This post shares findings from the NYC Partnership for Math Equity’s study of Amplify Desmos Math (ADM) digital lessons used as a supplement to core Tier 1 instruction in New York City middle schools serving predominantly Latinx and Black students with high economic need.
The study examines how digital math tools can support students’ sense of belonging and mathematical identity. ADM is designed for synchronous classroom use and emphasizes conceptual understanding, exploration, collaboration, and mathematical discourse. Its teacher tools help educators structure work time, facilitate whole-class discussion, and elevate examples of student thinking.
The research found that students’ perceptions of opportunities to belong in math class predicted growth in their engagement, enjoyment, sense of belonging, and mathematical identity. Students who reported high opportunities to belong showed gains across these measures, while students reporting lower opportunities experienced more mixed outcomes.
The post also describes how teachers used ADM lessons to foster collaboration and inclusive classroom discussion. Features such as the “snapshot” tool allowed teachers to select and display student work, including incomplete or incorrect solutions, to normalize mistakes, compare strategies, and center discussions on students’ mathematical thinking.
The findings suggest that digital math tools can strengthen social and collaborative learning when they are designed and implemented to support belonging. They also underscore the importance of giving teachers sufficient time and support to integrate these tools into instructional practices that help students see themselves as capable members of a mathematics community.
