At the fast-growing Manor Independent School District located outside of Austin, Texas, over 38 percent of students are English language learners. These students are expected to master the same standards as their native English-speaking peers. Meredith Roddy, Director of Bilingual and ESL Programs, is tasked with closing the achievement gap between ELL students and native […]
eMPower AssessmentsÁ‘¢ by Measured Progress is a college and career readiness assessment program for grades 3 through 8. It is based on current research about what students need to know and be able to do for success beyond high school. With three assessment opportunities each year, eMPower provides a cohesive system of interim assessments to […]
One education researcher calls it “the academic death penalty”: A grade of zero on a 100-point scale, a mark that spells disaster for a student’s class average. “It’s such an extreme score in a percentage grading system” says Thomas R. Guskey, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Kentucky. “To recover from that […]
Districts are increasingly tasked with providing options for at-risk and underserved student populations to address persistent achievement gaps. While nationwide gains in closing achievement gaps have been made, research shows that underserved student populations still achieve at lower rates than their peers in many areas. In this web seminar, the executive director of the Office […]
In the Ventura USD in California, one low-achieving middle school at risk of closure was instead transformed into the De Anza Academy of Technology and the Arts (DATA), a high-achieving magnet school. A significant component in DATA’s dramatic turnaround has been its innovative project-based and collaborative learning environments and makerspaces, which employ technology as a […]
Rethinking the role of high school By Anthony Kim, Founder & CEO, Education Elements From Sir Ken Robinson, films like “Most Likely to Succeed” and campaigns like XQ Super Schools Project, we are constantly reminded of the need to change our schools from the model we developed during the industrial era. The leaders of this […]
When students can make sense of words, then they learn, grow and succeed. But getting to this point can be a struggle when students need to overcome reading challenges. Studies have shown that if students learn strategies for unlocking multisyllabic words and academic vocabulary with fluency and confidence, then they will achieve long-term results. In […]
Eighth-graders in Maine in the 2017-18 school year will be the first to adhere to proficiency-based standards. The initiative is the latest implementation phase of a 2012 state law requiring standards-based assessment by 2021. Under the law, districts have leeway in how to best provide support for students in achieving proficiency. Students can expect to […]
More than a decade after Response-to-Intervention and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) took root on school campuses across the country, multi-tier strategies have become the standard for identifying and assisting struggling students. Yet, the way educators use these and similar systems continues to evolve. Educators now understand far more about the neuroscience of learning […]
Palm Springs USD helps English language learners find success with an extended instructional program that allows students to practice their English skills before or after school, on Saturdays and during breaks. It could be a recipe for other districts. The three-year-old program targets newcomers, long-term ELLs and students who qualify as early advanced or advanced […]
