Symphony Math

Online elementary and middle school math program focused on interactive, manipulable shapes that reinforce core concepts

Overview

Symphony Math is a straightforward tool sold by Symphony Learning for screening, monitoring and bolstering students’ understanding of math, aimed at those in grades K-8. It was developed by an educational software veteran and a developmental psychologist in 2007. Symphony is aligned with Common Core standards.

Originally designed for struggling students, Symphony identifies students in need of additional math support--particularly at the foundational skill level--and provides self-paced, interactive, visual lessons and practice to reinforce the lesson and help students master relevant concepts. When a student misses an answer, he or she receives instructive feedback to help figure out the right answer -- rather than just a “no” and the solution, an approach that can lead them to just guess at future problems. Along the way, the system also collects and displays student progress information for teachers whose schools or districts pay for usage, and those students’ parents can access the information as well.

A 2009 control-and-variable study of the program of third-grade students at Jenkins Elementary in Scituate, MA, found that the program "closed the learning gap" for under-performing students.

Symphony Math has been used by approximately 2,000 schools throughout the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand.