Whitney Point Students Boost Math Scores With Floor Mats

Multiplication often frustrates kids quickly. For many, memorizing math facts feels repetitive, overwhelming, and far from enjoyable. But at Whitney Point Caryl E. Adams Primary School, a new approach is making a big difference.

In the 2025-2026 school year, the school held a Math & Movement workshop for teachers. This gave them a new way to help students learn through movement, activities, and hands-on experiences. The workshop was free, thanks to the Broome County Health Department’s Creating Healthy Schools and Communities Grant.

How Math & Movement Works

Math & Movement offers a different approach from the usual desk work and memorization. The program uses colorful floor mats and movement activities to help students build multiplication skills in a more interactive and memorable way.

This kinesthetic, multi-sensory teaching method was created by founder and CEO Suzy Koontz, inspired by her daughter’s learning journey. The program also supports New York State standards for solving single-digit multiplication and related division problems with confidence and fluency.

A Local Teacher Takes The Program Further

CEA Math Interventionist Graci Shrauger saw promise in the program and wanted to learn more. Last June, she attended a two-day Math & Movement training funded by the National Math Foundation. What she learned inspired a six-week pilot project with her third-grade students at Whitney Point, and it made a real difference.

Inside The Six-Week Pilot Program

In the pilot program, students practiced multiplication facts for the 3s, 4s, 6s, 7s, 8s, and 9s using floor mats and matching notebooks. On the first day, they reviewed a pre-test and joined group activities on the mats. In the following days, they practiced on their own before taking a post-test on day four.

What made the biggest impression, though, was not just what students learned right away, but what they remembered later. Shrauger said the movement-based activities helped the lessons stick. “When we revisited the concept later, my students remembered it,” she said.

For parents and teachers, this is the kind of result you hope for. It is one thing for a student to finish a lesson, but even better when the lesson truly sticks with them.

Students Showed 132 Percent Growth In Fluency

During the six-week program, students improved their multiplication fact fluency by 132 percent. This result stands out, but it was not just about higher scores. Shrauger also noticed a big change in how students felt about math.

Students Became More Willing To Speak Up And Take On Challenges

Shrauger said students became more willing to speak up, explain their thinking, and try harder problems after using Math & Movement. “I noticed a big shift in my students’ confidence,” she said.

This kind of confidence can make a big difference for a child, especially in a subject that often causes stress.

How This Fits Into A Larger Health Initiative

Brooke Goosman, a Public Health Educator with the Broome County Health Department, said the success at Whitney Point CEA is exactly the kind of impact the CHSC grant program aims for. “Programs like this help schools integrate physical activity into the classroom in meaningful ways,” Goosman said.

In short, this is about more than just multiplication tables. It is about helping kids feel engaged, supported, and successful while building healthy habits.

Upcoming Training Sessions Open To Educators

Math & Movement continues to offer two-day intensive professional development sessions for educators who want to use these strategies in their classrooms. The training gives teachers hands-on experience with active, inclusive ways to teach math and literacy, plus ready-to-use, standards-aligned activities that can help improve fluency, focus, confidence, and retention.

Upcoming sessions are scheduled for March 26–27, May 7–8, and June 4–5, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Math & Movement Learning Center, 40 Catherwood Road, Ithaca.

Get our free mobile app

About The Creating Healthy Schools And Communities Grant

The Creating Healthy Schools and Communities program is a five-year initiative funded by the New York State Department of Health. Its goal is to help build healthier habits in high-need communities and reduce chronic disease and health disparities.

At Whitney Point CEA, that mission is already making a real difference one step, one lesson, and one student at a time.

Protecting Your Child's Privacy and Identity - Tips for Parents

Under New York State’s Education Law, if you are a parent of a child in the New York State schools, you have rights regarding the privacy and security of your child’s personal information and data. Here are some ways that you can protect your child.

U.S. News & World Report Ranks Southern Tier High Schools

Wondering how your Southern Tier area high school ranks nationally and within New York state? U.S. News and World Report have taken away the guesswork by doing the research for you. Note that not all schools in the Southern Tier are on this list as some of them are not rated.