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.

Arkansas Department of Education Names Curriculum Associates’ Magnetic Reading™ Foundations an Approved English Language Arts Foundational Skills Program for Grades K–2

NORTH BILLERICA, Mass.—The Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) recently named Curriculum Associates’ Magnetic Reading Foundations to its list of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) for foundational skills in English language arts. Now, districts across the state can use the instructional program, which is rooted in the Science of Reading, to help teachers in Grades K–2 deliver explicit instructional routines and a systematic scope and sequence that helps students become confident readers.

“Arkansas DESE’s review of instructional materials provides teachers with access to the highest-quality resources available and underscores the state’s commitment to the overarching success of its teachers and students alike,” said Elizabeth Bassford, associate vice president of content and implementation at Curriculum Associates. “Being named to the Arkansas DESE list of HQIM reinforces the power of Magnetic Reading Foundations in helping students develop the skills they need to excel in reading. Schools and districts in Arkansas can now confidently use our program—alongside our online i-Ready® program—to meet all their Grades K–2 reading assessment, instruction, and curriculum needs.”

The Arkansas DESE review of instructional materials is conducted in partnership with EdReports, an independent nonprofit that conducts evidence-based reviews of instructional materials. The Arkansas DESE requires that all K–2 Literacy Curriculum Programs first advance through EdReports’ review process and then meet Arkansas-specific criteria.…Read More

Curriculum Associates Launches Magnetic Reading™ Foundations for K–2, Expanding the Magnetic Reading Program to Support Grade-Level Success for K–5 Students

NORTH BILLERICA, Mass.—Curriculum Associates recently expanded Magnetic Reading K–5 with the launch of Magnetic Reading Foundations for Grades K–2. This new program, along with the recently released Magnetic Reading for Grades 3–5, form an intuitive, systematic approach to instruction with rich, engaging texts that draw students to the center of learning.

Magnetic Reading is built specifically and intentionally for the ages and stages of all students to ensure they get the right support succeeding as a grade-level reader: a focus on the building blocks of reading for the youngest learners and an emphasis on comprehension and gaining insight into the world for older students.

Magnetic Reading Foundations provides teachers with the resources needed to deliver explicit, systematic foundational skills instruction. Rooted in the Science of Reading, the program uses research-based routines and engaging decodable texts to support students’ reading development.…Read More

Detroit Public Schools Community District Adopts Curriculum Associates’ Magnetic Reading™ to Help Accelerate Learning and Build Students’ Critical Reading Skills

NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., September 1, 2021—Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) in Detroit, MI recently adopted Curriculum Associates’ Magnetic Reading program for students in Grades 3–5. This supplemental program, which will be used by approximately 12,000 students across 74 schools in the district, helps teachers facilitate lively classroom discourse and engage all students with grade-level content as they build their confidence and master critical reading skills.

“A strong reading foundation is so critical to students’ ongoing success,” said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates. “As part of our continued partnership with the district, we look forward to supporting DPSCD teachers as they work to accelerate learning and drive reading outcomes for their elementary students.”

With Magnetic Reading, teachers are provided actionable data and insights, knowledge-rich learning, culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy, and scaffolds to support learner variability. The program works seamlessly with i-Ready® Assessment, a program used by DPSCD to provide data-driven insights about each student’s skill level. Using the data from i-Ready, as well as Magnetic Reading’s Grade-Level Scaffolding report, teachers are able to craft a success plan for each student, student group, or strategic pairing by assigning specific Magnetic Reading units and lessons.…Read More

Curriculum Associates Launches Magnetic Reading to Help Students Build Confidence While Mastering Critical Reading Skills

New supplemental reading program for Grades 3–5 engages students with grade-level content using culturally relevant texts

To help students build confidence while mastering critical reading skills, Curriculum Associates has launched the supplemental Magnetic Reading program for Grades 3–5. By providing actionable data and insights, knowledge-rich learning, culturally responsive pedagogy, and scaffolds to support learner variability, the blended research-based program helps teachers facilitate lively classroom discourse and engage all students with grade-level content using culturally relevant texts.

“Providing a combination of both print and digital resources to support students’ acquisition of reading skills and comprehension is a top priority for us—we understand this is what teachers want and what they need to help their students succeed,” said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates. “Magnetic Reading, from its built-in scaffolds to diverse and authentic content, helps teachers truly engage students in the learning process as they practice the skills necessary to become confident and validated readers.”…Read More

These amazing kits make electronics simple and fun for every student

One tool erases frustration and boredom and makes electronics fun for students

littlebits-stemVery young students often have a hard time engaging meaningfully in electronics projects. Sure, most middle school kids can learn the function of basic electronic components and follow a set of instructions to create a basic circuit on a breadboard. Often, however, their work suffers from the mistakes, short-circuits, and sloppiness that plague any novice.

More limiting than the struggle to keep bare wires from accidentally brushing each other, is the wall that most students hit after they create the alarm circuit or lie detector that they built from the schematic in the textbook.

While their imaginations are ripe with ideas of things they might like to build, most young students lack the fundamental knowledge to push beyond the canned circuits provided by their teacher and to create something original.…Read More