Before the school year ends, check in with your child’s teacher to see their academic standing. There may be skills your child has not quite mastered or areas of weakness that could be strengthened.
Ask your child’s teachers what they’d recommend doing to work on those skills over the summer months and also some general summer planning for parents tips that your child could benefit from. We recently published an article about parent-teacher conferences that may help you maximize this face-to-face time with your child’s teachers.
One of the more difficult aspects of the summer months is the lack of routines the school day otherwise provides. If your child is not enrolled in a summer program during the day, it can be easy for them to fall out of a normal routine.
Sit down with your child before the summer begins to set clear expectations of how their days should look. Help your child make a clear schedule of what they will do throughout the day, when to wake up, and when to go to bed. While summer routines don’t need to be elaborate or finely detailed, they can at least establish some clear expectations of what your child should do each day.
If you’re looking for guidance, check out some of Edmentum's Organization & Wellness Planners.
Going along with the schedule idea, set clear times during the day when there can be learning and review. Online courses like Exact Path (K-12) can provide quality, age-appropriate content for your child that matches what they learn during the school year.
Within your schedule, creating 15- to 30-minute blocks of time where your child has focused learning will make a difference in the long run if done consistently. Check out our Marzano-validated best practices for online learning.
Learning doesn’t have to be restricted to the home. Take educational outings to places like your local history, science, or art museum. Learn something new and let your child explore a topic of interest. Even vacations and trips can cultivate learning; engage your child by asking them to research the area you will visit and its local history.
Cultivate a love of reading by taking regular trips to the library. Let your child choose books and get recommendations from the children’s or youth librarian. Read alongside your child and encourage a love of reading by exposing them to many great books.
Reading a lot of books can also help your child beat the summer slide. One psychology study revealed that children given access to books over the summer perform 35–40 percent better on reading achievement tests than those without access to books. Keep track of reading with these fun, printable Edmentum bookmarks.
Summer is an excellent time for children to explore hobbies or pursue passion projects they may not have had time for during the school year. Whether it's painting, coding, gardening, or learning a musical instrument, encourage your child to dedicate some time each day to their interests. Designate a specific area in your home where your child can immerse themselves in their hobbies and projects without distractions and provide resources and opportunities for your child to explore various interests. Online resources like DIY.org are designed to inspire creativity and skill-building in children through a wide range of hands-on activities and projects.
Summer offers a great opportunity for children to learn about empathy, compassion, and social responsibility by volunteering in their community. Involve your child in the process of selecting volunteer opportunities and research local volunteer opportunities that align with your child's interests and values. Whether it's participating in a local beach cleanup, volunteering at a food bank, or helping out at an animal shelter, engaging in meaningful volunteer work can be both educational and fulfilling for children.
Lastly, have a little fun with your children. It is summer, after all. Playtime has all sorts of amazing benefits, so be sure to let those summer days be filled with lots of fun in the sun. Remember, a little "do nothing" time is good for everyone. This might some counterintuitive, but penciling in some lazy time is absolutely a good summer planning tips for parents.
Summer learning programs offer an opportunity to intervene before missed credits accumulate and to get students who are behind back on track to graduate with their cohort.
The importance of summer learning programs is clear, but the reality is that many students have not had positive experiences throughout their academic careers.
The likelihood of students dropping out increases exponentially with every failed credit. The responsibility for individual student persistence falls to many different stakeholders—administrators, guidance counselors, parents and guardians, students themselves, and, of course, summer school instructors.
In many cases, it is an individual teacher who holds the key to finding meaningful ways for students to reengage, persevere, and achieve success.
Here are three instructional best practices for administrators and teachers to consider when getting ready for summer school classes:
This is one of the hardest lessons for any person—educators included—to truly digest.
Beginning at a place of confusion is a prerequisite to learning anything new because it provides the impetus and motivation to get started. After that, it’s all about embracing the journey.
Individual learners are only likely to persevere if they feel safe and supported and feel encouraged to take risks.
Strive to make your summer school classroom a place where asking questions, making mistakes, and attempting new things is the norm, not the exception. It’s OK for you to not have all the answers or to make mistakes in front of your students—doing so offers profound teachable moments as students watch you own your confusion and move forward.
Adopting a growth mindset in your classroom is another great way to drive student engagement and restore learners’ self-confidence.
