SpringMath by Sourcewell Receives Highest Possible Ratings from National Center on Intensive Intervention

Staples, Minn. — SpringMath, an award winning, complete MTSS solution for math, recently received the highest possible rating for fall classification accuracy in every grade submitted to the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII).

SpringMath author Dr. Amanda VanDerHeyden said, “The SpringMath team is proud to once again have our work validated by NCII. We have expanded the number of grades for which we have offered evidence, including middle school, and we now have the highest rated kindergarten screening tool! These ratings offer further evidence of the quality of our assessments, which are novel in this space.”

NCII is the premier site for rating intervention and assessment tools for education. Funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), NCII is comprised of national content and methodological experts who review assessments and interventions. The ratings are designed to evaluate the technical adequacy of screening tools, progress monitoring tools and interventions programs to assist educators in the adoption of tools that address their needs.…Read More

Analytics in Action

This special episode of Innovations in Education highlights details from the recent webinar Analytics in Action: Innovative Approaches to Attract, Engage, Grow and Retain Top Talent. Panelists Kevin Agnello, Product Manager, Human Capital Analytics – Frontline Education and Keegan Bassett, Director of Human Resources – Queen Creek Unified School District (AZ) share insights on using analytics unique to their district to optimize recruitment processes, enhance employee engagement, and implement analytics to identify and nurture the best candidates.

Frontline HCM, a connected human capital management suite, equips schools with everything needed to support the entire employee lifecycle from recruiting to retirement. Built exclusively for K-12 education, it includes applicant tracking with proactive recruiting capabilities, seamless onboarding, connected time tracking and absence management functionality, professional learning and evaluation tools, and the ability to oversee benefits, compensation, and position management with automated workflows across the suite. Designed around the unique needs of K-12 and flexible enough to support state and local regulations for time tracking, performance evaluation, and hiring practices, Frontline’s HCM suite brings greater efficiency, productivity, and performance to school districts so leaders have more time to focus on what will most support great teaching and student learning.

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A model to reduce school shootings

Key points:

For three consecutive years, the U.S has had a record high number of school shootings, resulting in a repetitive cycle of grievances, anger, and frustration. The U.S. had 344 school shootings in 2023, which surpassed the record-breaking number of 308 school shootings in 2022 as reported by K-12 School Shooting Database.

On January 5, 2024, this past month a mass shooting occurred at  Perry Middle school in Iowa and left an 11-year-old student and the school principal dead and six other individuals wounded. The shooter, a student, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene.…Read More

How this middle school teacher gets students to challenge themselves in math

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

When Salvador Quijada, a seventh and eighth grade math teacher at Philip’s Academy Charter School, thinks back on his own journey as a mathematician, he gives credit to one high school math teacher who pushed him to take on AP calculus. Quijada said his teacher’s belief that he could succeed allowed him to challenge himself in ways he might not have otherwise considered.

Now, Quijada channels that positivity into his lessons. Last year, he approached Philip’s principal, Yasmeen Sampson, and asked to pilot a new, accelerated program to help prepare more students for Algebra 1.…Read More

Elementary-level STEM education fosters our future innovators

Key points:

In today’s fast-paced world, STEM education has become imperative for global progress. Traditionally, the spotlight on STEM education appears to occur in high school and late middle school grade-levels. However, recognizing the pivotal role elementary schools play in shaping a child’s educational journey is essential–early exposure to STEM concepts not only cultivates a passion for these subjects but also lays the groundwork for future academic and professional pursuits.

Elementary school years mark a critical phase in a child’s cognitive development. It is during this period that introducing STEM education thus becomes paramount so as to establish a solid foundation of fundamental concepts and problem-solving skills. These foundational years offer a unique opportunity to spark curiosity and creativity, thereby providing the basis for more advanced learning in later grades and beyond.…Read More

5 strategies for turning boredom into brilliance

Key points:

As someone who began teaching in middle school, I’ve had plenty of firsthand experience dealing with boredom in the classroom. Most educators will recognize the signs: students sleeping during class, students watching the clock, students daydreaming when they should be paying attention. If, like me, you work with younger students, you might have even seen one or two get up and start wandering the classroom. Needless to say, these things can be highly disruptive and undermine our ability to manage the class.

Despite these problems, I’ve learned over time that boredom itself is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, when approached correctly, boredom can become a powerful force for good in the classroom.  …Read More

When embracing the ‘science of reading,’ we can’t leave out older students

Each year, we share our 10 most-read stories. Not surprisingly, many of this year’s Top 10 focused on equity, edtech innovation, immersive learning, and the science of reading. This year’s 6th most-read story focuses on the science of reading for older students.

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization covering public education in communities across America. Sign up for our free New York newsletter to keep up with NYC’s public schools.

