Student

Case Studies

These are stories about real students here at MFM.

Notice that we celebrate the small things that can’t be measured by any test!

All information shared was provided with permission from parents.

Multisensory Math Magic Helps This Student Soar!

No more crying and shouting during math homework for this family! Math was never Will’s favorite subject, but after Made for Math it’s enjoyable for him.

Growth Mindset + Multisensory Math Helped This Student Shine!

Logistics played a big part. Finding time in our busy schedule to drive to one more thing was a concern. Comfort level played another big part. Being at home made it far more comfortable for my daughter. Her surroundings were familiar which I…

Multisensory Math Helps this Student with Dyslexia Ace Math Tests!

Ethan hated math! He tried and tried to get it, but it just made him really frustrated! He struggled to understand and remember concepts. Accordingly, I felt like I had to come up with 57 different ways to teach a concept so that maybe one of them…

Multisensory Math Surprised This Student!

Big box tutoring is frustrating! We have tried in person tutoring in the past. To be honest, getting someone to show up consistently has been a struggle, and the big box math tutoring companies (Sylvan, Kumon) do not have the personalized, conven…

ADHD Doesn’t Stop this Cowboy from Learning

Cam had so many tutors in the past that were not helpful or able to teach the content where his ADD mind could understand. He would get extremely frustrated and shut down. We took a break for a while before trying to start again. He was adamant…

Math Shows Up in this Student’s Play

Ryan wasn’t understanding math the way it was being taught to him in school, mostly through verbal instruction, worksheets, and the computer program, and Prodigy. The school actually had a decent curriculum, but the teachers either weren’t trained in…

[Case Study]

by Jennie Miller

Tracey, Math Specialist

"It was a pleasure working with Will. By the time I started working with him in 8th grade, he had a wonderful attitude about math. Others before me- Mathew and Sam at MFM did a great job getting him there."

William, 9th Grader

Will loves reading, writing, music, and anything creative! He is currently 68,279 words into his novel (at the time of writing).

About this Student:

Name: William
Grade: 9th
School: Public
Struggles: Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, & Dyscalculia
Strengths: English and Writing

Author 100% 100%
Funny Guy 90% 90%
Creative 100% 100%

*Shared with permission from Will’s parents.

Introducing Will – an avid enthusiast of books, movies, video games, and all things creative! Despite his love for various interests, math proved to be Will's toughest subject. It wasn't until the 5th grade that his parents, concerned about his growing anxiety with math homework, began exploring alternatives beyond traditional school options. That's when they discovered Made for Math.

“Looks like you worked some Math Magic” -William’s Mom

Before Made for Math, what was school like for William? What prompted you to look for help?

Before Made for Math, William loved school but was increasingly anxious when it came to math. He had done other tutoring and still struggled.

Then in 5th grade, his anxiety started ramping up. When we would try to do math homework with him, he would hyperventilate. He wouldn’t look at the page, would drop his pencil ten times, anything to get away from it.

We realized that this wasn’t sustainable. We didn’t know how he would ever get through middle school or high school math.

What did you expect out of Made for Math? How well did we meet those expectations?

We didn’t know exactly what to expect from MFM. We had done other math tutoring and he was still barely hanging on. In the short term, we hoped to make math class bearable and then figure out the long term later. MFM has exceeded our expectations. His confidence went up and anxiety went down soon into the program. At first, he still struggled with the material but his attitude was entirely different. Then his math grades went up, and he was able to do math homework with no help and no prodding. His standardized test scores were always in the “at risk” category, but he was doing well in school and not having panic attacks. We thought that was good enough. We stuck with MFM because it had made him so much happier. Then in 8th grade, his test scores went up into the proficient/advanced range. So far in 9th grade, his scores have stayed there and he enjoys algebra class.

What is the most valuable/useful part of Math Intervention with MFM?

Peace in our family! No more crying, shouting, begging, and nagging about math homework. No more showing him how to do the problem again, and not knowing why he couldn’t do it.

