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.

Florida Department of Education Approves Lexia Learning for ELA Intervention Courses

Rigorous review process confirms Lexia Core5 Reading and PowerUp Literacy programs are strongly aligned to Florida’s newest standards

BOSTON (June 8, 2021) – Lexia Learning, a Cambium Learning® Group company, announced today that Florida’s Commissioner of Education has approved Lexia® Core5® Reading (Core5) as curriculum in elementary intervention courses. Lexia® PowerUp® Literacy (PowerUp) has also been approved for intervention courses in grades six and above. The two programs have been approved for a five-year period, beginning April 1, 2021 and ending March 31, 2026.

Core5 and PowerUp underwent a rigorous review process before obtaining approval. In fact, Lexia was the only company to make the list across K-5 intervention courses. The process saw education experts review the materials and ensure they aligned with Florida’s Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards. In addition, each school district superintendent nominated a classroom teacher or district-level content supervisor to perform independent reviews. Members of the public were also able to review the materials online for two weeks. Finally, the Commissioner of Education assessed the state and district reviewer evaluations, public feedback and cost of the materials before giving approval.…Read More

Lexia Learning’s PowerUp Literacy Program is 2.5x More Effective in Helping English Learners Close Critical Reading Gaps

Many English Learners (ELs) across the United States have gone months without exposure to the academic English they require for success in school and that they would normally receive in formal education settings. A lack of access to connectivity and devices for distance learning, especially in low-income and under-resourced communities, has resulted in ELs being at a high risk for suffering from “COVID learning slide.” However, a recent study on the Lexia® PowerUp Literacy® (PowerUp) adaptive blended learning program found that PowerUp users outgained non-users by nearly 30 points. In fact, the program was more than 2.5 times more effective than typical interventions for both EL and non-EL middle school students. The cluster randomized control trial met ESSA’s standards for Strong Evidence—the highest tier of efficacy evidence outlined by federal law.

“According to a report from the Council of the Great City Schools, instructional technology that both accelerates learning and supports academic language development is particularly important for ELs, ” said Lexia Chief Learning Officer Dr. Liz Brooke. “Since ELs have been especially hard hit by the pandemic, the fact that PowerUp is proven to help this population just as effectively as their non-EL peers will be an important part of post-COVID recovery.”

Developed to address the decades-long gap in reading proficiency across the nation, Lexia PowerUp Literacy is designed to enhance core English language arts instruction for struggling readers in grades 6-12. Blending personalized online student-driven instruction with teacher-delivered lessons and activities, the program accelerates the development of both fundamental literacy skills and higher-order thinking skills through adaptive learning paths. PowerUp is currently used by more than 300,000 students globally.…Read More

Newark Public Schools Expands Use of Lexia Core5 and PowerUp to All of its Elementary Schools

Newark Public Schools (NPS) has approved expanding implementation of Lexia Learning’s Lexia® Core5® Reading (Core5) and Lexia® PowerUp Literacy® (PowerUp) throughout its K-5 and K-8 schools. This decision comes after the district’s trial subscription successfully helped teachers both within their classrooms before the pandemic and with remote learning that began in March. In all, the strong ESSA rated literacy solutions will now be serving almost 20,000 students in 41 schools. The district has also decided to support their educators through this critical time by ensuring strong, ongoing implementations of Core5 and PowerUp via yearlong Success Partnerships with Lexia.

“We were using Core5 in just six of our elementary schools prior to the pandemic,” said Dr. Mary Ann Reilly, assistant superintendent for Teaching and Learning. “When COVID-19 hit and our schools transitioned to remote learning, we were able to quickly expand Core5 to all our elementary schools. The program was flexible enough to enable us to provide continuity of instruction to students remotely, targeting literacy gaps and even accelerating learning. We’ve been impressed with the programs and how helpful Lexia has been with the transition. We’re confident that our students will continue to make gains with good teaching and Lexia.”

The district’s purchase also includes Lexia Academy, the company’s eLearning platform offering on-demand professional learning courses. The academy gives the district’s educators access to “anytime, anywhere” support that helps them develop best practices for meaningful instruction when using Lexia products. Newark educators have embraced courses on topics like Structured Literacy, remote teaching strategies, and effective reading instruction for students with dyslexia.…Read More

Lexia Core5 and PowerUp Helped Students and Teachers Succeed with Remote Blended Learning

The 2019-20 school year drew concern for students’ learning when the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to rapidly transition to remote learning. To understand the impact to student learning, Lexia Learning, a Rosetta Stone company (NYSE: RST), surveyed 3,500 educators and found that

during the educational disruption period brought on by school closures during the spring semester, 86% of survey respondents using Lexia® Core5® Reading (Core5) or Lexia® PowerUp Literacy® (PowerUp) with their students felt that the products helped them more efficiently support student needs and learning. Moreover, those students who were able to access Lexia Learning products during the disruption were able to spend more time using the products each week, resulting in increased progress.

“During the stress and uncertainty of COVID, teachers were able to not only provide continuity of instruction, but they were able to support students in making independent progress in these extraordinary times,” said Dr. Liz Brooke, chief learning officer of Rosetta Stone. “Districts need to remain vigilant in choosing blended learning tools that provide some method for monitoring student learning/progress and deliver results in a variety of learning environments. Providing products that are proven to drive progress in closing literacy gaps, and support educators with actionable, real-time data on student progress, whether used in the classroom or at home remains our top priority.”…Read More

Lexia PowerUp Literacy Wins Best Personalized/Adaptive Learning Tool

For the second time in two months, Lexia Learning, a Rosetta Stone company (NYSE: RST) has had two of its literacy programs recognized as standouts in a prominent edtech award program. In this latest award program, Lexia® PowerUp Literacy® (PowerUp) was recognized as a winner in the category of Best Personalized/Adaptive Learning App or Tool. The company’s highly-regarded Lexia® Core5® Reading (Core5) was also named a finalist in the category for Best Literacy App or Tool.

This is the fourth year of the Tech Edvocate Awards, which recognizes outstanding edtech products that support students across the Pre-K-20 sector by catering to identified classroom and learning needs. Winners and finalists were selected by a panel of educators and industry experts who reviewed the submissions and judged the products and services based on the extent to which they are transforming education through the development or advocacy of edtech. A complete list of winners of the 2020 Tech Edvocate Awards can be found here.

“The Tech Edvocate Awards represent the combined opinion of industry insiders, knowledgeable educators, and interested parents,” said Lexia President, Nick Gaehde. “It’s an honor to have our literacy programs recognized as solutions that are positively impacting teaching and learning—and having access to adaptive, personalized tools has never been more important than during this unprecedented time of COVID-19.”…Read More

New Common Core resource aids students with special needs

Free Common Core resource for educators emphasizes that special needs students can’t be left behind

common core-students-special needsOne of the best non-profits for the advancement of education technology has developed a new, free Common Core website for educators that offers customizable resources to improve teaching and learning for struggling students and those with disabilities.

The website’s–PowerUp WHAT WORKS–materials focus on four key areas, including evidence-based practices, Common Core State Standards, technology in schools and classrooms, and personalization of learning through Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and differentiated instruction. Read more about the four key areas.

“In schools across the country, administrators and teachers are concerned about students’ ability to successfully meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), especially struggling students and those with disabilities,” said the website. “Although the CCSS mention the value and potential benefit of technology for students with disabilities, there are few places to turn to for reliable information, curated resources, guidance, and support.”…Read More