Principal Cavallone needed a program that covered higher levels of math for her advanced students. The program would also have to support them as they moved forward through the program at their own pace.
How did you evaluate Knowre?
St. Therese learned of Knowre through our involvement with the Big Shoulders Fund network in Illinois. We scheduled a demo to learn more about the program to determine if it might be a good fit for our students.
Following the demo, our math teacher began a trial of the program with the students. She enjoyed the real-time data provided by the dashboard. The students also engaged with the program well, especially with the video and Walk Me Through features. Following the positive feedback, the school has decided to move forward with using the program for the remainder of the school year.
Take us through Knowre's implementation in the classroom?
Typically, class begins by going over the previous day’s homework, followed by direct instruction by the teacher on the day’s topic. Students then practice the lesson using exercises in the textbook.
If students have time before class starts, they can go onto Knowre for additional practice in an area of their choosing. Since each student is equipped with their own Chromebook, students also have the option of continue working on Knowre after school as well.
Lessons in Knowre are chosen based on the lesson plan. All students work on the same lessons at the same time, but once they complete an assigned lesson, students are able to move ahead of the lessons on their own.
What are your favorite aspects of Knowre?
Knowre’s curriculum flexibility and support features are fantastic for the advanced students. Because students are allowed to work ahead on their own, it is important that the support features provide some form of direct instruction and step-by-step help when the student needs it.
We like that students can watch the instructional videos for an overview of the topic. If they get stuck, students are also able to access the Walk Me Through function at any time. Walk Me Through breaks questions down into their component skills and presents them to the student, step-by-step.
How has Knowre helped your students?
Students have provided quite a bit of feedback on the Knowre program. The Knowre Team provides usage reports each month as well, and I am consistently impressed by the thousands of questions they have addressed – it really says something about student engagement.
Students have noted that Knowre’s videos are helpful and the program itself is very entertaining. “Knowre helps you when you need help,” according to one student, whereas with other programs, “you still need to ask somebody.”
Overall, given the rigor of St. Therese’s math program, we have seen that Knowre is able to challenge our students and keep them moving forward into increasingly challenging topics in mathematics.
St. Therese is a highly rated Catholic school in Chicago that is recognized locally, nationally and internationally as a model of excellence in education. The school has received the National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence from the U.S. Department of Education, among other distinctions. Principal Cavallone has also been recognized by numerous organizations for her leadership, including winning the Stanley S. Golder Leadership Award from the Golden Apple Foundation in 2017.
St. Therese’s math program is quite rigorous, and students graduating St. Therese are generally two years ahead of their peers in mathematics. By graduation, all students have taken a full year of pre-algebra, algebra, advanced algebra, and geometry. Our students are the 2017 Catholic Math League Algebra I National Winners, competing against high school and elementary students across the country, and perform very well in QED – a Chicago mathematics symposium, Catholic League Math Olympiad, Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics state competitions, and are local chapter members of Chi Alpha Mu, a Mathematics Honor Society.
Join us for a live demo to learn how
Knowre can support an integrated curriculum.