Many educators are familiar with Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, and some have been trained to play to students’ strengths in terms of visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and other learning modalities.
However, to be truly effective, teachers need to extend this approach beyond the initial instructional phase, especially when working with students who may have already struggled with the material in summer school.
If students are unlikely to “catch” what’s being presented on the first try, then other formats must be leveraged for them to approach the material again.
Providing resources in various modalities that students can review independently, such as lecture notes, PowerPoint presentations, and Khan Academy videos, is one way to support different learning styles and help students learn to “teach” themselves—a skill that translates far beyond the classroom.
Doing so also frees up class time for meaningful, active, “sticky” learning that incorporates questioning, dialogue, and interactive group sessions.
Effective teachers also use formative assessments consistently to check for understanding—highly effective teachers have a strategy for reteaching the same material in a different format whenever students have not reached the desired a-ha moment.
From the outset of your summer learning program, make sure that students understand their individual learning styles and preferences, encourage them to request and find materials that meet their needs, and always remain open and ready to make adjustments.
Summer learning programs are all about helping students get back on track for graduation, so it’s critical to stay intentional about finding creative ways for students to avoid falling far behind in the first place. A good place to start is in considering options for summer school unit recovery.
If a student fails a unit test or another summative assessment, are there ways for that student to reclaim that specific material and demonstrate mastery before being assigned a failing grade for the entire class?
Online programs can offer resources to make unit recovery feasible. In Courseware, the Flex Assignments feature allows educators to assign tailored lessons and create specific recovery assignments that will give students an opportunity to get back on track individually or as a group.
Or, for students simply in need of additional practice to achieve proficiency, Study Island can provide targeted assignments organized by topic and standard and offer students the chance to work through these sets in multiple flexible modes, including game mode.
In the process, both of these Edmentum solutions provide teachers with detailed data to drive targeted instruction, including tracking time on task, attempts made, concepts mastered, and areas where they are still struggling.
Education is about the conveyance of information and the ability to apply that information to theory and practice; it is not about a fixed calendar. Summer learning programs offer a unique chance for educators to look beyond the barriers of an academic calendar and create alternative pathways to success for at-risk students.
Looking for more ideas to make your summer learning program a success? Check out 10 Things to Look for When Building Your Summer School Program.
That summer school stigma desensitizes many teachers who opt for summer duty. They automatically might think the worst of the students who find themselves participating.
The truth is that if these students weren’t invested in their education, they wouldn’t be there in the first place.
Kids who don’t want to succeed wouldn’t take the time.
If you don’t typically work with the students in your summer school class, now is the time to broaden your horizons. Get to know them. Find out what makes them tick. That effort will make the summer a much more valuable experience for both them and you.
Check out these tips on building classroom community to get started.
With struggling students (who make up the majority of the “clients” for summer school), content often has to be framed in order to get them to buy in, meaning that they often need to know what’s in it for them (other than the recovered credit, obviously).
Place an emphasis on how this information will help them in next year’s classes. Talk to the students about summer brain drain and how they will be more prepared to hit the ground running come August.
Framing the time spent as beneficial in the long run might get them to try a little harder. Here are some ideas for how to emphasize how the information learned during summer school will benefit students in the future:
Integrating technology into summer school programs offers endless possibilities for enhancing learning experiences, engaging students, and fostering academic growth. Consider using platforms like Google Classroom, Edmodo, or Schoology to create interactive lessons, share resources, and track student progress. You can also use digital quizzes and assessments to gauge student understanding. Platforms like Kahoot! or Quizizz make learning fun and competitive.
Remember that technology should complement, not replace, effective teaching practices. Provide clear guidelines for responsible technology use, address digital citizenship, and ensure equitable access for all students.
These might not be your kids. You might not even teach the courses being offered during summer school. That doesn’t mean you can’t use this brief time of teaching summer school to expand your teaching practice for next year.
Summer school classes often feature smaller class sizes, making differentiation and individualized instruction strategies that aren’t possible during the school year more accessible.
With more practice, maybe they can be used during the school year. Do some experimenting with blended learning as well since many summer school programs now have significant online components.
Yes, no one wants to be there. Yes, you only have two weeks teaching summer school in which to fit a lot of material. That doesn’t mean that the room can’t be fun or that you forget the engagement strategies you use during the traditional school year.