What has changed as a result of Math Intervention? How do you feel about Will's confidence and math skills?

What has changed is that we never think about math class! We don’t worry that he won’t be able to go to college or graduate high school. Math is still sometimes difficult for him. He is dyscalculic and that is always going to be an area of challenge. But he is confident enough to work through it, get help from his teacher, and persevere. And he has the skills to learn and improve.

What Will wants to say:

What was school like for you before coming to Made for Math?
Math was always my worst subject. I always remember trying my best at it, but with only the instruction given in class there was only so far I could get. I’m dyslexic, dysgraphic, and dyscalculic (I still can't pronounce that last one) which made math extremely difficult. As much as the concepts were explained to me, it just all got jumbled up in my mind and I became even more confused than I was before.
What is school like for you now?
School is loads easier compared to what it was before I started with MFM. Made For Math helped me tremendously, even to the point where some of my math scores are better than my English and literature scores—something unheard of in a pre Made For Math environment. It was a little rough at first, and when I first started out I insisted that I didn’t need tutoring. I eventually warmed up to the whole Idea, and after awhile I actually enjoyed it. While school can still be difficult, and I’d still argue that math is my worst subject, Made For Math made school exponentially more enjoyable for me. I’m extremely grateful to everyone I worked with at Made For Math.

🪄Looking to discover the Math Magic everyone’s talking about? Watch a Demo Class to see if Multisensory Math is right for you and your family.

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Growth Mindset + Multisensory Math

Helped This Student Shine!

[Case Study]

by Adrianne Meldrum

Adrianne, Math Tutor

Adrianne works with Brittany twice a week online for 1 hour. She uses multisensory math techniques to engage Brittany.

Brittany, 10th Grader

Brittany has been with us for quite awhile and we have seen her take great strides! She loves playing soccer and hanging with her family.

About this Student:

Name: Brittany
Grade: 10
School: Public
Struggles: Math confidence, math concepts (these are a thing of the past!)
Strengths: Contributing in math class, growth mindset

Soccer Diva 100% 100%
Dedicated Student 100% 100%
Growth Mindset 100% 100%

*Shared with permission from Brittany's parents.

What problems was Brittany experiencing before you decided to try MFM?

Before we started my daughter had a C and was drowning in Algebra 1 by second trimester.

Why did you select MFM over regular tutoring available near you?

Logistics played a big part. Finding time in our busy schedule to drive to one more thing was a concern.

Comfort level played another big part. Being at home made it far more comfortable for my daughter. Her surroundings were familiar which I feel played a big part in helping her feel safe to ask questions and be herself.

I LOVE the online setting. I didn’t know what to expect at first, but it is fantastic!

Last year in middle school my daughter didn’t start school until 9am, so Adrianne meet with her twice a week before school. My daughter could do it in her Jammie’s. We weren’t racing to get somewhere, sitting in an uncomfortable classroom. It’s right is the comfort of your own home.

I have 4 kiddos, so to be able to get that much attention for my daughter without running all over town was golden! Now with busy high school schedules, she meets in the evening after dinner.

Look at these awesome wins!! Check out these texts sent from Brittany and her mom:

Notice that Brittany applies her growth mindset. She takes a test, looks at the feedback, and decides to do the retake offered to her.

She has changed the way she looks at getting math problems wrong! Love it ?

How did Adrianne help Brittany to experience success like this?

Adrianne plans interactive lessons that focus specifically on what my daughter needs. We have given Adrianne access to our online text book so she knows what the exact learning targets are for my daughter. Adrianne communicates regularly with my daughter asking for photos of homework and exams so she can help my daughter with exactly what she is working on.

She has taught her how to carefully dissect a problem to break it down into simple steps. She has taught her to use different colored pencils to help break down the information in a visual way. My daughter now uses this technique in her PreAP Chemistry class as well.

Adrianne shared a play list of “study music” to help her stay alert and focused. My daughter uses it all the time and has even shared it with her siblings.