The day before my first day of teaching middle school in 2018, I decorated my Brooklyn public school classroom with quotes from famous people reflecting on the importance of reading. Hanging on cream-colored cardstock were the words of Malcolm X, Toni Morrison, C.S. Lewis, Barack Obama, Maya Angelou, and dozens of other writers and thinkers. I hoped to inspire my students to fall in love with reading. I didn’t think to hope that all my students could do the very thing I was asking them to love. I didn’t know that part of my job as a sixth grade Humanities teacher would be to teach students to read in the first place.…Read More

Big Deals—Khan Academy Boosts National Civics Bee, AI Tackles Campus Safety, and Stanford Offers Online Math

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation this month announced the launch of the 2024 National Civics Bee. The competition is expanding to 27 states for the 2023-2024 school year, tripling its reach from nine states last year. Students may apply for the competition here. The deadline to enter is January 8, 2024.

The National Civics Bee is a nationwide competition that encourages young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. Middle school students in grades 6-8 flex their civics knowledge for a chance to win recognition and cash prizes. Chambers of commerce across 27 states will host in-person contests in their communities this school year. Top performing students will advance through local and state rounds, culminating in a national competition held in Washington D.C.

This remarkable expansion reflects the deepening civics education crisis in America and has been made possible by significant multi-year grants from supporters like the Daniels Fund. Recent studies have shown alarming gaps in Americans’ understanding of our democratic processes and systems. More than one third of U.S. adults cannot name the three branches of government. The National Civics Bee taps into business leaders’ deep commitment to strengthening civics education and the long-term health of our democracy.…Read More

The pandemic is over–but American schools still aren’t the same

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

On a recent Friday at Gary Comer Middle School in Chicago, you had to squint to see signs of the pandemic that upended American education just a few years ago.

Only a handful of students wore face masks, and even then, some put them on to cover up pimples, staff said. The hand sanitizer stations outside every classroom mostly went unused, and some were empty. Students stopped to hug in the hallway and ate lunch side by side in the cafeteria. …Read More

Unlocking middle school potential: Exploring career education and soft skills 

This episode of Innovations in Education, hosted by Kevin Hogan, is sponsored by McGraw Hill.

In this special edition of Innovations in Education, Content Director Kevin Hogan speaks with McGraw Hill’s Patrick Keeney about various aspects of career and technical education (CTE), including its expansion beyond traditional vocational or trade-focused subjects, the importance of soft skills, and the curriculum and teaching methods used in CTE courses for middle school students.

Patrick emphasizes the value of helping students explore different career paths and develop essential skills early in their education. The conversation also highlights the evolving nature of CTE in middle schools and its potential to provide students with a more comprehensive and purposeful educational experience.…Read More

Like it or not, ChatGPT is our new learning partner

Key points:

You may have heard of ChatGPT. According to Google, about 350,000 articles have been written on the subject, and a significant percentage are related to education. With so much publicity, it is reasonable to assume that all students from middle school through post-secondary are aware of its power. Whether you like it or not, we have a new partner in the classroom.

Many primers on ChatGPT are available, but I want to focus on teachers’ and students’ concerns about using it in the classroom. Some schools (such as the entire NYC public school district) have attempted to ban it entirely, while others such as Yale have taken the opposite approach. In my opinion, attempting to ban anything in the world of ubiquitous cell phones is a waste of time and effort. Students are ingenious, especially when it comes to getting around the rules. From a search of articles, both scholarly and in mainstream media, the approach I am suggesting has not yet been proposed. I came upon it while thinking about the eternal pedagogical problem: how to grade group projects.…Read More

Aperture Education Launches Two New Solutions to Cultivate Students’ Social and Emotional Competence 

Charlotte N.C. – Aperture Education, the leading provider of research-based social and emotional learning assessments for K-12 schools, has added two new solutions to its product suite. Aperture’s student-facing portal offers a new DESSA Middle School Student Self-Report to capture student voice regarding their social and emotional skills and deliver gamified activities to build student’s competence, guiding them through self-paced key growth areas designed specifically for grades 6-8. Also debuting is the SEL Strategies and Interventions Package, which supports busy teachers with recommendations for universal and targeted instructional practices that are directly aligned with students’ DESSA assessment results. 

These new offerings further Aperture’s commitment to build resilient school communities using a proactive, strength-based approach that fosters positive student and educator mindsets in order to accelerate learning.

“As schools continue to grapple with the disruptions to learning caused by the pandemic, investing in social and emotional learning is critical if we want to help students build a strong foundation for success in the classroom and beyond,” said Evelyn Johnson, vice president, Research and Development at Aperture Education. “With our research-based foundation and accurate and actionable data, Aperture empowers both students and teachers with the appropriate steps for nurturing social and emotional competencies. Our new offerings – Middle School Student Self-Report and SEL Strategies and Interventions Package – are important components for changing the trajectory of learning with a focus on students’ strengths, while driving positive classroom environments and optimal learning outcomes.” …Read More