~ Jill Stowell, M.S. Stowell Learning Centers, Inc. Author, 'At Wits' End,, a parent's guide to ending the struggle, tears and turmoil of learning disabilities.

Chris La Deaux's math programs are beautifully done and completely on-target. We recently started with Add to Subtract and love the way the program helps students to get vivid mental pictures of how numbers fit together to create the math facts.

Add to Subtract is a fun and complete program for memorizing addition and subtraction facts and getting lots of well-sequenced practice with adding and subtracting. It provides a critical piece that many students struggle with in a format that can easily fit into traditional classrooms, tutoring centers and homeschool lessons. Well done.

#homeschool
#add/subtract
#tutoring

~ Parent of Seventh Grader at Camerado Middle School, Cameron Park

The combination of your math classes and private tutoring has given my seventh grade son the confidence and skills to be successful in math. At times I wondered if he would be able to keep up with the math curriculum in school. I never realized how important it is to master the basic addition, subtraction and multiplication facts. I now know that having a solid foundation that starts with the math facts is critical to be able to understand long division, fractions, algebra and many concepts that students must learn. I wish that I knew about your math classes when my son needed help in second and third grades. It would have saved him a lot of frustration and feeling like he was not smart. I recommend your classes to anyone who has a child who is counting and struggling to learn the math facts. Your classes have given my son the confidence he needs to be successful in math and other areas in his life. Thank you for your help.

#tutoring
#add/subtract
#multiplication
#division
#homeschool
#parent

~ Parent of Second Grader at Silva Valley Elementary School

In learning it isn't where you start, it's where you finish that matters! We watched and encouraged our children to learn to walk and eventually run. At first they were unsteady and fell down. With our help they succeeded and today they run without effort. Your children are taking their first math steps. Learning math parallels learning to walk. We need to provide encouragement and tools to help them succeed. Ways That Work provides the helping hand they need to guide them to success! The program allows students to receive immediate feedback which fuels their motivation to learn. Stop watching your children stumble through math when they are capable of running! Give them all of the tools they need to steady themselves by participating in the the two-class addition and subtraction program.

Math is a journey. The more prepared you are for the journey, the more enjoyable the journey becomes. Ways That Work is the math preparation necessary for your child's academic journey. All preparation requires effort. This program provides tools for your children to make their math efforts successful. If you walk in a circle each day with hope of reaching the mountain summit, you will never reach the summit. Likewise, if you use ineffective methods to teach your children math, they will not achieve their true potential. Give your children the academic preparation to make their journey enjoyable. Allow them to be fully prepared by participating in both classes of the addition and subtraction program from Ways That Work. You wouldn't bring only half of what you needed on a journey! Remember, in learning, it isn't where you start, it's where you finish that matters! This is the key, finishing! So, stay on the journey and complete the addition and subtraction program.

#multiplication
#add/subtract
#tutoring
#add/subtract
#homeschool
#parent

~ Parent of Second Grader at Green Valley Elementary School, Rescue

When my daughter started working with Chris, she hardly knew any of her addition and subtraction facts. She used her fingers to count to get the answers that she got right. After 7 months of working with Chris' system, she knew all of her adding, subtracting and multiplication facts. It was amazing. I never thought she could do it because of her developmental delays. It took a while before she understood the system, but we practiced every day at home. Once she understood the system, she quickly picked up the rest of the facts. The pictures helped her visualize the facts. Before long, she was almost at the top of her class with the math facts.

#tutoring
#add/subtract
#multiplication
#homeschool
#parent

~ Todd Smith, 3rd Grade Teacher, Holy Trinity School, El Dorado Hills, CA

I believe! After observing your first demonstration in my classroom and seeing how enthused my kids were to successfully recall 'The 3s,' I knew that your method of learning multiplication facts was a much more efficient method than any of my past attempts. Results from the 100-problem pre/post assessment (Time: 8 minutes or less) of multiplication facts (1-12) indicated that only 3 o f my students scored 80% or higher. I used this same assessment as a post-assessment six weeks later, however I have much different results.

I used TURN the Tables intensively for a period of 6 weeks with my third grade class of 34 students, beginning in late February. I spent roughly 40-50 minutes a day for the first two weeks. After my students recognized the familiar pattern in this multi-sensory approach, I spent approximately 15 minutes introducing new facts and allowing 20 minutes for students to work independently for a total of 35 minutes. The time remaining from our usual 50 minutes was used to cover new materials. At the end of each week, I used the corresponding multiplication fact assessment (included in the curriculum binder) with my class to determine proficiency levels. In all but one exception, a minimum of 80% of my students scored 80% or higher on each fact assessment (50 problems in 4 minutes). The exception was 'The 8s' test, in which case 70% of my students scored 80% or higher on their assessment.

At the end of the sixth week, I gave the 100-problem pre/post assessment test (Time: 8 minutes or less) to my students. Of my 34 students, 82% scored 80 or better. The following week I gave the same assessment and 88% scored 80 or better. I reviewed multiplication using TURN the Tables twice weekly for the remaining 7 weeks of school, a total of 10-15 minutes per week. Each week I gave the 100-problem pre/post assessment test and recorded similar results. By the end of the year, 20 of my students were consistently scoring 95% or better on their 100-problem pre/post-assessment test and 32 students out of the 34 scored 72 or better.

Given the fundamental need for students' ability to recall multiplication facts, I truly believe that your curriculum establishes a firm foundation for long-term memory of the material. I was once a skeptic and am now a converted believer.

Thank you.

