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.

Utah State Board of Education Approves 95 Percent Group Resources as Evidence-Informed, Recommended Supplemental Programs for Grades K-5

Lincolnshire, Ill. – 95 Percent Group LLC, the trusted source for comprehensive, proven literacy solutions, announced today the Utah State Board of Education approved its flagship 95 Phonics Core Program® and 95 Phonics Intervention and 95 Phonological Awareness Intervention as Recommended Supplemental Literacy Curriculum Resources. 

In 2022, Utah joined a growing number of states to realign reading instruction to structured literacy, grounded in the Science of Reading. The Utah State Board of Education convened a panel of experts to oversee the process of implementing a requirement that districts use materials backed by the Science of Reading. Its goal is to get 70 percent of Utah third graders reading at grade level by 2027. 

The selection of 95 Percent Group’s programs for state schools is based on rigorous review by Utah’s professional educators. …Read More

8 predictions about literacy learning in 2023

In the coming year and beyond, educators and students will continue to deal with fallout from the pandemic, but as they look for effective ways to help students become proficient readers, instructional practices based in the science of reading will become more widely used.

At the same time, teachers will focus on assessing individual students to understand their unique learning needs. Here are eight predictions about changes coming to the reading classroom in the coming months.

1. Students who were in grades K-3 during pandemic shutdowns may be most affected.…Read More

5 reasons to use a literacy professional learning solution

Our school is one of just 12 “Science of Reading Spotlight Schools” in Alabama this year, but getting here wasn’t easy. Rewind the clock back to the fall of 2021 and just 15 percent of our kindergarten students were proficient in reading. A “full support school” since 2018, we were dealing with some major challenges. I stepped in as principal in 2020, and began looking for ways to solve the issues and get things on the right track.

I learned about Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling Suite (LETRS) from my mentor principal at the state department, which works with schools like Central Elementary to establish the specific benchmarks that each Alabama school must reach. It turned out that the professional learning platform was one of the offerings that provides educators with the deep knowledge required to be literacy and language experts in the science of reading which in turn will help teachers to address students’ learning gaps in literacy.

From my perspective, being a full support school described us, but did not define Central Elementary School, so I got all faculty and staff on board with our new literacy professional learning solution.…Read More

USPTO launches free K-12 invention education platform

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced the launch of the free invention education resource, EquIP HQ.

EquIP HQ is a contracted effort created and maintained by Second Avenue Learning. The site is available for grade bands K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12. The platform provides educators with access to free tools to teach students real-world skills and intellectual property (IP) literacy.

EquIP HQ enables students to personalize exploration of solving real-world problems through innovative design, prototypes and iterative tests and improvements towards real, inventive solutions. …Read More

Awardees Selected for Inaugural Vernier Science Education Inspiration Grants

BEAVERTON, Oregon — Vernier Science Education has named the 10 recipients of its inaugural Vernier Science Education Inspiration Grants. These STEM educators will each receive $1,000 in Vernier technology of their choosing, an annual license for the Vernier Graphical Analysis ® Pro app, and three hours of virtual professional development to further support their teaching as they foster students’ STEM literacy.

“There are so many educators who are passionate about bringing exciting, hands-on STEM learning opportunities to students,” said John Wheeler, CEO of Vernier Science Education. “Our Inspiration Grants were designed to provide some of these educators with data-collection technology and professional development to help them offer hands-on, socially relevant STEM learning in their classrooms.”

The 10 grantees were selected from more than 400 submissions by a panel of fellow educators and Vernier employees. The panel considered how the grantees will implement the $1,000 worth of Vernier technology in their classroom or laboratory, their educational institution’s needs, and how the funding and professional development will enhance their instruction and engage their students.…Read More

95 Phonics Core Program® Earns Product Certification from Digital Promise for Research-Based Design

Lincolnshire, IL & Washington, DC –   95 Percent Group LLC, the trusted source for comprehensive, proven literacy solutions, today announced its  95 Phonics Core Program® earned the Research-Based Design for Instructional Learning Products: Product Certification from Digital Promise. This Product Certification underscores 95 Percent Group’s reputation for providing schools with trusted, evidence-based literacy programs and serves as a rigorous, reliable signal for district and school leaders, educators and families looking for products with a confirmed basis in research about learning.

To earn the certification, 95 Percent Group submitted evidence to Digital Promise confirming the connection between the Science of Reading and the design of its 95 Phonics Core Program. In addition, the company also demonstrated its commitment to making its robust research base clear and accessible to the public. …Read More