Make some jokes (and laugh at theirs). Take the time to celebrate successes and accomplishments.
It’s possible that you are the first teacher who bothers to be positive with them—perhaps even turning the tide in their educational careers.
Looking for more ways to get the most out of teaching summer school? Check out five tips for maximum class-time efficiency.
A research study by the American Educational Research Journal found that over the summer months, students in grades 1-8 lost between 17-34 percent of their learning acquired throughout the school year. That being said, students learning over summer break, at least in some capacity, becomes pivotal as they grow in their education.
Keep your students learning all summer long with these 10 tips:
Parental involvement can be the key to keeping students learning over summer break when they’re not in school. Reach out to parents before the school year ends, and share ways to keep their children engaged throughout the summer.
For example, teachers can encourage parents to read with or read to their children. This is an excellent opportunity for adults to model proper fluency, including phrasing and expression. After reading, they should spend a few minutes talking about what they just read with their child, using questions such as:
To jumpstart students learning over summer break, consider printing off resources and sending them home in a take-home packet. This is a great way to make sure that all students have access to extra practice over the summer, even if they don’t have access to a computer.
Include resources that help students build new vocabulary, reinforce phonics, and test their comprehension and fluency. We curated these great summer resources to get you started.
Create a friendly academic competition between your students with incentives to come at the beginning of the new school year. See how some schools used contests to drive student engagement with Study Island and start brainstorming your own competition.
Don’t forget to check out our Study Island Contest Toolkit and Exact Path Contest Toolkit.
One of the most effective ways to avoid summer learning loss is to read regularly. As summer is a time for discovery and adventure, students can cultivate new interests by checking out various titles in their community’s public or virtual library.
If your school offers access to a shared virtual library, consider creating custom book collections to share with your students before the school year ends. Filter books by genre, reading level, topic and more to share books personalized to each student’s needs.
Teachers can also send students off with summer reading lists and resources for their community libraries, and encourage them to download their library’s mobile app, if available.
Don’t miss the chance to share these fun, printable bookmarks, perfect for keeping track of summer reading.
Promote nontraditional learning over summer break with a list of documentaries, historical films, podcasts, and audiobooks that students can enjoy over the break.
Download and share this 30-Day Summer Learning Challenge for some fun ideas.
Summer is the perfect time for students to unleash their creativity and take ownership of their learning through do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. Help them become self-directed learners with our how-to guide for personalized learning, and encourage them to explore their interests, pursue their passions, and unleash their inner innovator with a variety of hands-on activities. Here are some ideas to inspire the DIY spirit:
Highlight learning institutions that students can visit on their own time—the local library, a museum, or a nature center. The options for hands-on learning are endless.
For students who may have trouble with access to in-person opportunities, try creating a virtual field trip instead. Encourage students to explore virtual museums, participate in online workshops, and engage with interactive learning platforms to discover new passions and expand their knowledge horizons.
Many businesses and nonprofit organizations welcome support from young adults in their communities. Whether it's assisting at a food bank, participating in a community clean-up initiative, or volunteering at a local animal shelter, there are countless ways for students to contribute to the well-being of their communities.
Offer a community service credit , or create a summer project focused on giving back to encourage students to embrace the spirit of service and make a meaningful difference in the world around them, both during the summer months and beyond.
Camps are a great option for all types of learners. Many focus on specific interests and the development of important social, emotional, and cognitive skills.
Best of all, they create lasting memories.
Summer is also a great time to discover new activities, try new things, and develop new hobbies.
These days, we often feel like we need to fill up every moment of every day with some activity or plan so that we can make sure we are being productive and efficient with our time.
But every now and again, a little boredom, or unspecified downtime, can actually boost creativity and help develop imagination and self-awareness.
Have your students write out a short list of things that interest them or activities they enjoy that they can turn to when they have nothing to do, and encourage them to try to see the dull moments as opportunities.
Interested in more tips to build out summer learning success? Share these tips with parents to keep their kids learning during the summer.
Every year, on or near beloved fairy tale author Hans Christen Anderson’s birthday (April 2), people worldwide celebrate International Children’s Book Day to mark the importance of reading and literacy for all children across the globe.
