Bethlehem, August 24, 2022 – – State Senator Lisa Boscola announced today that she secured $500,000 to provided supplemental learning resources to students in the 18th Senatorial District. The grant funding will provide First In Math services to all K-8 students at every school district in the 18th.
First In Math is a supplemental resource that school districts may utilize to improve a student’s fluency in mathematics. First In Math features hundreds of engaging math games designed to strengthen fact fluency, automaticity, computational thinking and other critical skills.
“It’s critical that we provide the educational tools necessary for our students to be prepared to succeed in our 21st century world and First in Math has a proven track record of success,” Senator Boscola stated. “Funding to bring these services to all the school districts in the 18th District was obtained during this year’s budget negotiations because of the results and data that First in Math provides. This is a proven supplemental resource, that not only excites students to learn, but also provides immediate feedback to encourage additional learning.”
Founded in 2002, by Bob Sun, First In Math is a nationally renowned resource that brings fun to the forefront of learning because of the immediate feedback and results that students receive.
“Thanks to Senator Boscola, we now have an opportunity to work at a regional level with more than 25,000 students in grades K to 8 over multiple years,” stated Robert Sun, 24® game and First In Math® Inventor and Founder and Chairman of Suntex International Inc. “Building strong math and problem-solving skills in our children will strengthen our community’s future workforce.”
Both the Bethlehem Area and Easton Area School Districts have already seen the significant impact that First In Math can have on student achievement. In 2021/2022, EASD and BASD students solved 133 million math problems spending 369,558 hours thinking mathematically – most of this activity was done outside school hours.
“’First in Math’ is a critical piece of our math curriculum by building math fact skills and mathematical thinking,” said Dr. Joseph Roy, Superintendent of the Bethlehem Area School District. “BASD students will continue to benefit from First in Math thanks to Senator Boscola and our long time partner Bob Sun.”
“Our students and staff are excited about math and eagerly set aggressive personal, class, and school math achievement goals when working within the First in Math program,” stated David Piperato, Superintendent of Easton Area School District. “The number of math problems our students complete annually in First in Math is impressive. We are proud of our students, and we appreciate the support that Mr. Sun provides to the students and staff of the Easton Area School District.”
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