21stCentEd Launches Virtual STEM and CTE Programs for All Students

To ensure every student has access to meaningful STEM experiences this fall, 21stCentEd announces the launch of virtual STEM and CTE programs for students in grades K-12. 21stCentEd is powered by TechTrep, a STEM and CTE provider that works with families, schools and communities to provide personalized, project-based and self-paced STEM experiences for all students.

“Bringing equity to education is more important than ever; our goal with 21stCentEd is to extend virtual access to engaging STEM and CTE experiences for each and every student – especially those historically underrepresented in STEM,” said Marlon Lindsay, Co-founder and CEO at TechTrep. “Whether students are learning in-person, virtually or a mix of both, 21stCentEd provides a user-friendly, unintimidating introduction to STEM and CTE-related skills.”

21stCentEd includes three grade-specific Virtual STEM and CTE Academy options and a Virtual STEM Camp offering. Created with STEM teacher shortages in mind, 21stCentEd is a turnkey program that can be directed by any educator, mentor or coach, regardless of expertise or background. Part self-guided, part mentor-led, courses are flexible by design and ensure students are able to work at their own pace.…Read More

The Character Tree Expands its Offering to Kindergarten

The Character Tree, an online resource that teaches character development though engaging videos and downloadable activities, has expanded to offer videos and content specifically for kindergarten-aged students. The videos are short and feature puppet characters sure to appeal to the youngest learners while they teach lessons on classroom citizenship such as hand-raising, full-body listening and other skills that are important for children who are just starting school.

A 2020/21 subscription to The Character Tree includes 36 episodes, 18 original songs, 36 sets of parent’s guides and 36 sets of useful supplemental resources. The videos are appropriate for use in classrooms, especially in live virtual classrooms, child care centers and for parents at home. To sign up, visit: https://charactertree.com/subscriptions/.

“Our first set of videos this year focused on students in grades 1 and 2 and we had such an amazing response that we are expanding to kindergarten,” said Bill Apperson, chairman of Apperson which created The Character Tree. “These lessons will help young students make that tough transition to school and teach positive character traits that will serve them well into the future.”…Read More

mindSpark Learning Expands Grad-level STEM Certification Program to Educators Nationally

mindSpark Learning, a Denver-based national nonprofit dedicated to empowering educators with industry-oriented professional learning experiences, announced today STEMpath will be virtual for its 2021 cohort, enabling the organization to meet the increased demand to open the program to more educators across the U.S.

2021 marks STEMpath’s third year of providing K-12 educators with a 24 credit graduate-level STEM certification course, which gives them the skills to better prepare the future workforce. The immersive program provides work-based learning through industry externships, coursework and dynamic professional learning. On average, each participant impacts 26 student lives, reaching 400-650 students every year.

All past participants reported STEMpath was an invaluable professional development experience as they acquired the skills needed to have a positive impact on their organization and promote an equitable environment.…Read More

Back to School Guide to Support Students’ Social Emotional Learning

As students, teachers, and families prepare for the 2020-21 school year, social-emotional learning will play an important role in helping them navigate the emotional and logistical challenges created by the events of the last few months. To support them, Aperture Education has created its free 2020 Back to School Guide packed with helpful information, lessons and activities to strengthen social-emotional skills for children and adults.

The 2020 Back to School Guide contains more than 40 pages of downloadable resources and articles created by experts and SEL professionals to support SEL in the classroom, in the home, and during distance learning. To download the 2020 Back to School Guide, visit: http://info.apertureed.com/2020-btsg.

“This school year, social-emotional learning will be more important than ever as students, teachers and families adjust to going back to school while the COVID-19 pandemic still has an impact,” said Jessica Adamson, CEO of Aperture Education. “Our Back to School Guide provides resources to help school administrators, educators, and families work together to ensure student success.”…Read More

McGraw Hill Offers Learners Two-Month Free Trial of ALEKS MathReady to Help Combat ‘COVID Slide’

In an effort to help ensure that students are prepared for fall classes, McGraw Hill is offering new customers a free two-month trial of its ALEKS MathReady program, allowing current and rising college-age students and others to refresh their math skills efficiently and effectively. First launched in June, ALEKS MathReady is a new, direct-to-consumer version of McGraw Hill’s personalized ALEKS program, which helps support millions of K-12 and college students each year. The special free-access offer for ALEKS MathReady is available now through October 18, 2020 and subscriptions will automatically renew on a monthly basis at a rate of $19.95/month.*

