equations rapidly.
Proficiency in math requires practice just as in sports and music.2 Technology makes practice productive
by personalizing it through immediate feedback, adaptive assignments, mastery as the goal of every
lesson, and just‐in‐time instruction. When practice is productive we learn efficiently and effectively.
Proficiency, however, demands more than just productive practice. To become proficient, students must
be persistent learners. We believe persistence requires the support of a caring human being, a coach,
who can motivate, encourage, and inspire.
Scalable and Affordable
Sustainablearning believes that many students can gain this proficiency in out‐of‐school time with the
aid of caring volunteers who act as coaches, dedicating a small part of their “cognitive surplus”3 to
helping students learn.
To recruit volunteers, we partner with corporations, colleges, volunteer organizations, and other groups
supporting education. These partners provide coordinators to recruit, train, and oversee the volunteers.
Because coordinators are the key to successful volunteer programs, we train and support coordinators.
We also provide the EnableMath program, a comprehensive online technology covering basic arithmetic
through high school algebra. This technology enables volunteers to be effective without being math
experts.
We estimate the cost of a student year of Sustainable Math at $200, an order of magnitude below the
average school cost for a math class. School time is far too precious to focus on personalized basic skill
proficiency. Sustainable Math offers a scalable and affordable path to extend the learning day, to enable
every student to become proficient and college‐ready, and to let teachers focus on 21st century skills.
1
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math
2
Ericsson, K.A., Charness, N., Feltovich, P. & Hoffman, R.R. (Eds.). (2006). Cambridge handbook of expertise and expert performance,
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
3
Pink, D, Shirky, C. (2010).”Cognitive Surplus: The Great Spare‐Time Revolution” Wired, 18(6).Retrieved February 28, 2011, from
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/05/ff_pink_shirky/#.
Initial Target Programs and Projects
High School Algebra‐Ready
Many students today fail to engage in enough productive practice in basic skills to reach the proficiency
they need to learn algebra successfully. Sustainablearning will partner with afterschool learning
organizations—YPP (The Young People’s Project); The Boys and Girls Clubs; The “Y”; libraries; and
extended school day, summer school, home, and camp programs—to enable students to gain the math
skills they need to build their fluency and proficiency, or to prevent learning loss.
Spring 2011 Demonstration Projects
The Young People’s Project: Sustainablearning is partnering with YPP in Los Angeles, CA;
Jackson, MI; Boston, MA; and Cambridge, MA to provide Sustainable Math to their afterschool
students for skill building in conjunction with their problem‐solving work.
College Algebra‐Ready
Sustainablearning enables colleges to establish their own Sustainable Math program through student
services. Colleges enlist volunteers through their service communities of alumni, students, and local
businesses; provide sites for students to work; and enroll students.
Spring 2011 Demonstration Projects
College Student Services Project: Sustainablearning will work with one or more college Student
Services Offices to offer the Sustainable Math program to those entering students preparing for
the math placement test. Student Services will provide coordinators, solicit students, and be
responsible for evaluating their own program. Sustainablearning will provide the software,
training, and performance data to monitor their students. We believe that most colleges will
want to control access to their students and ultimately reduce the number of students who are
required to take developmental math courses, for which the failure rate is 50%.
Open Access College Algebra‐Ready
For those students not yet enrolled in a college, or for those whose colleges have not yet joined the
College‐Ready Program, we will provide open access to Sustainable Math. Sustainablearning will seek
the funding for this program and will provide the coordinator and volunteers. The Open Access Project
will serve as a testing ground for changes to the program.
Spring 2011 Demonstration Projects
Independent Algebra Readiness: Sustainablearning is working with students who have signed
up for the free EnableMath college readiness program and is now offering those students
Sustainable Math with their own personal coach to build their persistence.
Our Students
Our students want or need help in math. They may be learning algebra for the first time in
middle school or high school, or they may need to relearn algebra in preparation for college.
In either case, our students can use Sustainable Math to gain proficiency in the basic
arithmetic and algebra skills that they need to become good problem solvers and good math
students.
Requirements – Students are fourth graders through high school graduates and have access to
an Internet‐connected computer for 1 to 2 hours per week.
Tasks – Students complete a minimum of 3 assignments and 3 timed fluency drills per week
(about 1 ½ hours) until they have completed their planned program. An assignment is complete
when a student reaches mastery on it. Students are also given online tests on each module and
must respond to feedback from their coach.
