Picture a school where students are so hooked on math achievement that they can’t get enough. They’re practicing facts on their parents’ phones at the bus stop, logging into math programs even when absent, and hyping it up to younger siblings who show up on day one eager to dive in.
The stories? True.
The school? Bayou Woods Elementary
The difference? The most effective math solutions, Reflex and Frax, paired with outstanding teachers who inspire confidence, champion critical mathematical concepts, and capitalize on student engagement.
A school that feels like home
Nestled near the shore of Lake Pontchartrain in Slidell, Louisiana, is Bayou Woods Elementary, a Pre-K through third-grade school where Cori Montz and Carra “Beth” Melton have spent their entire teaching careers.
Cori Montz was a Bayou Woods Gator long before her 12+ year teaching career began. “I was also a student here at Bayou Woods,” she shares. “So, it's coming home to me. I've only taught here. I don't foresee any reason why I would want to move from home.”
After 22 years in the classroom, Beth Melton has also found a teaching home at Bayou Woods. Last year, Beth was named the St. Tammany Parish Public Schools District Elementary Teacher of the Year and a Louisiana State Teacher of the Year semifinalist, which paved the way for her latest accomplishment—becoming the 2025 Louisiana Public Interest Fellow.
The opportunity for a high-impact math initiative
Each year, one Louisiana Public Interest Fellow is selected from the previous year’s Teacher of the Year state-level honorees.
“Any of those 24 honorees can apply for the fellowship,” Beth explains, “I—kind of last-minute—applied for it. Just kind of threw my hat in there and never in my life expected for me to be the one to receive this.”
The selected fellow spends the upcoming school year advocating for an education initiative of their choosing. Beth chose a concept research-proven to significantly impact future math success: math fact fluency.
In her application, Beth was asked to provide her six-word story. 'My six-word story is Numbers are universal, yet require understanding. If students don't have the ability to be fluent in math, they're going to struggle continuously through their math careers.'
Armed with the resources of this Fellowship, Beth will focus on enhancing math fluency and supporting Louisiana’s statewide priority to improve math instruction. A key part of this initiative? Leveraging a program her students already know and love, ExploreLearning Reflex.
“It's going to help with that fluency.” Beth says, “I'm going to have [Reflex] starting data at the beginning of the year for both second and third grade, with the multiplication and division for third grade. And then hopefully see that progression by the end of the year when I present my data to the state board.”
All in on Reflex
Bayou Woods students have been making fluency gains with the game-based and adaptive Reflex for years, but teacher Cori Montz was in the know before their school acquired the program. Her daughter, who attended a different school, already had access to Reflex through an ExploreLearning Math Grant.
“I was like, ‘Show me what this is about,’” Cori says. “ I think we were using another program called XtraMath, trying to get that fluency. It was a free program, and I was like, ‘This [Reflex] is so much better. Why can't we have this?!’ I wanted to play the games, but I know I'm not supposed to because then it skews her data. But like—I wanted to play it. So when they started mentioning it here at our school, I was just like (!!!). Yeah, it has been such an excitement, and I'm all in.”
A culture of reaching math fact fluency together
Students at Bayou Woods start using Reflex in second grade to master their addition and subtraction facts. By the time they reach Beth and Cori’s third-grade classrooms, they’re eager to tackle multiplication and division.
Once Beth and Cori confirm students are 100% fluent in addition and subtraction, it’s time to switch over. And the hype is real. “So they all shift at one point in time, and they get so excited about the shift,” says Beth.
Beth and Cori capitalize on the students’ excitement around the program, finding every possible way to make the math milestones more memorable and seriously fun. When we met the teacher duo, they were even sporting custom Reflex shirts they made. When their students reach 100% fluency and join their “100% club,” they receive their own shirt, which declares them as an official “Influentcer.” We’re obsessed.
“We have timers, and they have incentives. We have our shirts. When they get 100% Club, they become influenters. So they become that person who's in charge of making sure people get their green lights. They're so excited when they earn their shirt. And we take a big group picture each time. We present it to them. We print out the awards for them.”
Reflex’s adaptive and individualized system, paired with a strong classroom community, ensures students at every level are inspired and equipped to master their facts. “Over the years, I've noticed that our SWE students–our students with exceptionalities–definitely are able to master those. And I'm going to tell you, some of them shock me with their percentages. And I mean, we've had many of them that earn their 100%, and they get awarded their t-shirt, and they're so excited,” says Beth.
A little friendly math competition makes a big difference
If you think the student and staff buy-in at Bayou Woods is already sky-high, wait until we tell you about their Reflex Competitions. Reflex Competitions allow teachers to host competitions among different classrooms in the same school building, and they’re known to be powerful catalysts in student engagement.