“Now more than ever, students need access to the tools and resources that can help them succeed in their college courses – and for many current and rising college students, ALEKS MathReady is precisely the tool that they need,” said Kathleen McMahon, VP of Portfolio Management for Science, Engineering & Mathematics at McGraw Hill. “Faculty and school administrators face significant instructional challenges this fall, as the learning disruptions due to COVID-19 leave students at varied levels of preparation when they start the fall term. Because MathReady can target each individual’s knowledge and put them on a personalized path to success, we can help level the playing field in math for all students – and not just those that can afford it – through this free offer.”

For more information about ALEKS MathReady or to sign up for free trial access and $19.95/month after, visit: https://bit.ly/ALEKSMathReady…Read More

Aperture Education Partners with Move This World to Provide Additional Social-Emotional Learning Strategies

Social-emotional learning (SEL) companies Aperture Education and Move This World have partnered to provide Aperture’s customers with additional resources to support the development of students’ social-emotional skills. Aperture customers can now access a sampling of short videos created by Move This World that help develop and strengthen students’ social-emotional skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making. The videos will be added to the hundreds of social and emotional learning Growth Strategies Aperture already offers through its DESSA Comprehensive SEL System.

“Move This World’s resources to help students identify, manage, and express their emotions completely align with our work so a partnership made perfect sense,” said Jessica Adamson, CEO of Aperture Education. “We’re now able to offer additional strategies to our customers and get Move This World’s amazing videos in front of even more teachers and students.”

Aperture Education’s DESSA Comprehensive SEL System provides assessments to measure the social-emotional competence of students in grades K-12. Its Growth Strategies are research-informed social emotional learning interventions, lesson plans and activities created for teachers, by teachers for grades K-8. Once they administer the DESSA, teachers, counselors, and out-of-school-time providers can use the applicable strategies to help bolster SEL skills of students in areas in which they need additional support. The strategies can be administered at school or at home.…Read More

HEARBUILDER Online Foundational Literacy Program Builds Basic Skills in Young Students

With the onset of the COVID virus, millions of PreK to Grade 5 students across the U.S. may have fallen critically behind in the basic skills they need to become good readers and be successful in school. Now more than ever, parents, educators and specialists are focused on helping their young students make up for lost learning time. The HearBuilder online, research-based, foundational literacy program provides an excellent way for students to build their early education and literacy skills.

HearBuilder is the only online researched-based foundational literacy program in the country that addresses the four essential pre-literacy skills:

  • Following Directions with Basic Concepts
  • Sequencing
  • Auditory/Listening Memory and Comprehension
  • Phonological/Sound Awareness

It is ideal for helping young learners trying to stay current and get ahead in these basic skills because it:…Read More

Teton Science Schools Launches Online Courses

Teton Science Schools opened enrollment for 2020-21 Place Network Online courses for middle school students this week. Three courses will be offered this year. Each course is designed as an academically challenging place-based experience that integrates language arts, math, science, and the visual arts. Designed to be part of a student’s learning experience, these interdisciplinary courses engage students in rich content, applicable skills, and center around a Community Impact Project. Participants connect learning to their local community and region throughout the experience, building relationships and supporting positive impact in the process. Courses are delivered virtually and taught by experienced Teton Science Schools’ faculty. These courses are open to middle school students around the world looking for innovative and place-based learning. Schools that are part of the TSS Place Network can enroll their students without a fee.

Head of Innovation, Nate McClennen, states, “We designed these courses to fill a need for affordable, online, high quality, place-based courses that help students understand and make a difference in their community – while meeting academic goals. Linked to content and skills connected to the course, middle school students will experience a relevant and engaging learning experience.”

