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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.

How 3D tech can help overcome learning hurdles

Over the past year, virtual learning proved to be a mixed bag of success. Some students adapted; but for others, learn-from-home was a gargantuan hurdle. Many school systems, in fact, were forced to alter their student performance standards simply due to the number of failing grades students were receiving.

A recent McKinsey study showed that present forms of virtual learning, especially those built around videoconferencing, actually widen learning gaps. But don’t make the mistake in thinking that technology itself is to blame for these educational struggles.

If anything, new solutions are sorely needed. Students need the ability to learn effectively both inside and outside the classroom. There needs to be a seamless connection between modes of learning, with immersion at the core. The right technology can make this happen.…Read More

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Tennessee Approves Illuminate Education’s FastBridge Reading Assessments as K–3 Universal Screeners

IRVINE, CALIF. — AUGUST 25, 2021– Illuminate Education, a leading K–12 student performance solution, announces that earlyReading, CBMreading and aReading—key components of the  FastBridge reading assessment suite—have been  approved by the Tennessee Department of Education as K–3 universal screeners. The assessments meet requirements of the  Tennessee Literacy Success Act and  Say Dyslexia Law.

Already used and trusted by some of the largest school districts in Tennessee, the approval means educators across the state can use earlyReading, CBMreading and aReading to screen their K–3 students during the three annual administration windows. The process provides a complete view of each student’s reading growth, as well as areas needing additional support.

“Having partnered with Tennessee schools for years, we know educators there very well and are grateful for the opportunity to continue serving them—especially as they work to address learning gaps,” said Kristie Lindell, Vice President, Assessment and Instruction Products at Illuminate. “The FastBridge reading assessments are uniquely designed to provide detailed insights on each student’s reading proficiency and growth, saving precious time and providing quick, actionable next steps and instructional resources for educators.”…Read More

Illuminate Education Partners with Turnitin to Provide Assessment Resources for Remote Learning

Illuminate Education, a leading K-12 student performance solution, is partnering with  Turnitin, a leading provider of academic integrity and assessment solutions. Together, they will equip teachers with knowledge and resources to encourage academic integrity and promote effective assessment creation and delivery in remote learning environments. In partnering, Illuminate Education and Turnitin will work to increase educators’ knowledge, use, and application of assessment resources and tools.

“As remote learning continues across the U.S., it’s important that teachers are able to successfully evaluate student growth and promote quality formative assessment creation and delivery,” said Christine Willig, CEO at Illuminate Education. “This includes teaching students the importance of academic authenticity and integrity, and we are eager to partner with Turnitin to achieve this.”

Illuminate Education offers solutions that help educators assess learning, identify needs, align targeted supports, and monitor growth for each and every student.…Read More

UWorld Launches New Tools to Support Educators in Fostering AP® Success

UWorld, the worldwide leader in online learning to prepare for high-stakes exams, today announced the launch of AP® (Advanced Placement®) Learning Tools, a new College Readiness solution to help educators enhance instruction, improve student performance, and effectively prepare for AP exams. The tools save teachers time while enabling students to achieve their academic goals.

Forty percent of students who take AP exams only earn a score of 1 or 2, but studies show that students who score a 3 or higher are more likely to be successful in college and graduate. AP Learning Tools uses College Board®-level questions and clear, concise answer explanations to help students understand why they got an answer wrong, retain information, develop critical thinking skills, and deepen subject-area knowledge.

“Some 1.24 million students took an AP exam in 2019, and that number is predicted to grow year-over-year—and yet educators have little access to AP instruction and exam prep resources that are particularly effective in distance and hybrid learning environments,” said Chandra S. Pemmasani, M.D., UWorld’s founder and CEO. “With our AP Learning Tools, educators have access to progress and performance tracking that helps them identify gaps, modify instructional approaches, and support students—all from their computer.”

All of UWorld’s College Readiness solutions are developed using research-based educational strategies that support instruction, improve engagement, and build critical-thinking skills so that students have the knowledge and confidence to succeed. The answer choices used in AP Learning Tools are updated weekly to ensure alignment to current AP courses and exams. An easy-to-use assignment tool allows educators to customize assignments and integrate content into lessons. Plus, reporting tools provide meaningful insight into student AP performance at the classroom, school and district level.…Read More

Renaissance Answers: Has There Really Been an Impact from COVID on Student Performance?