She has taught her skills to boost her confidence. She is kind and patient and has a great desire to keep working with my daughter until she is confident she truly understands.

And best of all, Adrianne is quick to laugh when she makes a little math mistake, showing my daughter it is okay, that none of us are perfect and a mistake isn’t the end of the world.

Here’s what Brittany’s teacher had to say about her progress:

Watch what Brittany’s mom says at 0:42.

What are your goals for Brittany as he continues in her math studies?

Our biggest goal is for our daughter to be comfortable rather than intimidated by math. She no longer hates it, in fact she says she enjoys math “the way Adrianne teaches it.”

She is confident and already talking about taking PreAP Calculus next year. That is a huge accomplishment for a girl who as a 7th grader was ready to quit math all together.

Update on Brittany

Brittany is ROCKING it in math and has started working with our tutor Piper on chemistry. She is such a great example of what we want every student to aspire to be:

sees failure as a means for learning
hard working
have a growth mindset
advocate for their needs

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Multisensory Math Helps this Student with Dyslexia Ace Math Tests!

[Case Study]

by Adrianne Meldrum

Adrianne, Math Tutor

Adrianne works with Ethan three times a week online for 1 hour. She uses multisensory math techniques to engage Ethan.

Ethan, 14 yrs old

Ethan has dyslexia and ADHD. He’s been homeschooled since 3rd grade. He has set a personal goal to attend public school. Ethan is well on his way!

About this Student:

Name: Ethan B.
Age: 14
School: Homeschooler
Struggles: Dyslexia, ADHD
Strengths: Friendly, Great at Conversation

Super Fun 100% 100%
Funny Guy 90% 90%
Jamming to Music 100% 100%

*Shared with permission from Ethan’s parents.

What problems was Ethan experiencing before you decided to try MFM?

Ethan hated math! He tried and tried to get it, but it just made him really frustrated! He struggled to understand and remember concepts. Accordingly, I felt like I had to come up with 57 different ways to teach a concept so that maybe one of them would be the one that would work. And once we found a method that worked, it wouldn’t stick. He would wake up the next morning having forgotten what we learned the previous day. It felt like we were living out the movie ‘50 First Dates’!

We would spend 4 hours a day on one math concept and a few math problems! That’s way too much…but I felt like we had to do it in order to get him caught up. It was difficult and really draining as a mother. I felt like a failure and worried that my son wouldn’t be able to survive as an adult…without even basic math skills.

Ethan was really hard on himself. He felt like since he had Dyslexia and also struggled with math that he was not smart. It really affected his self-esteem, and this affected all other areas of his life. It was really hard.

Why did you select MFM over regular tutoring available near you?

We had already tried all kinds of different types of programs and tutors. Although there were good things about each of them, none of them helped Ethan make significant progress.

When I met Adrianne, we spent time talking about how her program, utilizing multisensory math, was different and how it could help Ethan. I was excited, yet apprehensive, praying it would work, but still not 100% convinced since nothing previously had worked.

But we decided to just give it a try and jumped right in.

How did Adrianne help Ethan experience more success in math?

Adrianne is a GODSEND! First, she helped my son relax! He had shut down due to the previous failures with math, and was almost unwilling to try anymore. But Adrianne was able to get him to open up and want to try.

She helped him understand how HE was indeed smart, and she helped him find some successes early on. These early wins made him want to try again! He started to progress by leaps and bounds! I watched his confidence grow as she worked with him. He was feeling so much better about himself as a person, which made my momma heart happy!

Adrianne has helped him in so many different ways! By teaching him how to learn and retain math skills, he is now learning and retaining info in other subjects! And I don’t have to remind him to do his homework now! He does it on his own and turns it in without me having to hound him.

AND he now says Math is his favorite subject. WOW! I never thought that would happen! This has made such a huge difference in all of our lives! THANK YOU ADRIANNE! We have been so blessed to have met you!

What are your goals for Ethan as he continues in his math studies?

