Math Success at John R. Kment Elementary

The case study examines the implementation of the Connecting Math Concepts (CMC) program at John R. Kment Elementary School, part of Roseville Community Schools in Roseville, Michigan. This public school serves grades K–5 in a suburban setting, with over 76% of students from economically disadvantaged households. The program was piloted in 2013 and later expanded district-wide.

CMC is a Direct Instruction curriculum designed to improve math achievement through explicit lessons, timed activities, fast pacing, and repetition. Additional changes included initial staff training and ongoing professional development. Outcomes were assessed using AIMSweb, a universal screening and progress monitoring tool. Additionally, proficiency on state mathematics tests and tiered student classifications (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3) were examined.

Results showed significant improvements in math achievement. The percentage of students likely to meet proficiency standards increased from 56% to 77% within the first year. Additionally, there was a 56.1% average decrease in Tier 3 students and a 77.4% average increase in Tier 1 students across grades 2–6. Third graders experienced a 32% decrease in Tier 3 classification and a 22.5% increase in Tier 1 classification. A first-grade special education student demonstrated notable progress, scoring 24 out of 28 on the Math Computation assessment.

The program also positively impacted student engagement, self-confidence, and discipline referrals. Teachers initially hesitant about Direct Instruction became strong supporters after witnessing the results. The success of CMC prompted its adoption across all K–5 classrooms in the district, aligning math instruction horizontally and vertically.