Academy Star Awards 2009 - Student of the Year Finalists - Academy of MATH 
This year's Academy Awards drew so many outstanding nominations that we added a Finalist category. Profiled below are the Student of the Year finalists in the Academy of MATH category.
Continue below to read about the finalists in our category for students using Academy of MATH.
Finalists
Dayjah really worked hard in the Academy of MATH this year. When she took the pre-test in August she scored Below Basic at a 1.7 grade level. Dayjah started her training the next day and took off. The computer placed her in a 1-3 training program and Dayjah was determined that she was going to get into the 4th grade training program. She worked hard and always had a smile on her face when she came to the Academy of MATH. She also had a very positive attitude. Every time Dayjah would master a skill she would let everyone in the lab know it. She was so happy.
Dayjah continued to work hard and got into the 4th grade training program. She continued to beg me every day to come back to the Academy of MATH at recess; which she did. Dayjah was so proud of herself. She started working on the 4th grade skills and they got a little more difficult, but it didn’t stop Dayjah. She kept on working until she finished her training and was ready for the post test. Dayjah scored Advanced at 6.6 grade level on the post-test, which was a level change of 4.9 for her. I am so proud of Dayjah. The Academy of MATH has definitely helped this student in academics as well as in her confidence.
Submitted by: Teresa Dorn , St. Mark Elementary
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Gabriella is a 4th-grade student I would like you to consider for an award in Math. She began with the Academy of MATH in the fall of 2008 at Below Basic and at present has progressed three levels achieving a Proficient level. She is such a hard worker and comes to class with a smile, ready to work. At present, she has mastered 60 skills and sometimes prefers to miss recess to continue to achieve goals. Her fourth grade Homeroom teacher and I are very proud of her progress knowing these skills will help her in the years to come.
Submitted by: Johanna Jones , Northgate Elementary
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Samantha has made significant achievements in math as a result of using the AutoSkill Academy of MATH program regularly. She has overcome the serious challenge of increasing her math skills and demonstrated growth in a short period of time due to her dedication to her education as well as her commitment to the program.
Samantha enrolled in PA Cyber in December and expressed much concern regarding the 11th grade PSSA’s. In order to graduate, Samantha knew she would have to score proficient in Math and was very concerned because her previous PSSA Math assessment scored her performance as Basic. Samantha was completely aware of the serious challenge that awaited her and was willing to do whatever it would take to increase her Math skills. Her dedication and motivation to do well is shown through her responsible school etiquette and willingness to work in the program regularly.
Per Samantha’s request, she was enrolled into the Academy of MATH in January. She worked diligently to progress through the program and by March completed two skill levels, succeeding in raising her math skill level by two grades in this short time. Samantha has demonstrated tremendous gains in her math skill level.
It is with much respect for Samantha’s outstanding work ethic and admiration for her motivation that I nominate her as an Academy Star Student of the year.
Submitted by: Leann Allen , PA Cyber Charter School
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Shania is a sweet, caring third-grade girl that has overcome hardship in her young life. She has made friends at school and is well-liked by her peers. She was referred to the Academy of MATH for help by her classroom teacher as she was unsure of herself in math with weak skills in problem solving.
We enrolled Shania in the after-school AutoSkill program that we offer at our school. Shania qualified for both the Academy of READING and the Academy of MATH as did several other students. Shania was excited about coming to after-school class. We always know when she’s here because she greets us with an excited comment such as, “I’m glad it’s time for AutoSkill!” She looks at the calendar to see if it’s a math day or reading day. She sits down to her computer and gets started right away. She likes to go to the trophy room and see how she’s doing. Overall, she adapted very well to the format we were using for our after school students.
Then, one day, Shania came in unusually quiet. She didn’t want to get started right away or have her usual upbeat greeting for us. I asked her what was wrong and she said she didn’t want to do math; she said it was too hard. For the next few weeks, Shania did not want to do any math. She always asked if she could work on reading. We assured her that would be fine.
A month later, Shania walked in and decided she wanted to try math again. We visited with her about her decision, but she was confident that she was ready to do math once again. She completed her after school lesson without any anxiety. Now, she wants to work on math all the time!
This spring, when Shania took the NWEA math test, her score went up 11 points. Her confidence during the test was visible; she was positive and didn’t get weary as she worked. She portrayed an attitude of confidence that we did not see in the fall NWEA testing. She not only did very well in the math test, the scores on her other tests also went up. We believe AutoSkill has made a significant impact in Shania’s approach to mathematical proficiency and the other coursework that she encounters in school each day.
Submitted by: Diane Selvig, Turtle Lake-Mercer School
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Continue reading about our Academy of READING finalists and Academy of READING and Academy of MATH finalists.