#multiplication
#tutoring
#5*
#educator

~ Joan Smith EDU, Therapeutic Director Licensed Educational Psychologist and Speech Pathologist Author, 'You Don't Have to BE Dyslexic,' 'Learning Victories,' and 'The Calming Kitchen'

I have had the opportunity to review the Add to Subtract program which you have completed and continue to be very impressed with your incredible ability to bring clarity to our educational system. As you know, I am a strong believer in using all the senses to input information into our children's memory storage. Add to Subtract does exactly that with the use of manipulatives materials, visual association and considerable practice opportunities. We know that frequency in exposure to materials and receiving information through multiple senses increases the likelihood of retention of information.

Since the basic understanding of numerals is the foundation for all future math skills it is essential that this primary concept becomes automatic. Add to Subtract provides that foundation. The program also insists on the consistent practice and review which activates brain cell storage. All of this experience with the initial numeric concepts creates a genuine understanding which will serve the student well through advanced math. It is especially encouraging to young (and remedial) students to feel that they are able to do advanced problems. When students can add multiple number (without having to worry about regrouping or carrying) they are emboldened with success. Those pages brought a smile to my face as I know how critical it is for students to feel that they are especially skilled in an area. This experience will convince them that they are particularly talented and cement a life-long confidence in their math efforts.

Add to Subtract is an important addition for teachers to use as they address the early development of math concepts and for special education teachers to use to resolve learning confusion for children with disabilities. Thank you for this important contribution to our teaching resources. I hope every school makes this available for their elementary educators to relieve the problem of math confusion in our school system.

#add/subtract
#educator

~ Parent of Second Grader at Lakeview Elementary School

As my husband works in finance and has a geophysics degree, we recognize the importance of having a strong mathematical background. When our daughter's grades were not as strong as we would like, we enrolled her in the Ways That Work Addition and Subtraction Facts to 9 class to help her along. We were extremely pleased with the result and followed up with The Facts 10-18 class. Not only have our daughter's math grades improved, she has become much more confident. We believe the Ways That Work method has placed a strong foundation for our daughter to build upon. The Ways That Work method was much more effective than our school curriculum alone. We are grateful for our daughter's improvement and the tools she has gained for long term mathematical success. We are also looking forward to her continue progress with the multiplication facts and would recommend your classes to anyone with school aged children.

#add/subtract
#parent

~ Parent of Second Grader at Jackson Elementary School

My daughter is now excited about doing math after she has taken your two adding and subtracting classes. At the end of The Facts to 9 class she was still struggling with subtraction but now that she has taken The Facts 10-18 class, she loves working in her binder and even doing subtraction. Your method made math fun and easy to learn. My daughter can't wait to take your multiplication class.

#add/subtract
#parent

~ Parent of Second Grader at Green Valley Elementary School

Before my daughter took The Addition and Subtraction Facts to 9 class, she was using her fingers and the number line to calculate the answers to the addition and subtraction problems. The results from her taking the class were amazing; her confidence level in working in addition and subtraction increased and she began to enjoy doing her math homework. She is currently enrolled in The Addition and Subtraction Facts 10-18 class. In this class she has continued to be successful and now enjoys working long addition and subtraction problems. The techniques Ms. La Deaux uses to teach the facts are unique and get great results.

#add/subtract
#parent

~ Parent of First Grader at Lake Forest Elementary School

My daughter is in first grade now and is finishing up The Facts 10-18 class. She started over the summer in The Facts to 9 class. Initially enrolling her in the summer class I was a bit apprehensive due to her age and if she could keep up in a 2-hour class. Due to how well she did over the summer I decided to enroll her in the 2nd class, The Facts 10-18. She is now with 4 other students that are in 4th and 5th grade and doing extremely well. She loves the class! She does the homework without hesitation and enjoys being timed. I am very proud of her confidence and success with this program. The program is terrific and I highly recommend anyone who takes the first class to continue on with the 2nd class. The visualization really helped her get it and remember the facts. I feel so relieved that she will master the facts and not struggle with addition and subtraction facts due to this program rather than rely on counting.

#add/subtract
#tutoring
#homeschool
#parent

~ Parent of Second Grader at Sutter's Mill Elementary School.

We have been very impressed with Sara's newly found pride, independence and determination around her academics. We share the credit with you and your program. Sara's confidence has blossomed like never before as she found a belief in herself; so much of that confidence and belief came from her one on one interaction with you and even more from the fact she found success in your program. When we brought Sara to you I wasn't sure tackling "just the facts" would suffice and now I see that it is exactly that infrastructure which can not only create academic success in math studies alone, but through the process, success can carry on further into confidence, the approach translated into other study habits and a little one's first life lesson in just how big the payoff of perseverance can be!

#tutoring
#add/subtract
#multiplication
#homeschool
#parent

~ Parent of Second Grader at Lakeview Elementary School

We are so grateful for Chris' program. Our daughter went through both the Facts to 9 and The Facts 10-18 class and it has drastically improved her math sills, speed, and confidence. We have even heard the words, "That is easy!" come from her on several occasions. She no longer "counts" on fingers or in her head, and instead, asks herself, "What goes with 7 to equal 15?" She is able to break larger problems down into smaller, more manageable pieces using the foundations she learning in The Facts to 9 class. The Facts 10-18 class has helped her to function with larger numbers and manipulate place values. I've had the parent volunteers come and tell me that she calculates problems in her head during class that they have to write down on paper to verify. Reagan says math is the easiest part of school and when faced with nightly homework options (spelling, vocabulary, reading and math) readily chooses math as her first activity. She doesn't think twice about completing a 100-problem math page from your homework; it always makes us smile when she is so confident and quick to choose her "easy" math homework. Of all the extra curricular activities we have provided for her over the years, your program was by far the best investment in her confidence and academic performance we could have chosen. We would highly recommend Ways That Work for building a fantastic foundation of math skills that will serve any child throughout their school career.

#add/subtract
#parent