Renaissance, a global leader in pre-K–12 education technology, today announced the upcoming release of How Kids Are Performing: Tracking the Impact of COVID-19 on Reading and Mathematics Achievement, a report detailing the learning effects associated with COVID-19 school closures. Designed to end the speculation and provide guidance for educators as they address learning gaps, the report will be based on the results of millions of student assessments.

“We’re as eager as the rest of the education world to end the speculation and get to the truth of where our students are as they begin this year,” said Dr. Gene Kerns, vice president and chief academic officer at Renaissance. “This year more than any other, data is going to be key in understanding where our students are and how we can best tailor instruction to meet them there.”

Using data gleaned from Star Assessments—one of the most widely-used assessments in K–12 education—the report will explore key questions including:…Read More

Free eLearning Academy to Support K-12 Students

Otus, a K-12 edtech company that provides the award winning Otus Student Performance Platform, today announced the launch of the Otus eLearning Academy, a free K-12 virtual school with a variety of courses led by highly experienced certified teachers employed by Otus.

With millions of students being forced to learn from home due to school closures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, families are struggling with ways to ensure that their children continue learning while K-12 school systems shift to becoming remote learning organizations.

“While Otus, like many edtech companies, is offering our software to school districts for free during this pandemic, we knew we could do more.” said Andy Bluhm, CEO of Otus and a Chicago investor and philanthropist. “We not only have an amazing platform designed to accommodate eLearning, but we also employ highly qualified teachers who have created engaging eLearning lessons that will include teacher feedback and engagement allowing students to continue their education even when they are not at their school.”…Read More

Getting kids to learn is about relationships

“Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like,” says Rita Pierson, a veteran educator and recent TED Talks Education speaker. According to Pierson, connecting with students on a real, human level is the key to improving student performance.

Pierson, who’s been a professional educator for 40 years, has worked at every level of the public school spectrum from elementary through high school. Having been in education for such a long time, she says she’s witnessed many changes, all aimed at school improvement and boosting student performance.

“Needless to say, not all the suggestions have been sensible,” she says in a recent CNN article.…Read More

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Report: International tests severely misrank U.S. students

Authors confused why PISA releases its first data sets on averages; say its misleading.
“What’s puzzling is why international tests like PISA release overall average scores first, then more nuanced data weeks or months later, since this promotes misleading analyses,” said a co-author of the report.

Prominent international tests skew comparisons of test scores, and U.S. student performance actually ranks much higher than believed, according to a new report released by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).

The truth, says the report, is that—when comparing apples to apples in weighing U.S. student performance against that of other industrialized countries—U.S. students don’t rank 25th in math, but 10th; and in reading, the country is not 14th, but 4th.…Read More

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Some question if whiteboards, other high-tech tools raise achievement

Under enormous pressure to reform, the nation’s public schools are spending millions of dollars each year on devices that technology companies promise can raise student performance. Increasingly, though, another view is emerging, reports the Washington Post: that the money schools spend on instructional gizmos isn’t necessarily making things better, just different. Many academics question industry-backed studies linking improved test scores to their products. And some go further, arguing that the most ubiquitous device-of-the-future, the interactive whiteboard, locks teachers into a 19th-century lecture style of instruction than runs counter to the more collaborative, small-group models that many reformers favor. On its web site, SMART Technologies quotes a former Fairfax County, Va., high school teacher saying that after whiteboards arrived, he saw “significant” increases in student performance “across all grade levels.” Such statements reflect the fact that many teachers love whiteboards, and they also reflect the relationships that ed-tech companies cultivate with school officials to market their products, underwriting major education conferences and sponsoring professional associations. “The private sector engagement is a good thing,” said Doug Levin, executive director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association, which lists Promethean, SMART Technologies, and Apple among its $30,000 platinum sponsors. “It is the [job] of the public sector to evaluate claims of these vendors.”

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