“Well, I'm pretty competitive when it comes to Reflex,” Cori laughs, “because I like my Green Light percentage to be super high. I think I was a district leader in Green Lights in previous years, and we've got a banner. We have banners all over. So, you don't log in unless you're getting that light green. So me saying it, and them seeing that competition … it gives them more buy-in, because they don't want to be the one that didn't get their light green to make them not hit that number.”
When there’s a Reflex Competition going on at Bayou Woods, it’s a topic of conversation when the first bell rings, and sometimes before.
“I even had one of my students last year who had the highest amount of Green Lights for the year–I think he was like 156–and he says, ‘Ms. Melton, I already got my Green Light,’ and it's like 8:10 AM. I said, ‘Dude, school just started,’ and he says, ‘I did it at the bus stop on my dad's phone.’ Like they're getting up early to do it. So the buy-in, because we're so involved in it, they're super excited about it.”
“We'll have kids that are absent and are habitually absent,” explains Cori, “And I've had them log in at home doing Reflex because they don't want to be the one to not get the Green Light to make the team lose the competition.”
The results speak for themselves. Last year, the top Reflex users at Bayou Woods got 130-150 Green Light days, and there are only 180 days in the school year.
“It's not that anybody loses, because we're all winning, because we're all gaining and getting better.” -Cori Montz, Third-Grade Teacher
Effective progress monitoring tools
Reflex includes intuitive reporting for teachers, schools, and districts. It’s simple to monitor student usage and progress and to celebrate student success.
“As far as our individual classes, it helps us see where they are,” Beth explains, “...what facts with the pyramid that they've mastered, the ones that they need to continue to work on. We do share that with them, so they're aware of that. A lot of the data we'll bring to our meetings. If we have a concern with one of our students, they’ll ask for that data…So that's been very beneficial.”
Beth and Cori even give students the opportunity to share their data themselves. “We have student-led conferences three times a year, where their parents come in, and so they're able to share those achievements with them.”
Between Reflex’s reporting capabilities and ability to increase student motivation, adjacent free tools just can’t compete. “Because of the engagement with Reflex, they were able to get more buy-in. They stayed engaged and could retain it and learn it more. Whereas when you're just doing the flashcards…it just becomes monotonous and boring,” Cori explains.
Frax has entered the chat
When students love Reflex this much, it’s no surprise they were eager to try other ExploreLearning tools. Luckily, Bayou Woods students also have access to Frax, an adaptive and game-based fractions solution.
“They see that Frax purple emblem,” Beth explains, “and they're like, ‘What's that? What is that? What is that?!’ I'm like, ‘Don’t click on it yet!’ And when they do get to click on it, they are so excited.”
Frax allows educators to set the pace as students develop foundational fractions knowledge, so Beth and Cori will keep students locked at a certain level of missions, unlocking new ones as they monitor and assess where students may need support.
Engaging challenges, personalized instruction, and motivating rewards help students build their skills and understanding while having fun in the Frax galaxy! And once they get going, they’re all in. “They're like, ‘When are you unlocking the next one?’ Like hounding us to unlock them, and we're like, ‘Not yet!’” laughs Cori.
In the last few years, fractions have been Bayou Wood’s highest standard on state testing, exceeding the state and the parish percentage. Frax has played an important role in strengthening conceptual understanding and fraction vocabulary.
“They have that conceptual understanding, that fractions are numbers. It's not a picture. It's not a pie. It's not a tape diagram. We can show fractions using those models, but a fraction is a number,” says Cori.
“They'll even reference, ‘I remember this from Frax!’ And so they're referencing and sharing that, and I'm like, ‘Oh, really? Tell me more about that.’” -Beth Melton, Third-Grade Teacher
And as a student, when you have access to a tool this seriously fun, word spreads. “Now we're getting to where I have some younger siblings of older kids. So, they're coming back going, ‘So-and-so told us about Frax, and when am I going to get it?’...Like we build that anticipation so that when they get it, they're like…It's ridiculous,” laughs Cori.
Listen to Beth and Cori’s full Interview!
Are you ready for the challenge? Start your Reflex or Frax trial today to get started! Reflex and Frax Competitions are available with a full product subscription. Contact our team to learn more about accessing Competitions with a pilot experience.
About Beth Melton and Cori Montz
Beth Melton (left) and Cori Montz (right) are third-grade teachers at Bayou Woods Elementary.
Beth, the 2025 Louisiana Public Interest Fellow, is also a dedicated Math Mentor Teacher and leader of the multi-grade Math Club and Career Club. Her commitment to service shines through her work with nonprofits. Outside of education and volunteering, she enjoys running and fitness.
Cori Montz takes on several leadership roles at her school, serving as a union Building Representative, 3rd Grade Student Ambassador Lead Teacher, and Math Mentor Teacher. Beyond the classroom, she finds joy in family time with her daughter and volunteering at the local animal shelter.