Barbara Dotson, a mathematics teacher in a middle school in California, USA, found that a math program that helps students free working memory capacity by achieving automatic recall of math facts was effective in students’ acquisition of fluency in multiplication and division performance. https://www.socialpublishersfoundation.org/knowledge_base/mastering-basic-facts-through-the-reflex-program/

1. MASTERING BASIC FACTS
THROUGH THE REFLEX
PROGRAM
BARBARA DOTSON
7TH GRADE INTENSIVE MATH AND INTERVENTION
TEACHER
STEAM ACADEMY AT LA PRESA
LA PRESA, CA

2. PROJECT GOAL & SIGNIFICANCE
• Students who fail to memorize basic math facts for several
years may begin to avoid the task altogether (Caron, 2007)
• This may cause students to develop an anxiety towards
math, which may negatively affect and decrease their
working memory (Ashcraft & Kirk, 2011)
• There is a need in 7th grade to provide students who are
performing below grade level the opportunity to practice
and ultimately master their basic math facts
• The purpose of this teacher-research was to determine the
affect of the Reflex program on students’ abilities to
master basic facts

3. SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS
• 82% students socioeconomically disadvantaged
• 68% Hispanic
• 11% African American
• 11% Caucasian
• 4% Filipino
• 4% Two or more races
• 2% Other

4. PARTICIPANTS
• 70 seventh grade students from three different math
classes
• Class 1
• 7th grade intensive math
• 18 girls (2 with IEPs), 22 boys (13 with IEPs)
• Class 2
• 7th grade Specialized Academic Instruction (SAI)
• 5 girls & 11 boys all on IEPs
• Class 3
• 7th/8th grade SAI classes
• 4 girls & 10 boys all on IEPs

5. OVERVIEW OF THE REFLEX PROGRAM
• Reflex (Cholmsky, n.d.) is a computer-based math
skill program designed to help students of all school
ages
• Includes activities and games for addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division for students from Grades 2 to 12
• Case studies on the impact of this program on
standardized test scores showed significant growth for
students who used Reflex on a regular basis (Reflex and
Grade 6 Standardized Test Results, n.d.)

6. RESEARCH DESIGN
• Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, students entered
the classroom and retrieved their iPads
• Logged into Reflex and worked for a 20-minute session at
their own appropriate level
• Teacher monitored the students’ fact fluency gains weekly
• After the 20-minute warm up session, the class focused
on note-taking and the lesson for the day
• On the days Reflex was not used, students worked on a
warm-up consisting of 5 problems based on 7th-grade
standards

7. RESULTS &
DISCUSSIO
N
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Boys Girls Boys Girls
Multiplication Division
General Education Classroom:
All Students including 15 students on IEPs
Pre-Assessment Post Assessment
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Boys Girls Boys Girls
Multiplication Division
SAI Special Education Classroom
(All IEP Students)
Pre-Assessment Post Assessment

8. RESULTS &
DISCUSSIO
N
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
All Participating Students
General Education Classroom: All Students
General Education Classroom: Gen Ed Students
only
General Education Classroom: IEP Students only
SAI Special Education Classroom (All IEP Students)
All Students on IEPs
Summary of Improvement from Pre- to Post-Assessment
by Student Types in Multiplication and Division
Division Multiplication

9. RESULTS & DISCUSSION (CONT.)
• From the data, the Reflex program:
(a) showed growth potential for students who are not fluent in their
multiplication and division facts
(b) is beneficial for students in all classroom placements
(c) shows a positive impact on student’s math fluency in
multiplication and division
(d) is significantly beneficial for the SAI classroom
• The pattern of growth indicated that if students use the
Reflex program consistently, most students would benefit,
but not all at the same rate
• Therefore, an alternative program would be necessary for those
students

10. REFERENCES
Ashcraft, M. H., & Kirk, E. P. (2001). The relationships among working memory,
math anxiety, and math performance. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 130(2),
224-237.
Baroody, A. J., Bajwa, N. P., & Eiland, M. (2009). Why can’t Johnny remember the
basic facts. Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 15, 69-79.
Caron, T. A. (2007). Learning multiplication the easy way. The Clearing House,
80(6), 278-282.
Cholmsky, P. (n.d.). ExploreLearning. www.reflexmath.com
Cholmsky, P. (2011, March). Reflex from acquisition to automaticity: The Reflex
solution for math fact mastery. Retrieved from
www.reflexmath.com/images/Reflex_White_Paper.pdf
Cole, M. (2007, December). Math fact fluency study in Houston, Texas elementary
schools. Retrieved fromhttps://blog.explorelearning.com/2017/12/math-fact-
fluency-study-in-houston-texas-elementary-
schools/?_ga=2.128065225.451106418.1536513862-1207761813.1531627885