How Prodigy increased motivation and student performance in Floyd County

“Out of all the math programs I've used, which has been a lot, it’s the most entertaining and motivating thing that I've seen for my fourth grade students.”
— Zach Mendence, Teacher

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All about Floyd County Schools

9,653 students in Floyd County Schools

42.8% of students qualify for free and reduced lunch

93.6% four-year graduation rate

Outline of a map of the state of Georgia with an orange pin where Floyd County Schools are.

Across Floyd County, Prodigy Math Game didn’t lose momentum as schools transitioned to remote learning. While teachers navigated the new teaching environment, students kept playing — and learning. “Prodigy was already in place. The students didn't wait on us, they were able to continue,” recalls Jennifer White, Floyd County’s math specialist.
Zach Mendence, a fourth grade teacher at Pepperell Elementary School, stated two key elements eased the transition between learning environments: familiarity and motivation.

A quote from fourth grade teacher teacher, Zach Mendence, saying "We had already used Prodigy before, so the kids were familiar with how to get on it at home... it wasn't much of a struggle. Virtual learning is hard, and if their parents aren't there, it's really the student's responsibility to do what they're supposed to do. Luckily, they had motivation on their side so they were willing to work on it."

Research highlights

With just 40 minutes of gameplay every week, 4th grade students from Floyd County schools with high Prodigy usage improved by over half a grade level* between the Fall 2019 and Winter 2020 Placement Tests!
*Based on their placement grade level after the completion of the placement test.
“The reason Prodigy is so great is because it gives students a tool that makes math fun for them,” said Zach.

How Prodigy Math Game helped

Bringing learning home

As Jennifer looked through the usage data for the district, she saw high usage on weekends, signalling that students were choosing to play Prodigy. “Prodigy is no longer just a teacher incentive, students are motivated to go on and learn themselves.”

Zach shared the same sentiment. Not only are his students going home and answering questions, but they’re begging their parents to allow them to use Prodigy as well. “This was the first program where I saw kids going home and answering 100 questions.”

Differentiation

Prodigy’s reports provide teachers and school leaders with benchmarks for each student to help differentiate content.

“Teachers are able to see what each student in their classroom is struggling with so they can provide more intensive instruction to close academic gaps,” says Teri.

“Words can't even describe how helpful it is that teachers can log in and help their kids exactly where they need help,” says Lisa Wiggins, a fourth grade teacher. “For my high students, they would ask me to assign them something more challenging. So I'd go on there and assign them the toughest questions I could.”

Parent communication

In Floyd County, Prodigy provides parents with confidence that students are developing appropriate skills.

Jennifer says, “Our parents are eager to know what they can do to help their child. I let them know that I can use Prodigy to push out the exact skills that their child needs to practice. It takes the load off of parents. They can even sit with them or play with them if they want to.”

What teachers and school leaders in Floyd County are saying about Prodigy

Jennifer White

Math Specialist

“What’s interesting is how much it's been used outside of school, not just inside the confines of the classroom. Students are saying, ‘Can we get on Prodigy? We have a few minutes.’ It's the students who want to do it. It's a motivating factor that the students love it.”

Lisa Wiggins

Fourth Grade Teacher

“Whenever we were taking MAP, or other tasks they might be working on, I would hear kids saying that they had already practiced it on Prodigy. It just sticks with them. There's something magical about it.”

Teri Pendley

Principal

“Our teachers love Prodigy. They use it frequently and encourage other teachers in our school system to use it with their students. Parents love that their children are excited about doing math at home without the pain and frustration of traditional math homework.”

An obstacle Zach frequently faced was building students’ confidence and trust in order to encourage them to take risks. Not every student in his class liked math, believing it was too hard. Prodigy helped break down those negative perceptions.
“The reason Prodigy is so great is because it gives students a tool that makes math fun for them. It encourages them to try harder which builds their motivation. When they try harder, they start getting better, and when they start getting better, they develop confidence. When they get more confident, they're willing to take more risks and continue building trust with their teacher.”
This led to more questions answered, with some students answering hundreds or thousands of questions per week. Zach had one student answer over 3000 questions!

Ready to start your journey?

See how Prodigy Education’s online math learning platform can help you engage and motivate students as teachers differentiate — all while your admin dashboard benchmarks usage and progress.