In December, the North Carolina Alliance of Boys & Girl Clubs contacted sites across the state with a very attractive proposal. They were seeking groups that were interested in participating in a pilot partnership with Edentum, a company that provides online academic programming.
The pilot begins with diagnostic testing and then gives each student a computer based “Exact Path” of targeted lessons and testing to increase their proficiency in math and reading. This pilot has a $4,500 value and we jumped at the opportunity to participate. We were one of 11 sites in the state to join this initiative.
We had some immediate challenges. We had to find a quiet space to run the Edmentum program and we needed computers for our third-graders to use. We contacted the College of The Albemarle about using one of their classrooms and they generously agreed to welcome us. We located five devices, received online training on how to administer the program, and were ready to begin the diagnostic testing with our third-graders by mid-February.
Our children were excited about this new opportunity. They loved the idea of “going to college” (which was less than a two-minute walk outside our back door) and were delighted that third-grade was the targeted group for the pilot program.
The diagnostic testing did exactly as promised and our 18 students began a learning path that was tailored to their individual needs. We were able to work with five students per day (because we had five devices) and they progressed along their “path.”
Edmentum decided to sponsor a contest. They pledged to reward prizes to the club with the highest percentage of trophies earned from their enrolled third-graders. Trophies are earned for mastering specific skills in the reading and math lessons. This contest came at a perfect time because the thrill of the new adventure had started to diminish, and the rigors of the academic tasks had increased.
Our third-graders were determined to work hard to try and win this contest, but they were starting to run out of steam. We decided to offer them some additional incentives to help keep their motivation high. A weekly 30-minute game day was established and could be earned after five Exact Path sessions were completed. Students were thrilled to reach their goal and have the chance to play ping-pong, pool, Uno, or go bowling in the hall of the club with the staff. It was rewarding for all of us!
The results of the Edentum contest were announced on Thursday, May 2. The first-place club earned 3.67 trophies per student and the second-place club earned 1.78 trophies per student. This was a huge accomplishment and we couldn’t be prouder of them! The Boys & Girls Club in Edenton will receive a $200 Amazon gift card and a pizza party for our top achievers.
Access to the Edentum program is going to continue until Aug. 1. We will now be able to offer this to all members of the Boys & Girls Club through our Summer Program which serves children in grades 1-8.
We can’t wait to extend this opportunity to more of our members. We know the importance of focusing on core academic skills throughout the summer can’t be overstated. We intend to do our best to make sure that happens.
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