Parents looking for another way to combat the dreaded “summer slide” need look no further. Think Through Math (TTM) is offering its “Texas Math—Everybody’s Doing It!” (.pdf) competition for the second year in a row.

Students in grades 3–8 can sharpen their math skills this summer by participating in the free online contest through Aug. 8—and if enough do so, HISD will retain its title as the top district in Texas. The district first took the crown in last year’s competition, with almost three times as many points as the second-place finisher.

Participating students can also win individual prizes. Each day, three will be chosen at random to receive a “Daily Dive” award—an Amazon e-gift card for passing at least two math lessons.

“The best thing about Think Through Math is that it builds students’ skills while they are having fun,” said HISD Curriculum Specialist Nimmi Thomas. “Learning pathways are created in real time just for them based on their performance, so it’s very individualized.”

Educators who use TTM on their campuses report solid gains in math among their students.

“Our STAAR math scores for 2014 increased at every grade level,” said The Rice School Principal Kimberly Hobbs. “The most significant gains occurred at the fourth-grade level (72 percent to 82 percent) and the sixth-grade level (77 percent to 85 percent).”

“TTM has been a driving force in the learning process for even my advanced students,” added Adam Blair, a lead teacher at Wilson Montessori. “All of my students passed STAAR, and all of them showed at least one year of positive growth—many showed more. They love it.”

Think Through Math is one of two programs supported by the Texas Education Agency through its Texas SUCCESS Initiative. Students who complete at least 30 TTM lessons in their targeted pathway are proven to make measureable gains on standardized tests.

SPECIAL NOTE TO PARENTS & STUDENTS: HISD students who have already used Think Through Math can log in with the same username and password they did during the regular school year. If your child does not yet have an account, one can easily be created on the TTM website. A reset tool is also available there for students who have forgotten their passwords or usernames. Parents may call 866-357-8664 (option 3) or send an email to support@thinkthroughmath.com for additional assistance.