How districts can use ESSER Funding for Mathspace

Katherine Cheng -

This article gives an overview of how you can use funding from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) to purchase Mathspace.

Quick recap:

  • Last year the CARES Act was introduced. It provided $13.2 billion to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER).
  • In March this year the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act signed into law an additional $1.9 trillion package of assistance measures, including $122 billion for the ARP Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund.
  • At least 90% of these funds go directly to districts and are distributed based on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESEA) 2019 Title 1 part A formula
  • Mathspace is an allowable use of these funds, pending on the state

ESSER I, ESSER II, and ARP ESSER have collectively made $190+ billion available for schools. The good news is that Mathspace fits the criteria of allowable use for these funds, pending on the state. We’ve put together a guide to show you how districts, schools and teachers how to use this funding to purchase Mathspace.

What is the goal of ESSER funding?

ESSER funds are allocated to support school districts and assist with bridging the ‘technological divide.’ The goal is to address equity in high-poverty schools by helping to improve school access to educational technology and online learning support.

Importantly, if a State Educational Agency (SEA) does not award ESSER I, ESSER II, or ARP ESSER funds within one year of receipt, it must return the funds to the Department for reallocation (read more here, ESSER FAQ document).

The funds can be used for educational technology and software for students who are served by the local educational agency (LEA) that "aid[s] in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors.” Mathspace falls into this category, and therefore resources are eligible for ESSER funding. See specific product alignment details below.

Product alignments: Mathspace and ESSER funding requirements

ESSER Requirement: "Educational technology for students who are served by the LEA that aids in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors, including low-income students and students with disabilities, which may include assistive technology or adaptive equipment."

Mathspace Product Alignment: Mathspace's digital-first resources are designed to create meaningful learning opportunities for all students, whether they're learning in-person or at home.

  • Teachers can personalize instruction by creating tasks tailored to individual student needs. When students work through these tasks they can access step-by-step support and video lessons.
  • Students can start adaptive tasks which match their own pace and understanding. This functionality helps teachers monitor asynchronous learning in both the classroom and hybrid learning environments.
  • Teachers can see real-time data on where students need support, and can action that data immediately.
  • Standards Aligned: Aligned to Common Core, State Standards including Virginia SOL, California, and TEKS, as well as International Baccalaureate (IB) and Integrated Math pathways 1, 2, and 3.

ESSER Requirement: "Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and enrichment and supplemental after-school programs, including providing classroom instruction or online learning during the summer months and addressing the needs of low-income students, students with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and children and youth in foster care."

Mathspace Product Alignment: Mathspace can be used as a remediation tool, to help with real-time intervention, or even for enrichment to engage students exactly where they are on their math journey. With the loss of instructional time and needs of students intensified during COVID and two summer seasons, Mathspace can support teachers and students to fill in the gaps with Waypoints, an adaptive diagnostic and unobtrusive formative tool.

Next steps if you want to purchase Mathspace with ESSER funds

Book a call with a Mathspace Consultant for better understanding of ESSER funds, or learn more about using Mathspace to accomplish your school's goals.

Please refer to your state and local educational agencies’ decisions on the use of ESSER funds, as details vary from state to state.