Welcome to CRAM Academy

::Parent Workshops::

CRAM Academy Thorntonian Math Solutions is a progam designed to enhance academic achievement for students who need extra help in math. Many students believe that math is "hard." Students have not made the direct correlation between "not hard" and "not understanding."

The program is designed for under-achieving math students. The design uniquely builds self-esteem and confidence to any student who has challenges in math. The methods are rigorous and thorough, incorporating practice with many basic math facts and skills.

Students who did not establish a strong mathematical foundation can benefit from utilizing Thorntonian Math Solutions. These solutions and methods give students the needed opportunity to practice math skills correctly, thus creating high academic achievement in students.

I was thoroughly impressed with the way Fractions were taught. My daughter said,"Daddy I really enjoyed the teaching!"

-Marco Wilson
Parent
South Columbus Elementary

The program allows students to practice with assurance and develops number sense, thus giving students an opportunity to explore relationships of math skills and numbers. The program incoporates instruction strategies that assist students to obtain mastery while learning math skills. Learning becomes easy and with ease comes confidence and with confidence comes success. As students become successful, they are now open to instruction of various types. They then move into a mode of challenges with a rigorous curriculum, thus eliminating the fears of failure while focusing on high achievement. Thorntonian Math Solutions' primary goal is to renew and revitalize students who have always had challenges with basic math skills. Many upcoming 6^th graders and middle school students have experienced obstacles and roadblocks that have caused them to completely shut down from learning math. Math is no longer fun because of these obstacles and therefore many students in the community never get an opportunity to become honest with themselves to admit the fact that they just do not understand. Click to read more »

The people who will benefit from this great idea will be involved in assisting students who have faced challenges mastering math skills. There will be certified math instructors planning instruction that best meets that need of each individual learner. The certified teachers will be sensitive to most low achievers and monitor the behavior when they are simply afraid to open up and admit they are having trouble in math, which stems from a deficiency in math skills. There will be on certified math coach and five students as requested by the State of Georgia.

Having this program in place will bring together a group of low achievers and create a paradigm shift when it comes to practicing math skills. Students have been practicing errors throughout lower grades and have carried these crippling habits to the upper level grades, which have caused great frustration and mental immobility. How can a student solve a problem when he is afraid to tackle the problem? Students will begin the program with a verbal interview that discusses feelings about math and identify the challenges that may be faced in math. The student will be given a pretest. The test is then evaluated and compared to data from previously taken standardized test. Collectively, the information is assessed to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the student in the area of math. After a thorough assessment is made, students are given individualized instruction that will help them gain proficiency in each math skill reviewed.

CRAM Academy's outcome of instruction is to help students gain confidence while practicing math skills correctly. Making errors will be brought to a minimum. The ultimate key is for the students to continue to practice correctly.

The tutoring sessions are designed for middle school learners from grade levels 6-8 and emerging 4^th and 5^th graders. CRAM Academy will specialize in attracting males. CRAM Academy will strengthen critical-thinking skills and self-confidence by giving students strategies on how to be more sufficient without depending solely on a calculator. However, the use of technology will be used frequently.

CRAM Academy has over 35 collective years of working with children. Support will be available on Saturdays from 7:30 - 11:30 for 9-week sessions. Constant monitoring with small groups will be implemented. Instructional times range from 3-6 hours of instruction and the program will assess students after every 6 hours of instruction. Parents will be regularly informed of the student's progress and provided with a description of how the progress is measured.

CRAM Academy's achievement goals for the students will be in consultation with the students' parents. CRAM Academy will establish a timetable for improving the students' achievement.

CRAM Academy has been using strategies from Thorntonian Math Solutions for three years. This program has demonstrated records of effectiveness in improving academic achievement. The records mainly result from data collected from the performance of students who are identified as at-risk or low performing students. These students' test scores reflect math skills that scored below state standards. Thorntonian Math Solutions demonstrated effectiveness by giving instruction to a group of low achievers. The students were given a pretest compiled from the Prentice Hall Series. The pretest reflected that out of 22 students, only 35% passed the pretest. After 2 weeks of rigorous instruction and applied strategies, a posttest was given and 77% passed it, thus gaining a 42% difference.

Thorntonian Math Solutions has accelerated the achievement of identified at-risk students, building self-esteem, encouraging students to make a paradigm shift about math. A recent survey polled a group of middle school students who failed math found that they have a negative attitude about math. Thorntonian Math Solutions strives to encourage students to succeed academically.

The main goal is to provide academic enhancement through incorporating activities that motivate and stimulate the learner to increase academic achievement.

Any students who have a desire to learn and who have experienced difficulty mastering basic math skills will be given 2 to 1 instruction to help bring clarity of understanding.