Semple Math - Simply Unforgettable

One student has been immersed in the Semple Math program, while the other two still receive the "traditional" approach to math. Those students still receive, on average, 20 minutes of Semple instruction each day.

Student 1: A child in 2nd grade, functioning at Pre-K level for Math. She is now able to recognize numbers 1 thru 6 accurately.

Student 2: A child in 1st grade, who was functioning below grade level is now working on 1st grade level. He has worked very hard to do a good job in the program.

Student 3: A child in 3rd grade, who at the beginning of the year was fucntioning at the end of 1st grade level, has now been placed into my 3rd grade math group. He has completed most of the program and hungry for more!

Student 1: Making progress, baby steps, but her mom and I both see lots of progress.

Student 2: Progress depends upon absences. He works hard, but has a tendency to be absent quite a bit.

Student 3: Has worked very hard to learn all that he can and wants to do well, so therefore, puts out tons of effort.

Student 1 likes the program and her attitude towards math has changed. She doesn't "fight" me when I call her to the table to work on her numbers. I would say 3.

At the beginning, student 2 was very hard to motivate, but now comes with the attitude that he can do it. He sees success, and therefore, his self-esteem about math is a lot better. I would say he would rate at a 4.

The last student has always been a hard worker. He wants to learn as much as possible. Until this year he was home schooled. His self-esteem has completely come up due to your great program... (name of language program removed for legal reasons). His self-esteem rating would be 5!

Jan Semple (Author): Thank you so much for your feedback! So much on your plate and you are doing a fantastic job. Please tell the children I am proud of them! Please continue!

Bill Semple (President): I thought we would be writing another book responding to the feedback. The people receiving our materials have no Semple Math training or experience with our program to speak of. They are taking these books right out of the box and hitting the ground running. I was fearful that people would not easily transition to our approach which is completely different from any of the traditional means.

However, I am very happy to say that our participating educators are proving me wrong with every letter we receive. We have connected with some very dedicated people out there who are taking the time to execute the program as written and they are seeing the results. The Challenge is definitely something we need to do each year! I am grateful to the teachers for rising to the occasion and making this a success!


Bells, Texas, Round 1 Carla Walker Bells Elementary School 1. How many years have you taught? Carla Walker, taught 8 years, the last 3 have been in special education 2. What grade level are you currently teaching? I currently teach special education students, grades Kindergarten thru 4th grade. I also work with children in a self-contained setting. 3. What do you teach? Special education, resource, self-contained 4. How many students have you enrolled in the Semple Math Challenge? I have enrolled 3 students in the Semple Math program. 5. Have you executed the program in good faith, as written with no omissions or substitutions thus far in the Challenge? One student has been immersed in the Semple Math program, while the other two still receive the "traditional" approach to math. Those students still receive, on average, 20 minutes of Semple instruction each day. 6. Please comment on the math performance of each student as they entered the Challenge. Were they on or below grade level? Student 1: A child in 2nd grade, functioning at Pre-K level for Math. She is now able to recognize numbers 1 thru 6 accurately. Student 2: A child in 1st grade, who was functioning below grade level is now working on 1st grade level. He has worked very hard to do a good job in the program. Student 3: A child in 3rd grade, who at the beginning of the year was fucntioning at the end of 1st grade level, has now been placed into my 3rd grade math group. He has completed most of the program and hungry for more! 7. What progress have you seen in their math skills over the last 30 days? Are they on or below grade level? Student 1: Making progress, baby steps, but her mom and I both see lots of progress. Student 2: Progress depends upon absences. He works hard, but has a tendency to be absent quite a bit. Student 3: Has worked very hard to learn all that he can and wants to do well, so therefore, puts out tons of effort. 8. How do you rate the overall attitude, outlook and self-esteem of each student on a scale of 1 - 5, 1 being the lowest score? Comments are welcome. Student 1 likes the program and her attitude towards math has changed. She doesn't "fight" me when I call her to the table to work on her numbers. I would say 3. At the beginning, student 2 was very hard to motivate, but now comes with the attitude that he can do it. He sees success, and therefore, his self-esteem about math is a lot better. I would say he would rate at a 4. The last student has always been a hard worker. He wants to learn as much as possible. Until this year he was home schooled. His self-esteem has completely come up due to your great program... (name of language program removed for legal reasons). His self-esteem rating would be 5! 9. How does the portion of Semple Math you have now seen compare to any "non-Semple" learning materials you have used in the past? (Please do not identify and materials and programs by name.) Semple Math helps the students see the pattern to learning the math facts. It also gives them a visual reminder of what each number represents. Hands-down, it is the best addition to my math program. 10. Has any standardized or local testing been used as part of this Challenge? If so, please explain the means of assessment and share your findings with consideration for student privacy. No standardized testing has been used during the Challenge. Testing will be in April. 11. Would you recommend this program to other educators? Why or why not? I have recommended this program to others. I have many friends in the special education field and we have talked about the program. 12. Should we sponsor a second round of the Challenge and for the purpose of sharing our Times Tables Kit? Absolutely! My 3rd graders are getting ready to learn the multiplication facts so it would be of great help to me and my students! Jan Semple (Author): Thank you so much for your feedback! So much on your plate and you are doing a fantastic job. Please tell the children I am proud of them! Please continue! Bill Semple (President): I thought we would be writing another book responding to the feedback. The people receiving our materials have no Semple Math training or experience with our program to speak of. They are taking these books right out of the box and hitting the ground running. I was fearful that people would not easily transition to our approach which is completely different from any of the traditional means. However, I am very happy to say that our participating educators are proving me wrong with every letter we receive. We have connected with some very dedicated people out there who are taking the time to execute the program as written and they are seeing the results. The Challenge is definitely something we need to do each year! I am grateful to the teachers for rising to the occasion and making this a success!
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