We are hoping to be able to get Ethan up to grade level in math, so that he can attend and graduate from public high school. He really wants to be able to graduate! With Adrianne’s continued help, I think he can do it!

We also want him to continue to build his confidence. Adrianne has been so instrumental in his progress so far… I don’t know what we would do without her!

WE LOVE MFM!

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Multisensory Math Surprised this Student!

[Case Study]

by Adrianne Meldrum

Ruth, Math Tutor

Ruth works with Margo twice a week online for 1 hour. She uses multisensory math techniques to engage Margo.

Margo, 6th Grader

Margo loves to dance and travel to interesting places with her family.

About this Student:

Name: Margo J.
Grade: 6th
School: Public
Struggles: Short attention span
Strengths: Seeing the big picture

Dance Diva 100% 100%
Funny Gal 90% 90%
Surprised Herself 100% 100%

*Shared with permission from Margo’s parents.

What problems was Margo experiencing before you decided to try MFM?

She was generally confused by the lessons at school and felt overwhelmed. This led to many tear-filled nights due to frustration.

Why did you select MFM over regular tutoring available near you?

#1-Adrianne! I was looking for inspiration and stumbled upon a podcast with Adrianne describing exactly what we were experiencing at home. I shared the podcast with my husband, then contacted Math for Middles the following day.

#2- Big box tutoring is frustrating! We have tried in-person tutoring in the past. To be honest, getting someone to show up consistently has been a struggle, and the big box math tutoring companies (Sylvan, Kumon) do not have the personalized, convenient approach that we so desperately needed.

How did Ruth help Margo to experience small wins like this?

Margo’s answer: “Ruth simplifies everything.”

Margo’s 4th and 5th grade teacher (the same teacher both years) did not teach math. When she started 6th grade, Margo felt hopelessly lost in math.

Ruth helps Margo feel capable and so much more confident! She helps with the daily homework, as well as working to ‘fill in the gaps’ Margo has from those lost years. Most of all, she somehow makes it fun!

What are your goals for Margo as she continues in her math studies?

Margo’s answer: “Pass math class. Ha ha!”

My goals for Margo:

1. To continue to stay on top of her math skills in class

2. To get a better understanding of math fundamentals AKA-‘filling the gaps’

3. My lofty goal is to work over the summer on the upcoming 7th grade math skills so that Margo is ahead when she goes back to school in late August. Another positive: she can tutor anywhere, even when we are out of town on vacation.

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ADHD Doesn’t Stop this Cowboy from Learning

[Case Study]

by Adrianne Meldrum

Ruth, Math Tutor

Ruth works with cameron twice a week online for 45 minutes. She uses multisensory math techniques to engage Cam.

Cameron, 5th Grader

Cameron loves sports, is friendly and outgoing. He’s discovering that math can be fun!

About this Student:

Name: Cameron W.
Grade: 5th
School: Public
Struggles: ADHD
Strengths: Fun-loving and full of surprises!

Sports Guy 100% 100%
Funny Guy 90% 90%
Texan at Heart 100% 100%

*Shared with permission from Cameron’s parents.

What problems was Cameron experiencing before you decided to try MFM?

After convincing him to try one for a few sessions, he ended up frustrated and shut down again. Each day he fell further and further behind in math class while losing his confidence. We needed to think outside the box.

Why did you select MFM over regular tutoring available near you?

As his parents we knew the traditional tutor method would not work. He was so resistant from the beginning, we were already set up for failure. We had to get creative. My husband heard of the MFM program on the Tilt Parenting podcast.

He knew immediately it was something we had to try. We knew it was something we could get Cam to buy into.

It was a hit from the start!

He was engaged and focused which we had never seen from traditional in person methods.

How did Ruth help Cameron to experience small wins like this?

Ruth knew exactly how to teach to Cam’s brain. She knew all the tricks and all the methods to get him engaged. She used his interest, like sports, to show math concepts.