Courses this year include My Place, Our Vision (fall), Owner’s Manual for My Human Brain (winter), and Health, Not Hunger (spring). Register now at https://www.tetonscience.org/what-we-do/school-network/online-courses/. Enrollment deadline is always ten days prior to the course start date (September 4 for the fall course).…Read More

Companies Partner to Provide Oral Reading Fluency Tool

Partnership offers automated assessment of students’ oral reading fluency for testing at school or at home 

Savvas Learning Company, a next-generation learning solutions provider for K-12 education, announced it is partnering with Analytic Measures Inc. (AMI), an educational technology company, to provide a fully automated assessment tool that uses artificial intelligence and voice technology to measure K-5 students’ reading abilities. The new tool will empower teachers with time-saving features that quickly, easily, and accurately assess a learner’s oral reading fluency skills while also helping educators address the combined COVID-19 slide along with summer learning loss.

For the start of the new school year, Savvas is pairing myView Literacy©, its leading core K-5 literacy program, and Reading Spot, a digital library, with AMI’s Moby.Read™. Moby.Read uses advanced speech recognition and scoring technologies to automate the oral reading assessment experience and increase testing accuracy, in and out of the classroom. All reading audio is captured and recorded for teacher playback, a feature essential for blended (remote and in-person online) learning. Moby.Read is easily accessible on any digital device or computer that supports Google Chrome as well as by single sign-on through Savvas Realize™, the edtech industry’s most versatile learning management system.…Read More

Survey Shows Over 80% of Parents Are Future-Proofing Kids

Osmo’s latest parent survey reinforces what most parents already knew–that coding skills and STEAM education are a desirable means to future-proof kids and will help them become successful. To complement survey results, Osmo debuts a Coding Starter Kit which combines 3 coding bestsellers and features new hardware. Osmo is an award-winning, educational STEAM brand used in over 30,000 schools and 2.5 million homes.

In the OnePoll-conducted survey of 2000 U.S. parents of school-aged children, over 80% believe in future-proofing kids with necessary skills to ensure career success; 75% believe coding will be a required job skill; and 79% want their child to start learning coding at a very young age. Also, 71% think coding should be mandatory in elementary education. Many early childhood education teachers agree that coding is a vital life skill and learning coding helps kids develop creativity and problem-solving skills.

How do parents future-proof their kids? Data shows 67% have tried to encourage children to pursue their areas of interest, 53% have introduced their kids to educational shows and games, and 47% have introduced structured learning (i.e. workbooks, flashcards). However, 66% do not know where to start when it comes to coding education.…Read More

15 skills students need for success — and how to teach them

21st century skills. Social and emotional learning skills. “Soft” skills. Whatever you choose to call them, there is a set of skills that are essential for success in school, work, and life — and yet teaching and assessing these skills in a formal, structured way can be challenging.

According to a report from McKinsey & Co., the global workforce will undergo a dramatic shift as a result of automation. The need for basic cognitive skills will decline by 15 percent over the course of this decade, while skills that can’t easily be replaced by computers —social and emotional skills such as leadership and empathy, and higher cognitive skills such as creativity and critical thinking — will be in high demand.

Related content: How gamification can improve schoolwide behavior…Read More

eLumen Introduces Professional Services to Help Institutions of Higher Learning Lead Change and Improve Outcomes

Minneapolis, MN―eLumen, the all-in-one platform that helps institutions of higher learning and all individual stakeholders succeed on purpose, today announced the launch of a suite of professional services designed to leverage the effectiveness of instructors and enhance the accomplishments that take place on campuses across the world every day. These services will support colleges and universities in their efforts to better understand and utilize the technology solutions across campus, access more timely and insightful performance data, enhance accreditation and compliance practices, give students better visibility into their mastery of key skills, and much more.

“At eLumen, our focus is to help institutions facilitate student achievement that is foundational―guiding the pathway to mastery of key skills in a fashion that provides a course to something greater. That’s why we work to provide resources and technology to connect what’s possible for all stakeholders, expanding and enhancing the expectations of what education should be,” said Joel Hernandez, CEO of eLumen. “Our new professional services build on what we’ve already achieved through our platform by addressing institutions’ needs in educational technology, curriculum, assessment management, and student pathways. These services, delivered in-person or remotely by experienced practitioners, will help institutions introduce a sense of control of complex processes and gain confidence in the value they can deliver to students.”

eLumen’s professional service engagements range between three to five days in duration and can be delivered on or offsite. This includes the COVID-19 Toolkit, a customizable package of services created to support institutions through current challenges, and to prepare for success this fall and beyond. The toolkit includes training and workshop options to best prepare staff for the upcoming semester.…Read More