Celebrate in your classroom this year with Edmentum’s free International Children’s Book Day Classroom Resources. Inside, you’ll find fact sheets, critical thinking questions, activities, and reference sheets exploring the history and significance of this fun reading-themed celebration.
From its beginnings in 1970, Earth Day has evolved into a day of global environmental awareness, celebrating the natural beauty of the planet and the innovative ways people have helped reduce, reuse, and recycle all over the world.
To help you celebrate our planet and discuss with your class all the different ways we can help make our world a cleaner, safer place, we have prepared a free Earth Day resource packet from Edmentum, stuffed with fact sheets, a critical thinking prompt, an activity, lesson plans, and posters.
As a consumer, you make choices every day that affect your health and the environment. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has shared labels to look for when making your next purchase that will also directly impact the quality of the world around you. Use this as an opportunity to improve your own environmental consciousness while also making Earth Day relevant by sharing some of these real life examples with your students.
April isn't just a time for spring flowers and preparing for the end of the school year; it's also National Math & Statistics Month. As educators, we can use this month to engage our students in exciting activities that highlight the importance of these subjects. Whether you’re a math teacher or simply want to infuse some numerical fun into your classroom, here are some ideas to make the most of National Math & Statistics Month:
The Edmentum Brain Game is a fun, descriptive game that puts an interactive twist on flashcard review by challenging players to describe terms with a partner or group. There are multiple ways to play the game, so your imagination is the limit. Plus, the cards are easy to download and print, so your students can play wherever they are.
We’ve assembled a variety of decks for all grade levels in subjects, including:
Download The Edmentum Brain Game today to get started. Interested in exploring more content to celebrate April holidays and events? Browse Edmentum’s Free Resources page for fun, interactive toolkits, downloadables, activity packets, and more.
]]>Education leaders across the nation are grappling with redefining what student success looks like. In more than a dozen states (and growing), the definition of what it means to educate and launch productive citizens of society is showing up in “portrait of a graduate” legislation. So, what does it all mean? More than just attaining required credits to earn a diploma, reimagining what it means to be a successful graduate means shaping students who are global citizens, critical thinkers, innovative problem solvers, and effective communicators. To help achieve this threshold of empowered learning, Edmentum is prioritizing a vision for career learning that connects more students to bright futures so that they don’t just graduate—they thrive.
Brought to center stage most recently through the U.S. Department of Education’s Raise the Bar: Unlocking Career Success initiative, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona reminds us, “It’s time we bridge the divide between our K–12 systems and our college, career, and industry preparation programs, which leave too many students behind and perpetuate inequities in our most diverse, underserved, and rural communities.”
U.S. government data from the 2021–22 school year show that nearly two-thirds of students attend a school challenged by chronic absenteeism and that college enrollment continues its steepest slides on record since 2018. However, at the same time, the demand for career-connected learning is only growing stronger. A Georgetown University projects report states that, by 2031, 72 percent of jobs in the U.S. will require postsecondary education and training.
With this in mind, we’re investing in a new Edmentum career and technical education (CTE) catalog that changes the conversation on how schools and districts can provide the very best career-connected learning opportunities for all students.
Perkins V funding expanded pipelines for CTE not only at the high school level but also into middle school. Edmentum’s CTE library supports 42 Career Pathways that include career exploration beginning in grades 6–8 to build durable skills and allow students to investigate a career theme of interest. From there, high school pathways support concentrated multiyear depth to keep students engaged and on track to graduate. Ultimately, certification preparation ensures that fully realized pathways turn concentrators into completers—preparing students for their next step.
Investing in CTE isn’t just about giving students more options; it’s also about creating connected and coherent course sequences in Career Pathways that matter. According to 2021–22 Perkins Collaborative Resources Network (PCRN) data, the top five Career Clusters® account for 64 percent of overall CTE participation. Building multiyear pathways in high-demand Career Clusters® means expanding our reach in all of these areas (and more).
We build our content to national CTE pathways standards and strategic state-standard expectations. Our new Edmentum CTE courses feature proven instructional design and scaffolded content designed to help students successfully unpack and retain concepts connected to real-world applications. Moreover, administrators have the flexibility to modify courses to suit the specific needs of their district, school, and students. When paired alongside other familiar Courseware offerings, educators and students alike can expect a consistent course experience for seamless ongoing learning.
