Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Georgia Adds Classworks® Reading Screener to State-approved Universal Screener and Dyslexia Screener Lists

The Georgia Department of Education (GA DOE) recently added the Classworks Reading Universal Screener assessment to two state-approved lists. The Classworks screener is now approved by the state as a Universal Reading Screener and a Qualified Dyslexia Screening Tool for Grades K–3.

In April 2023, the Georgia Early Literacy Act (HB538) required the state to, among other requirements, establish a uniform standard for measuring literacy, approve high-quality literacy instructional materials for teaching students in K-3, and provide for the approval and use of universal reading screeners for K-3 students. The state provided a list of approved universal screeners and dyslexia screening tools to support school districts in choosing high-quality resources.

“Classworks Universal Screeners are already widely used by Georgia districts to effectively assess students’ proficiency and identify students who may need additional support,” notes Melissa Sinunu, Classworks President and Chief Operating Officer. “We are thrilled the GA DOE has added the valid and reliable resource as an approved assessment tool to help teachers identify students who may be at risk for dyslexia and as an essential part of school district’s comprehensive literacy programs.”…Read More

The Ohio Department of Education Creates a Credential for the State’s Early Learning Teachers

ATLANTA – Cox Campus, the online learning community of the Rollins Center for Language & Literacy at the Atlanta Speech School, has been selected by the Ohio Department of Education (DOE) to create a customized early learning credential to transform teaching practices and child literacy outcomes throughout Ohio.

“Our partnership with the Ohio Department of Education is a significant step toward providing early learning educators with free evidenced-based courses and resources that will help the teachers build a language-centered and culturally responsive foundation for every child,” said Dr. Ryan Lee-James, Chief Academic Officer of the Rollins Center. “Early learning teachers are among the first to plant the seed of literacy with our young children. This credential builds the knowledge, skills and agency each teacher needs to build relationships of care that make way for deep reading brain construction, paving the path to opportunity and a life of self-determination.”

Cox Campus will provide three levels of credentials for Ohio teachers: emergent literacy aware (5 hours), emergent literacy informed (10 hours) and emergent literacy competent (15 hours).…Read More

Reading Plus Insight Assessment Approved As Universal Screener For Hawaii Department of Education Longitudinal Data System

Literacy Measurement Tool is the Only LDS-integrated Assessment That Provides Data on Student Motivation and Silent Reading Rate 

Winooski, Vt. (May 5, 2021) – Reading Plus, an evidence-based online program that uses personalized instruction to improve students’ reading fluency, today announced its InSight assessment is now included in the Hawaii Department of Education’s longitudinal data system (LDS) as an approved universal assessment screener. The Hawaii DOE uses the LDS, which serves all public and charter schools in the state, to store student information, including assessment data, in one central location. 

Reading Plus is an adaptive literacy tool designed to support teachers with differentiated instruction for all students, including Tiers 1-3 and multilingual learners. The InSight assessment provides a holistic view of student progress, measuring motivation to read in addition to vocabulary, comprehension, and comprehension-based silent reading rate. InSight, which gives a composite reading proficiency grade-level score, is strongly correlated with national and state reading assessments. As a result, Reading Plus can serve not only as an instructional program, but also as a key component in a school’s or district’s literacy assessment. Including Hawaii, Reading Plus is used in more than 6,200 schools nationwide and improves reading proficiency by 2.5 grade levels in a single school year.

With InSight’s approval as a universal assessment screener, all Hawaii schools will be able to utilize the evaluation and track student data through the LDS. InSight’s rich analyses give teachers a deep understanding of their students’ literacy needs, helping them empower diverse learners to follow personalized paths to reading proficiency.

“The Hawaii DOE is highly selective when it comes to adding programs into the LDS and we’re proud InSight is now included,” said Steven Guttentag, CEO of Reading Plus. “We’re pleased that our assessment can support the state’s administrators in their effort to aggregate student data to provide a holistic and longitudinal picture of students’ literacy growth. With the ability to measure motivation, a key factor in skill building and developing confident readers, InSight is a unique asset in the classroom – particularly when paired with the Reading Plus program.”

Reading Plus received the highest Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) evidence of effectiveness ranking—level one for “strong evidence”—revealing a statistically significant effect on improving student outcomes. To learn more about the benefits of Reading Plus and the InSight assessment, visit www.readingplus.com.


ABOUT READING PLUS
Reading Plus is an evidence-based, online program that provides personalized instruction and intervention for students, improving reading proficiency by 2.5 grade levels in a single school year. The adaptive literacy program develops fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary, while also measuring student motivation. It supports students with diverse needs, including multilingual learners, students who qualify for special education services, RTI/MTSS Tiers 1–3, and advanced readers. Reading Plus provides educators with an easy-to-use management and reporting system, extensive resources to guide differentiated instruction, professional development, and highly rated customer support. Used in more than 7,800 schools, the Reading Plus program is helping over 1 million students become confident, lifelong readers. For more information, visit www.readingplus.com.…Read More

Ed Dept moves to pre-empt for-profits who “game” system

The U.S. Education Department’s final rules to rein in for-profit schools, which are accused of failing to educate students while leaving them heavily in debt, would bar incentives to admissions recruiters and limit the creation of new programs, Reuters reports. Early next year, the department will issue the most controversial of the rules, called “gainful employment”, in which schools would be required to show that students are paying back federal loans or capable of doing so. If they can’t, students at those schools would be barred from receiving federal student loans…

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35 states, D.C. apply for Round 2 of Race to the Top funding

Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia submitted applications June 1 for the second round of the U.S. Department of Education’s Race to the Top competition to boost student achievement and advance school reform, reports the Associated Press. The program, part of President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus law, will provide $4 billion in funding to states that are implementing innovative reforms—such as tying student performance to teacher evaluations—to turn around failing schools and close the achievement gap. Tennessee and Delaware were awarded $600 million in the first round. Another $350 million has been set aside for a separate competition to improve the quality of assessments. To improve their chances of winning a grant, many states passed significant reform laws that allowed for the development of more charter schools and tightened teacher accountability and tenure requirements—reform initiatives that are valued by the Obama administration but are controversial with teacher unions. Nine states that submitted applications last time did not reapply by the June 1 deadline. Some, including Minnesota, said they did not receive enough support from unions, while others were wary of passing reform laws and adopting common academic standards across states. Finalists for the remaining funds will be selected over the summer, and winners will be announced in September. The Education Department said 10 to 15 states could win grants…

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