Scenarios
High School Algebra Readiness
YPP provides Sustainable Math afterschool as part of their larger math
readiness program to their middle school students to improve proficiency
and readiness for high school algebra. Students work on the program 3 days
a week for 20 minutes each day.
Open Access College Entrants
Students planning on attending college find Sustainable Math while
searching the Web for Accuplacer4 placement test help, and they join the
program from home. They either never really learned algebra or they have
forgotten what they learned and are motivated to complete college in the
least amount of time.
College Readiness
High school seniors who have applied to the local community college work
on Sustainable Math with a college work‐study student after school on
school library computers 3 days a week for a half hour per day to get ready
for their college entrance tests.
4
Accuplacer is the College Board’s college admissions placement test. ACT has a similar test, Compass. Both are short computerized exams.
Volunteer Learning Coaches
Our volunteer learning coaches are the heart of Sustainable Math. They use some of their
cognitive surplus to work with students online and or in person. Our continuous feedback
and clearly defined metrics on proficiency, persistence, and independence give volunteer
coaches a strong sense that they are both helpful and productive. Coaches do not need to be
math experts or teachers because they are supported by our content and technology, as well
as our expert teams in math and IT. As an essential part of the program coaches are provided
with continuous training and support.
Requirements – Computer‐literate, caring person with a desire to make a positive difference in
the lives of others. Coaches can work online and/or in person. They have 5 students and commit
to a minimum of 3 hours per week for 6 months to 1 year, including training.
Tasks – Monitor students, make assignments, inspire students to practice persistently and to
become independent learners for between 2 and 3 hours per week; attend bi‐weekly training
webinars and group discussions (1 hour per week)
Scenarios
Senior Citizen
A retired person goes to the public library and uses its computers to work
with his local middle school students.
Corporate Volunteer
A corporate volunteer writes messages and makes new assignments for her 5
entering college students on the commuter train going home.
College Student
A college student with a dual desire to “give back” and to earn community
service credits for his resume signs up with Student Services to work with 5
students who have done poorly on the Accuplacer Placement Test and want
to improve their placement in the re‐test.
Volunteerism – Using your “cognitive surplus”
“We do things because they are interesting, because they’re engaging,
because they’re the right things to do, because they contribute to the world.”5
5
Pink, D, Shirky, C. (2010).Cognitive Surplus: The Great Spare‐Time Revolution. Wired, 18(6).Retrieved February 28, 2011, from
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/05/ff_pink_shirky/#.
Coordinators
Coordinators are the key to achieving consistency and quality. Partnering organizations
provide their own coordinators to recruit, train, monitor, connect, coordinate, and recognize
the work of volunteers. Sustainablearning provides the coordinators for Open Access college
students recruited on the Web, and we train all of the coordinators, support them, and
provide them with the data to measure program, volunteer, and student performance.
Requirements – Educational experience; computer, communication, and organizational skills;
knowledge of algebra.
Tasks – Recruit volunteers from partner organizations, oversee training of volunteers, and
match volunteers to students. Monitor students and volunteers, hold bi‐weekly discussions with
groups of 10 volunteers following their webinar training, recognize volunteers for their service,
and provide program feedback to partners.
Scenarios
College Coordinators
A college chooses a staff person in Student Services to be the coordinator.
She establishes a program using work‐study students as volunteers for
incoming students who want to prepare for the Accuplacer Placement Test.
Sustainablearning Independent Coordinators
Sustainablearning hires in‐house coordinators for its Open Access college‐
readiness program. These paid positions are typically filled by recent college
graduates with the enthusiasm and organizational skills to get and keep
great volunteers. Our coordinators provide us with benchmarks against
which we can measure partner coordinators, and as early adopters for new
processes and technologies.
Afterschool Groups
YPP’s Math Literacy Workers fulfill the coordinator function by bringing in
the student volunteers and providing oversight.
Partner Organizations
Partners can vary greatly in size and scope. Most partners provide the coordinators who
recruit volunteers and either bring in students themselves or work with schools to identify
needy students. Partners may have as few as 5 volunteers, and coordinators need not be full‐
time employees. Some partners will pay a fee to Sustainablearning for training, support,
technology, and monitoring oversight; for those who cannot afford the low fee, we will seek
outside support.
