Seventh grade student blows the competition out of the water with her achievement in MATHia.
Some students surpass teachers’ expectations. Others rewrite the game entirely.
At Barboursville Middle School in Cabell County, West Virginia, 7th grader Gabriella “Gaby” Robertson achieved something rare and special. Not only did she complete all of the seventh-grade coursework in the MATHia program well before the end of the school year, she completed everything available to middle and high school learners: the middle school courses, Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II.
Gaby’s accomplishment speaks volumes about her exceptional drive to learn and her love for math, as well as the support she received from her parents and teachers. What was Gaby’s experience with MATHia, and how was she able to achieve such an impressive feat?
MATHia fostered Gaby’s passion for math and empowered her to be the agent of her own learning.
She explains, “MATHia lets me work at my own pace, and there is not really a limit of how much I can do. I can just keep learning new skills. I also like that there is more than one way to solve a problem, and MATHia lets me discover it.”
Gaby’s parents also recognize how the personalized learning platform strengthened her self-reliance as a learner. They say, “MATHia teaches Gaby to work independently and use time management to reach her goals. With MATHia, Gaby was able to set her own pace and study content that challenged her.”
Because MATHia adapts to each student’s performance, all learners can tap into their full potential, whether that means mastering content above their grade level or getting extra practice on fundamentals below grade level.
Gaby always strives to be the best, and when you’re driven by competition, it helps to have a top record you want to beat. In Gaby’s case, it was her sister’s.
When Gaby’s older sister Pati was in 7th grade, she also completed all of MATHia’s courses in 586 workspaces. Gabi was determined to beat this record.
Gaby states, “I like to be the best at everything, and MATHia is no different. I want to get past my goal of 586 workspaces, which is what Pati, my older sister, got when she did MATHia. I strive to do three or four MATHia workspaces a day, but I always try to do more if possible. I also want to have a high percentage of how many problems I get right. I'm going to try my best to reach my goal, and I want to learn as much as I can in the time I have left in 7th grade.”
Gaby’s parents are proud of her drive. They state, “Gaby has always had a competitive spirit. From swimming, to academics, to catching the biggest earthworm, Gaby wants to win. This is especially true if Pati, her sister, is the competition. MATHia has given Gaby the opportunity to practice the philosophy, ‘Don’t wait on me,’ that she learned at a young age.”
Pati doesn’t mind the friendly competition and is also proud of her younger sister. She comments, “MATHia was an amazing challenge in 7th grade, and I’m glad that Gaby is working on it as well. As the older sister, I normally set the bar and she is always surpassing me. Of course, I can no longer work on MATHia, so I just have to hope my record holds.”
As of May 13th, Gaby has completed 600 MATHia workspaces! In the 2020-2021 school year, only 8 students out of 346,000 have completed 600 or more workspaces, so Gaby is one of an elite few. For all you LONG + LIVE + MATHers out there, you know that's an astonishing .00231214% of students who accomplished this much curricula!
Gaby is ecstatic about completing an incredible amount of the MATHia program. She says, "When I reached my MATHia goal, I was very proud of myself because I had been working towards this all year and I had finally accomplished it! All that work I had done had finally paid off, and I had not only learned a lot, I also reached and passed my goal.”
Gaby has plenty of time to figure out college and career plans, but she’s on a fast track to success with her love of and proficiency in math.
“I believe MATHia will really help me when I grow up and get a career that involves math,” reflects Gaby.
Now that she’s completed the entire MATHia program with flying colors, the only thing left is the SAT course, which she’s planning to start next.
Mr. Force, her teacher, expects she’ll master the ACT, too. “Pati keeps setting the goals higher and higher for Gaby. Pati scored a perfect 36 on the ACT, and I have confidence that Gaby will follow right up with a second perfect in that family.”
Teachers aren’t always prepared to challenge exceptional students like Gaby and Pati, but Mr. Force was ready and grateful for the opportunity.
“I can only hope that there will be other superstars on my horizon like the Robertson girls. I have been more than blessed to have these two amazing young ladies in my class. Thank you Carnegie Learning and MATHia for giving me something to challenge these young ladies and encourage them to reach for the stars.”
A huge congratulations to Gaby (and Pati!)—we can’t wait to see what you accomplish next!
Carnegie Learning is helping students learn why, not just what. Born from more than 30 years of learning science research at Carnegie Mellon University, the company has become a recognized leader in the ed tech space, using artificial intelligence, formative assessment, and adaptive learning to deliver groundbreaking solutions to education’s toughest challenges. With the highest quality offerings for K-12 math, ELA, literacy, world languages, professional learning and more, Carnegie Learning is changing the way we think about education, fostering learning that lasts.
Explore more related to this authorMATHia lets me work at my own pace, and there is not really a limit of how much I can do.
Gaby Robertson
