The IT guide to supporting K-12 numeracy

Like it or not, you use math every day. Deciding when to leave so you won’t be late; figuring out if the item you bought is within your budget; cutting a cake into equal slices — all of these require some fundamental math skills. (Sounds like you’re going to a birthday party; have fun!)

But not everyone has the skills to support their goals in life. OECD reported that nearly a quarter of young adults have “low foundational skills” in math and reading. And their quality of life suffers as a result.

Schools across the world are tackling this issue, with many introducing numeracy programs that aim to improve student math comprehension. Obviously, this means teachers and school administrators need to adjust their strategies. But school IT teams have an important role in helping these programs succeed — they manage and support the devices teachers and students use in the classroom. The way these devices are managed can make or break technology use during lessons.

In our e-book, The IT Guide to Supporting K-12 Numeracy, we discuss what good numeracy instruction looks like and five ways IT teams impact numeracy success. Check out the e-book for the full story or read on for a summary.

IT’s part in numeracy success

Good numeracy instruction depends on scaffolded lessons and math talk, plus assessments dynamic enough to catch what a written test misses. Technology in the classroom needs the capabilities to keep up.

IT teams don't write curricula, but they shape the conditions around it: infrastructure quality, digital equity and whether teachers trust the tools in front of them. In the e-book, we walk through what this looks like:

1. Equitable device and app access

Students come from all different walks of life, with access to different resources. If every student gets a device configured with the books, apps and tools they need, they can start on a level playing field.

2. Configuration that blocks distraction, not the tools that help

Misconfigured devices lead to time wasted troubleshooting apps, access or broken settings. The right level of restriction keeps focus on learning.

3. App and content delivery at scale

Admins manage hundreds or thousands of apps (and their updates) and devices. Deploying the right content to the right student at the right time needs automated, powerful tools to keep up.

4. Privacy protections for adaptive math tools

Many schools see improvements in math scores when they use tools that adapt to the learner. These tools often collect behavior data to profile the student and create a personalized experience. Schools need to consider what data is collected and handled, and whether these apps are worth the risk to privacy.

5. A program that survives past year one

For a numeracy program to last, it needs to be sustainable and healthy. IT teams need to streamline device turnover, updates and new enrollments year after year. They can also track general app use to see what apps have the greatest impact.

How Jamf can help

Jamf for K-12 is built for schools with:

• Zero-touch deployment and automation so devices are configured before the first day of school
• Blueprints and app management to push the numeracy tools to students when they need it
• The Jamf Teacher and Jamf Student apps for classroom management
• Content filtering and threat protection to keep students safe without getting in the way of the lesson

Educators build numeracy curricula and bring them to life in the classroom; IT provides the technology that makes digital learning possible.