How We Developed the Program

Our Vision

Leigh Smith created the Math Skills-N-Drills® Program in 2006, with the vision of enhancing the social, mental, and physical development of ALL children throughout the U.S. We began evaluating various subgroups of population to get a better understanding of their learning patterns and what subjects they struggled with the most.

Evaluation: The results of our evaluation showed that gone were the days of only auditory learning and strictly rote memory; students had become more visual and kinesthetic learners than they used to be.  We also found that certain subgroups of students continued to lag far behind others in math and reading, but there seemed to be an innate fear of math even in very young children.

The Question: “What can we do to help students overcome this math fear and anxiety so that they could gain an understanding of math, desire to do math, and eventually a love for math?”

The Answer: Math Skills-N-Drills®!

We took our knowledge of math and our knowledge of basketball and merged the two. Thus, the birth of an innovative, creative program improving the student’s health as well as increasing his/her math scores— Math Skills-N-Drills®!

 

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Math Skills-N-Drills is a new and unique math program reaching K-12 students throughout the nation.

The program is unique in that it simplifies mathematical concepts for students by combining math and basketball/physical education activities into one creative learning experience.  The curriculum uses physical models, problem solving situations, and technology to ensure that students become immersed in the program. In order for students to be successful in mathematics, they must be able to perceive the connection and relationships among mathematical concepts. Math Skills-N-Drills offers hands-on activities that develop and enhance each student’s communication skills.

 

The curriculum is based on the Principles and Standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). The six principles for school mathematics address overarching themes: equity, curriculum, teaching, learning, assessment, and technology. The five content standards address: number and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and data analysis and probability.

 

Math Skills-N-Drills is offered in a safe, supervised, academically-enriched learning environment. Activities employed foster cultural and personal development, improve student behavior, reduce failure rates, improve athletic skills and conditioning, and improve health, all while affording students access to rigorous, high quality academic instruction. Through these varied experiences, the lives of our students are profoundly enriched. Math Skills-N-Drills supports the Let’s Move! Initiative implemented by the White House in its efforts to create healthier students across the country.