Little by little, starting from the ground up, she showed him how to solve problems in a way he understood. She celebrated the small wins along the way, building his confidence. Finally, he started realized he could do it.

Cameron’s teacher also sent us this message recently:

Just wanted to show you that my favorite child not only multiplied a 3-digit by a 2-digit number, he also neatly rewrote the products for the multiplication problems to add them (mostly) correctly!

???

I am keeping this photographic evidence! ~ Cameron’s 5th Grade Teacher

As you can see, even his teacher noticed a huge shift for Cameron.

What are your goals for Cameron as he continues in his math studies?

Our goals for Cameron first and foremost are for him to realize he can solve math problems!

Before he was not even attempting because he was convinced he would not succeed, but now he actually tries and does succeed!

We want him to continue building his confidence regarding math. He is about to enter middle school so we know the work will become a lot more challenging.

Our goal is to build a strong foundation for him now to succeed in math as the years go on. We want him to know he has Ruth and the MFM staff on his team to help him in the years to come.

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Math Shows Up in this Student’s Play

[Case Study]

by Adrianne Meldrum

Adrianne, Math Tutor

Adrianne works with Ryan twice a week online for 1 hour. She uses multisensory math techniques to engage Ryan.

Ryan, Homeschooler

Ryan loves beating his dad at sports and building things with his hands! He recently won Pyramid Solitaire.

About this Student:

Name: Ryan
Age: 8
School: Homeschooled
Struggles: Dyslexia
Strengths: Building with his hands

Sports Enthusiast 100% 100%
Creative Thinker 100% 100%
Master Builder 100% 100%

*Shared with permission from Ryan’s parents.

What problems was Ryan experiencing before you decided to try MFM?

Ryan wasn’t understanding math the way it was being taught to him in school, mostly through verbal instruction, worksheets, and the computer program, prodigy. The school actually had a decent curriculum, but the teachers either weren’t trained in it or didn’t feel they had time to teach it with fidelity.

He wasn’t making any forward progress, and the gap was quickly widening in his second grade year. For numerous reasons, I pulled Ryan from school to homeschool. He was soon diagnosed with dyslexia. I immediately started attending courses to learn what kind of instruction Ryan needed and how to advocate for him.

Why did you select MFM over regular tutoring available near you?

In the meantime, I found through our local university, an elementary teacher who after retirement, got a PhD in math education.

Ryan worked with this wonderful, loving teacher for six months. She taught his addition facts through 18 and the decomposition/composition of ten through math games that used concrete, representational, abstract concepts. Ryan regained a love for math again, as well as his confidence. Learning through play is truly magical. This was a needed and valuable step for Ryan.

However, after six months, I knew that while Ryan was making some progress, it was not as much as I felt he is capable of, nor was he instructed in the number of topics and skills a second grader should have to keep up with his class.

I had taken some math courses over the summer specific to helping dyslexic students, however I was struggling to know where to start with Ryan. I needed to find someone who could either mentor me with implementation of the strategies I had been taught or someone who could teach Ryan the rest of these concepts in a way that a child with dyslexia could understand, remember, and apply.

When I found MFM, I knew I had found the answer to helping me with both needs–help for Ryan and mentorship for myself. Because of my training experiences I knew that Math for Middles would offer a full lesson plan of learning activities that covered multiple areas of math and would teach in a way that any student could understand, including students with dyslexia and dyscalculia.

The math concepts are taught systematically, sequentially, explicitly, using multisensory methods, and works through a concrete, representational, and abstract model. There isn’t a better instructional method than that.

Take a peek at some of the math showing up in Ryan’s play. Below he was making patterns on his own and also categorizing the LEGO minifigures by “with a cape and without a cape”.

These are important concepts in math!

How did Adrianne help Ryan to experience more success in math?

Adrianne began her instruction with Ryan based off an initial, in-depth, formal assessment that identified Ryan’s strength’s and weaknesses. Adrianne’s lessons are developmentally appropriate and engaging. He is also getting a full curriculum of skills and math topics.

