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Pilot Project Criteria

FOR UNDERSTANDING MATH™ AND UNDERSTANDING NUMERATION™

Application Form

Our pilot application form is available in PDF. Click here to view.

      At Neufeld Learning Systems we fully realize the need to Pilot software within a school before making a full commitment to its purchase.  The Pilot Project affords the school administration and teachers the opportunity to determine the software's effectiveness in creating positive change in the instruction of mathematics.  At the bottom of this page we have listed a set of objective criteria for reviewing mathematics software.  These criteria have been adapted from John Van de Walle's seminal text, Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally.

There is a minimal cost to participating in our Understanding Math and Understanding Numeration Pilot Project.  The cost for each participating school is $2,000.00.  This cost includes the following: 

  • Temporary unlimited number of licenses for duration of Pilot period
  • All mathematics teachers have temporary take-home rights
  • Three hour Level 1 Professional Development workshop for all mathematics teachers ($500 value)
  • Correlations between state curriculum and the software and model lessons (demonstrating best teaching practices and effective implementation strategies) are provided
  • Ongoing support through Neufeld Learning Systems consultants and interactive internet based WebEx (neufeldmath.webex.com) workshops
  • Duration of Pilot program set at a minimum of 6 months

School Commitments

 
  • Set goals for mathematical change and improvement within your school
  • ALL mathematics teachers implementing the software and administrator must attend the 3 hour Level 1 Professional Development workshop
  • Two written reports must be submitted to Neufeld Learning Systems by the Lead teacher or supervising administrator at the mid-point and end of the Pilot period
 

At the completion of the Pilot period school administrators and mathematics teachers can complete their assessment of Understanding Math and Understanding Numeration. The goals that were set before the project began and objective reviews from classroom teachers are used to analyze the software's effectiveness.

Possible options available to schools at the completion of the Pilot project are: 

  • Complete purchase for a K to 6 school 45 station license.  Balance owing is $2587.00 (full purchase price is $4587.00 less Pilot cost of $2000.00).  This package includes both Understanding Math and Understanding Numeration.  All mathematics teachers would continue to have take-home rights,
  • Complete purchase for a middle or high school 45 station license.  Balance owing is $3895.00 (full purchase price is $5895.00 less Pilot cost of $2000.00).  This package includes Understanding Math only.  All mathematics teachers would continue to have take-home rights, or
  • At completion of the Pilot period a school may decide not to invest any further in the software program.  The $2000.00 initially invested is converted into a 5 station license for the school.  All software loaded on teacher computers is uninstalled (a minimum purchase of a 35 station license is required for take-home privileges within a school).

Mathematics Software Review:Key Selection Criteria

(Adapted from John Van de Walle's text, "Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally")

  • What does the software do better than what is done without a computer?  Go beyond the clever graphics and games.
  • How are students engaged with the software's content?  Is the mathematics presented in a "problematic" fashion that engages students?
  • How easy is the program to use?  Is the software's design tedious and frustrating for students, therefore diverting attention away from its content?
  • What sort of conceptual information is provided?  What kinds of explanations are presented?  How are student errors handled?
  • What kinds of teacher controls are provided?  Are there provisions for student tracking?
  • What is the quality of the support material available for the software?  Is there a manual, on-line and/or consultant support?
  • Is there print material available that support the lessons contained within the software?
  • Is the software installed on the network server, locally on each computer or is it Internet based?  If the software is installed on the hard drive of each machine than it will not be dependent on the functionality of the Internet and network connections within a school.
  • What is the nature of the licensing agreement?  Is it a network or single station license?
  • Will the software run on the operating systems available in your school (i.e. Windows vs. Mac)?