Students that have been identified as TAG (Talented and Gifted) for math in Round Rock ISD eventually end up two years ahead in math. To achieve this, the curriculum is compressed starting in 3rd grade. TAG math students are naturally gifted in math, so they are capable of learning the advanced material. But that doesn't mean they don't need reinforcement on the material they have learned so they can truly absorb and understand it. With the compressed curriculum being so fast-paced, some students have found that there isn't enough time for reinforcement. This is especially a problem for students who enter TAG later in elementary school (4th or 5th grade) and students who may not have access to a tutor.
5th grade TAG math was the target because 5th grade is the most challenging time to enter TAG. Additionally, knowing 5th grade TAG math very well is important in setting students up for a successful middle school math career. This website has all of the 5th grade TAG math content that TAG students struggle with the most based off of testing data. There are 20 TEKS covered on this website, sorted into 8 different groups by topic. Each lesson is designed to jog a student's memory, and then reinforce the concepts with practice. There is a big emphasis on vocabulary because a lot of times, students know what to do but they just don't connect words with actions.
The end goal of this website is really just to make students more confident. Math is mostly a mental thing - if you don't believe that you are good at math, then you probably won't be. Fortifying students in math concepts is a great way to boost their confidence in their ability to do math, and it comes in handy when they move on to harder math in middle school. Students who are more confident in math will be more likely to stay in the TAG program and have higher standardized test scores, which are both good for the district.
My name is Quinn Langford, and I am the creator of this website. I am part of the graduating class of 2020 at Cedar Ridge High School. I tested into the RRISD TAG program in first grade, and stuck with it all the way through high school. I noticed from my own experience and that of my peers around me that it sometimes felt like we had never been taught some material that on-level students knew. It turns out that we were taught everything we were supposed to know, but sometimes we would spend such a short amount of time on certain concepts that we forgot even learning them.
Since I knew this was a problem in Round Rock ISD, I decided to make a Gold Award Project that addressed this issue. I am a Girl Scout, and the Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn. Girls who earn their Gold Award put in around 80 hours of work on a sustainable, thorough project that addresses a concern in their community. They plan the entire project from start to finish, and have a team of people they delegate work to, which develops leadership.
I have spent over 80 hours writing every single lesson and quiz on this website. I couldn't have done it without Mrs. Jennifer Stork, a former TAG teacher at Blackland Prairie Elementary School who now teaches on-level 5th grade. She has worked with TAG students for years, and her advice and old materials and activities she used to use were crucial to me being able to write the lessons.
Another entity I am thankful for is the Mu Alpha Theta math honor society club at Cedar Ridge High School. They have agreed to keep this website running for the years to come, even after I have graduated high school. They will monitor the website and update it as needed if a new area that students are struggling with pops up.
Members of the TAG department at the Round Rock ISD district office helped me narrow my focus to the most important areas of TAG math to cover, and they made sure my project is useful and not redundant considering the services that are already available.
The 5th grade TAG math teachers at Blackland Prairie Elementary School and Gattis Elementary School delivered a survey to their students that confirmed that the areas the students felt they most needed help on aligned with the data from the district office.
A lot of work goes into making a quality project, and I couldn't have done it without all the members of my team.