With the use of playing cards and dice, Washington students are having fun playing numbers games at school. It’s clear from the smiles on their faces that they’re having fun. What they may not realize is that by playing games, they are becoming more proficient at foundational math skills.

“It just comes from repetitive practice,” said Washington Math Interventionist Jeanette Bucks. “They don’t realize they’re learning. They just want to win.”

Four second-grade students attended the District 75 School Board meeting on Oct. 22 and demonstrated one-on-one with Board Members one of the games. In the first part of the game, the student flips over a card, writes the number in a box, then rolls a single die and writes that number in a second box. They add up those two numbers for the answer. In the second part, the numbers are subtracted. 

The math games are part of a renewed focus on math. Goal number 2 for the Washington School Improvement Plan is about improving Mathematics Instruction and Assessment.

The aim of Goal 2 is to have 60 percent of all students in grades 1-4 meeting their student growth percentile on STAR Math from fall to spring in 2026. The school also wants to have 60 percent of children with disabilities in grades 1-4 meeting their student growth percentile on STAR Math from fall to spring.

The plan for reaching the goals began back in March 2024 when a Math Committee began formulating a strategy to improve the school’s math scores over the next few years. 

The committee held a professional development in the summer and purchased the latest edition of the instructional program called Number Corner in June. All the teaching staff was trained in the instructional resource in August. Common math baseline assessments were administered in September, giving teachers a starting point in measuring improvement in the math scores.

Washington will increase instructional time toward math from 75 to 95 minutes a day or from 375 to 475 minutes a week. But more than dedicating time to math, District administrators want to make sure they're utilizing the best tools available.

District teachers are evaluating math resources, Eureka2 and an updated version of Bridge. The school is currently piloting Bridges; in the second half of the school year, it will pilot Eureka2. At the end of the year, the math committee will recommend the best fit moving forward.