Partners and Benefits
Afterschool Organizations – YPP, The Girls and Boys Clubs, The “Y,” libraries, extended day
programs, PTAs, museums, Year Up, iMentor – Can extend their reach to educationally support
many more children and recruit many more volunteers who need flexible schedules. Provide
focused support with measurable outcomes.
Senior Citizens – AARP, retirement communities, retired employee groups – Can make
productive use of their time helping children succeed. Provide this service online and schedule it
flexibly.
Community Colleges – Alumni, students, employees from local companies, community groups –
Can support high school and returning students in their service area to improve college math
readiness at low cost without taxing their facilities or their faculty.
Colleges – College students in work study, community service, service organizations (Jumpstart)
– Can serve K–12 students in their community online with a flexible schedule; students impart
math proficiency, good study skills, and inspire younger students to achieve as they have.
Corporations – Community service for corporate employees and retirees – Can enable corporate
community service to have continuity, a clearly defined value metric to their service, and a
flexible schedule.
First Responders – Firefighters, nurses, EMTs, – Can use their “waiting time” to work with
students and to extend their service reach outside of their site.
High School Students – Community service to middle and grade school students – Can build
relationships that make the transitions, between elementary and middle school or middle
school and high school, easier for students, with preparation, mentoring, and support.
Service Organizations – Lions Club, Kiwanis, women’s clubs – As part of their community
service.
Services
Sustainablearning provides services to partners, coordinators, and volunteers through a lean
organization with a number of volunteer expert teams run by staff members. Our senior staff
will function as relationship managers to develop new partners and serve as points of contact
and support for existing partners.
Math Team – Current or former math teachers provide math support backing up online content.
Study Skills Team – Work to continuously improve training materials and ongoing training in
persistence, independence, and inspiration for coordinators and coaches.
IT Team – IT professionals volunteer to support afterschool sites and respond to user technology
issues.
Research, Assessment, and Evaluation Team – Work with coordinators to continuously improve
the effectiveness of the program.
Evangelism Team – Build awareness of technology‐enabled, volunteer‐supported learning and
disseminate best practices for such learning.
Scenarios
Relationship Managers
Our Relationship Manager works with the Young People’s Project senior staff
to spread the Sustainable Math program to other sites and to assist YPP in
raising money to scale their program and integrate our proficiency program
with their Algebra Project curriculum.
Math Team
A student asks “Why can’t we use fractions when we factor a polynomial?”
Her coach sends this question to the Math Team for an answer. A member of
the Math Team takes it on and sends the student the explanation.
Evaluation Team
The key evaluation criteria for the program—persistence—is the number of
assignments done to mastery. In order to improve the coordination between
in‐school and afterschool programs, the research group decides to study the
most effective way to report this information to the student’s classroom
teacher and writes a grant proposal to study the problem.
Evaluation
We use our technology to gather and disseminate data on our primary criteria for measuring
student success: persistence, independence, and proficiency. The EnableMath technology
continuously measures these three values, providing feedback to students, coaches,
coordinators, and our staff to improve our methodology and technology for increased
student success rates. In addition to these primary tools we will use standardized tests and
surveys as program evaluation tools.
Persistence – The number of assignments a student does to mastery in a certain period of time.
Independence – The number of times a student goes to the Examples, Visuals, and Messaging.
Proficiency – Based on content tests and the “difficulty level” of the mastered assignments (the
number of problems a student does to reach mastery).
Confidence – From time to time, students will be surveyed to gauge their math confidence and
other indicators of future success in school.
Study Skills – Volunteers will be trained to look at indicators such as the time between problems
on assignments, time spent on an assignment, and number of wrong answers to focus students
on good study habits.
Standardized Tests – We will use standardized test results as well for evaluation, results we
obtain from schools or by giving students the Accuplacer test.
Scenario
Correlating persistence to grade
College EnableMath students have
shown very high correlations of
0.5 to 0.76 between the number of
assignments done to mastery and
their course grades. As the graph
shows, students who do more
than 2/3rds of their EnableMath
assignments to mastery almost
always passed their course with
an A or B.
6
This extremely high correlation means that the number of assignments done to mastery represents up to 50% of the variance in a student’s
course grade based on only the final exam. It is another example of the maxim “Students who practice succeed.”
Funding
Sustainablearning is a non‐profit corporation dedicated to helping students gain math
proficiency and flexibility through technology‐enabled, volunteer‐supported learning.