Edmentum CTE courses are recognized for quality, both by third-party organizations and education partners across the nation. As the leading K–12 publisher approved by Quality Matters, our courses meet strict guidelines for standards alignment, course design, and accessibility. State education agencies in California, Indiana, and Maryland also recognize our courses for quality, effectiveness, and local relevance.
Educators we partner with are also already achieving great outcomes. Take graduation and career success at Harvard Community Unit School District (CUSD) 50 in McHenry County, Illinois, as just one example. Harvard CUSD 50 is providing new opportunities for its students aligned to the jobs of the future, ultimately leading to increasing its on-time four-year graduation rate by 8.4 percentage points from 2018–21.
We at Edmentum believe the path to sparking student engagement and contextualizing learning in real-world skills requires reimagining career-connected learning. With our new Edmentum CTE library, we stand beside you, ready to serve all students as they explore career themes, learn technical competencies, and develop durable skills to accelerate employability, all while they earn a high school diploma.
The Career Clusters® brand is a registered trademark of The Center to Advance CTE—and is managed by Advance CTE on its behalf.
]]>However, there are those who argue that standardized test scores have only increased importance, as they serve as a measure of academic aptitude and can aid colleges in maintaining diversity. It is important to note that standardized testing is still mandated by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and schools are held accountable for their students' performance. Although ESSA has implemented some changes to its requirements, concerns about undue testing persist.
Placing excessive emphasis on testing can have negative effects on both teachers and students. Schools nationwide are striving to strike a delicate balance between testing and learning.
The demands of extensive testing require teachers to dedicate an increasing amount of time to test preparation, including developing lesson plans aligned with test content and administering and proctoring exams. This focus on testing diverts teachers' attention away from delivering engaging and comprehensive instruction, limiting their ability to explore creative teaching methods and cater to the individual needs of students.
Excessive testing reduces instructional time as teachers allocate more classroom hours to test preparation and administration. The pressure to cover test content may result in a narrowed curriculum, leaving less time for in-depth exploration of topics and the development of critical thinking skills. Students may miss out on valuable learning experiences, such as hands-on activities, group discussions, and project-based learning, which are essential for fostering deeper understanding and knowledge retention.
Standardized tests, aka high-stakes testing, can induce test anxiety in students, resulting in increased stress levels and negative emotional experiences. Test anxiety can impede cognitive functioning, hinder information processing, and have a detrimental impact on test performance. Frequent testing can also contribute to student fatigue, as the continuous cycle of test preparation, taking exams, and receiving results can be mentally and emotionally draining. In turn this fatigue reduces student engagement in the learning process further impacting their learning outcomes.
Research suggests that reducing the frequency and emphasis on high-stakes testing can lead to improved learning outcomes and enhanced student well-being. Less testing allows for more instructional time, enabling teachers to engage students in meaningful learning experiences and promote a deeper understanding of the subject matter. By reducing test anxiety and fatigue, students can focus more on learning and develop a positive attitude towards education.
To help educators save time and increase students’ opportunity for learning, schools need solutions that allow them to efficiently answer “What’s next?” with their chosen assessment data. Exact Path’s API integration with state and national exams such as NWEA MAP and Renaissance Star, automatically turns test results into adaptive, personalized learning paths in math, reading, and language arts. With no additional testing, Exact Path provides ESSA tier II evidence-based intervention to students and gives teachers access to dynamic, data-driven teaching tools to differentiate instruction and ensure every student receives the targeted support they need to get back to grade level and succeed academically.
]]>Spring not only brings with it warm weather and more sunshine but also more learning opportunities. In addition to the old, reliable science lessons we turn to when seasons change – the solar system, plant life and vegetation, weather patterns – there are fresh, creative ways to approach spring-themed subjects we know and love. You can even incorporate subjects like art and writing.
Check out these four spring classroom activities to get started:
Exploring color theory and the light spectrum are two concepts that make combining lessons in science and art a breeze, and spring brings the perfect excuse for taking classes outdoors.
With all the fresh flowers, sparkling sunshine, and vegetation that come with spring, stepping outside can sometimes feel like Dorothy stepping out into Oz, especially when a spring shower results in the occasional rainbow. On a sunny day, grab your color wheel, head outside with your students, and see how many primary colors they can find in nature. What about secondary colors?