In just seven weeks, Ryan has stopped reversing his 3’s and 9’s; is developing problem solving strategies; strengthening his logic through sorting and categorization; applying his knowledge of math facts and addition; and beginning work in subtraction.

Adrianne has also provided an educational therapist to help him work through his issues of anxiety, and ADHD in not only math, but also his literacy. MFM provides a way to treat Ryan as a whole person, not just his math difficulties. Ryan is making wonderful progress and I also find my confidence growing in my skills as well.

What are your goals for Ryan as he continues in his math studies?

I would like for Ryan to:

continue to grow his enjoyment of math and his confidence to do it.
continue to strengthen his logic, problem solving skills, and ability to identify.
gain an understanding of math terms and definitions through the use of a visual dictionary and words broken into roots and morphemes, with pictorial or representational examples.
gain a solid understanding of the base ten system and how it applies to the four basic operations, fractions, and money
solve problems that have functional applications in real life situations.

My ‘Dream Big’ goal is for him down the road is to eventually be able to use the scientific method to solve math problems– to collect data from a set of problems, find the patterns, analyze it and create a theory of how a set of problems could be solved. I recognize this may not be a goal Ryan wants to do though. I just think it sounds fun to help students learn to think this way.

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Student

Case Studies

Multisensory Math Magic Helps This Student Soar!

Growth Mindset + Multisensory Math Helped This Student Shine!

Multisensory Math Helps this Student with Dyslexia Ace Math Tests!

Multisensory Math Surprised This Student!

ADHD Doesn’t Stop this Cowboy from Learning

Math Shows Up in this Student’s Play

Multisensory Math Magic Helps This Student Soar!

[Case Study]

Tracey, Math Specialist

William, 9th Grader

About this Student:

Before Made for Math, what was school like for William? What prompted you to look for help?

What did you expect out of Made for Math? How well did we meet those expectations?

What is the most valuable/useful part of Math Intervention with MFM?

What has changed as a result of Math Intervention? How do you feel about Will's confidence and math skills?

What Will wants to say:

What was school like for you before coming to Made for Math?

What is school like for you now?

Growth Mindset + Multisensory Math

Helped This Student Shine!

[Case Study]

Adrianne, Math Tutor

Brittany, 10th Grader

About this Student:

What problems was Brittany experiencing before you decided to try MFM?

Why did you select MFM over regular tutoring available near you?

How did Adrianne help Brittany to experience success like this?

What are your goals for Brittany as he continues in her math studies?

*Update on Brittany*

Multisensory Math Helps this Student with Dyslexia Ace Math Tests!

[Case Study]

Adrianne, Math Tutor

Ethan, 14 yrs old

About this Student:

What problems was Ethan experiencing before you decided to try MFM?

Why did you select MFM over regular tutoring available near you?

How did Adrianne help Ethan experience more success in math?

What are your goals for Ethan as he continues in his math studies?

Multisensory Math Surprised this Student!

[Case Study]

Ruth, Math Tutor

Margo, 6th Grader

About this Student:

What problems was Margo experiencing before you decided to try MFM?

How did Ruth help Margo to experience small wins like this?

What are your goals for Margo as she continues in her math studies?

ADHD Doesn’t Stop this Cowboy from Learning

[Case Study]

Ruth, Math Tutor

Cameron, 5th Grader

About this Student:

What problems was Cameron experiencing before you decided to try MFM?

Why did you select MFM over regular tutoring available near you?

How did Ruth help Cameron to experience small wins like this?

What are your goals for Cameron as he continues in his math studies?

Math Shows Up in this Student’s Play

[Case Study]

Adrianne, Math Tutor

Ryan, Homeschooler

About this Student:

What problems was Ryan experiencing before you decided to try MFM?

Why did you select MFM over regular tutoring available near you?

How did Adrianne help Ryan to experience more success in math?

What are your goals for Ryan as he continues in his math studies?

Update on Brittany