Sustainable Math focuses on proficiency by helping students during out‐of‐school time to
become ready for algebra in K–12 or college. Students build proficiency through persistent,
productive practice and are encouraged and supported by volunteer coaches. We are a lean
organization providing the technology, training, and monitoring. We partner with other
organizations to provide volunteers, students, and support.
Sources of Funding
Partner training and support fees
o Partners will pay $80 per year per student license
Foundation Initiatives
o For educational transformation
o For technology and education
o For college readiness
o For afterschool education
o For education as a civil right
Federal, state, or local grants
o College readiness initiatives
o STEM initiatives
o Achievement gap initiatives
o Job readiness
Corporate partnerships and sponsorships
o Providing both volunteers and funding for afterschool programs
o Providing funding for programs
Individual donations and contributions
o Website donations
o In‐person solicitations
Technology
We use EnableMath for proficiency practice. It is a complete online program covering arithmetic
through high school algebra; it does not have any textbook component. It has been used in colleges
and K–12 schools across the country for over five years. At the college level it has increased student
success rates in developmental math classes by as much as 40 to 50%7. EnableMath includes a
comprehensive management system enabling personalized assignments with individual and group
monitoring of student progress. Focused on making practice productive, it helps teachers and coaches
support persistent and independent learning. Sustainablearning will use and support other online
technologies, including Khan Academy videos and spreadsheet programs, to further our mission.
EnableMath provides:
Immediate Feedback Adaptive Practice Mastery Completes
7
Noel‐Levitz, Inc. (2007). “How De Anza College Improved Developmental Math Success Rates and Student Retention”
Development Plan
We believe that one of the most valuable aspects of Sustainable Math is its ability to scale. We have,
therefore, modeled our plans on a structure designed to
scale. An “Impact Pyramid” has a full‐time coordinator
and 100 volunteer coaches who work with 500 students.
We expect the total cost of a Pyramid to be $200 per
1 coordinator
student per school year (or $100,000 total) in the early
years and to decline over time. Most partnering
organizations will provide their own coordinators, in 100 volunteer coaches
which case Sustainable Math training, support,
technology, and oversight will cost $80 per student for a 500 Sustainable Math Students
full year. A “Supported Impact Pyramid” includes the
partner and the funding. Partners can and will have part‐time coordinators who we will fully support.
Spring 2011 (Jan 2011 to Jun 2011—Startup)
1. Open Access College‐Ready – Begin the independent program and seek colleges to provide information
on student outcomes.
2. Algebra‐Ready – Begin the program with YPP groups in one or more of these cities: Los Angeles, CA;
Jackson, MI; Boston, MA; Cambridge, MA.
3. College‐Ready – Seek colleges to participate in a pilot with a site coordinator.
4. Goal – Create a demonstration video showing how the program works, develop training protocols, and
evaluate initial results.
July 2011–June 2012 (Year 1): 7 Pyramids; 3,500 Students
Open Access College‐Ready – 3 supported pyramids (1,500 students)
Algebra‐Ready – 2 supported pyramids (1,000 students)
College‐Ready – 2 supported pyramids (1,000 students)
Research, Assessment, and Evaluation Team – Evaluate effectiveness
July 2012–June 2013 (Year 2): 28 Pyramids; 14,000 Students
Open Access College‐Ready – 4 supported pyramids (2,000 students)
Algebra‐Ready – 8 supported pyramids (4,000 students)
College‐Ready – 16 supported pyramids (8,000 students)
Position Sustainablearning – for scale up
Company and People
Sustainablearning is a non‐profit corporation dedicated to helping students gain math
proficiency through technology‐enabled, volunteer‐supported learning.
Art Bardige, CEO
artbardige@sustainablearning.com
Physics/Math Teacher
Curriculum Coordinator
Founder of Learningways
Chief Design Officer, Simon & Schuster
Founder/President Enablearning
Dr. Larry Reeves, COO
larryreeves@sustainablearning.com
Community College Dean, Vice President, President
Established Massachusetts Online College Network
COO Enablearning
Steve Bayle, Evangelist
steve.bayle@sustainablearning.com
MIT Director of Information Services
Executive VP Course Technology
Executive VP, Director of Business Development International
Thomson Publishing Media Group
GM, Addison‐Wesley Educational Software Division
Dr. George Blakeslee, Training Consultant
Professor Lesley University
Technology and Education
Cambridge, MA
Peter Mili, Math Consultant
Math Teacher
Cambridge Rindge & Latin
Cambridge, MA