You can also use plants and flowers growing outside as examples to explain concepts like color harmony and context. For lessons on the light spectrum, going outside can also help learning come alive. If the sky looks particularly clear one afternoon, why not take everyone outside and answer the age-old “Why is the sky blue?” question? Discuss why we see rainbows and why everything turns green again after winter ends. It’s the perfect excuse to get outside and get creative.
Spring weather is notorious for being unpredictable and quick to change, making it perfect for a reflective writing lesson with a little mindfulness mixed in.
At the end of recess or when they are at home, instruct your students to spend 5 minutes simply observing the weather around them. Is it warm, is it humid, is it windy? What do they hear and smell? Do they notice any change in the environment? How can they tell spring has arrived?
After they’ve had time to reflect, have your students jot down their observations so they don’t forget, then use what they observed to write a poem or journal a response. You can also add a scientific spin to this activity with older students by adding in a word band of weather-related vocabulary to use in their writing. Can your students think of creative ways to describe their favorite spring weather using the terms in their science book?
Pressing flowers is a pretty simple and kid-friendly craft (especially if you follow Martha Stewart’s 3-step process) that can also double as a creative way to teach students about the different parts of a plant.
Simply have your students find a healthy flower specimen from outside at school or around their home (or you can always grab a tray of bedding flowers from your local nursery or farmer’s market) and bring them to class.
Gather your materials pressing, then have students gently pull their flowers apart, separating the different parts of the plant and arranging them neatly or into a fun design before pressing them.
After a few days, when the flowers are pressed, have your class revisit their specimens and see if they can identify the different parts. How have they changed since being pressed?
Once you’ve finished using your flower pressings to learn about plants, your students can take their unique pressings home to share with their families.
You’ve probably heard the old myth that an egg will balance upright during the spring equinox due to the Earth’s position relative to the sun. In reality, you can balance an egg any day of the year as long as you have the right egg.
Still, balancing eggs is a fun way to mix together a lesson in folklore with a little bit of physics. First, discuss with your class what happens during the equinox and ask them if they think an egg will balance because of this special event. Then, follow the instructions for this egg-balancing experiment from National Geographic Kids.
Are your students still convinced the equinox can make the egg balance? After everyone has completed the experiment, talk with your students about the truth behind this interesting myth and why balancing eggs has become an equinox tradition.
Are you interested in exploring more content beyond these spring classroom activities to celebrate important events and holidays? Check out our other free March classroom resources from Edmentum for fun, interactive toolkits celebrating Women’s History Month and National Reading Month.
This post was originally published on March 18, 2019, and has been updated.
The U.S. Department of Labor recognizes 16 career clusters that provide a structure for Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and help students explore interests through career pathways. If you’re looking to develop or enhance your CTE program, consider offering these five popular career clusters.
This cluster can appeal to students who are interested in an agricultural career related to food production, environmental sustainability, and natural resource management. Potential career pathways include farming, ranching, food science and green energy.
With growing concerns about food security and environmental sustainability, careers in agriculture and natural resources are more critical than ever. Offering programs in this cluster can prepare students to address future challenges within agronomy, veterinary science, and environmental conservation.
A multi-year career pathway in green energy can look like the following with these courses:
Aspiring artists and students with a knack for creating online content may be interested in this cluster, which encompasses careers in visual and performing arts, multimedia production, journalism, and broadcasting.
In an increasingly digital world, proficiency in audiovisual (AV) technology and communication skills are highly sought after across industries. School districts can empower students to explore and apply their creative passions in career pathways like graphic design, film production, and digital media.
A multi-year career pathway in digital design can look like the following with these courses:
Entrepreneurial students looking to start a business or those who are interested in climbing the corporate ladder may be interested in exploring the foundations of business education, which demonstrates what effective management and administration looks like in practice.
Business management and administration courses will equip students with critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, which are all needed to thrive in a global, competitive market. There's a wide range of career pathways within this cluster, such as entrepreneurship, finance, human resources, and marketing.
A multi-year career pathway in human resources management can look like the following with these courses:
The health science cluster encompasses careers in medicine, nursing, allied health professions, biomedical research, and healthcare administration. Students who are interested in this cluster can get a comprehensive education and hands-on training needed for success in the healthcare industry.
As advancements in medical technology and services continue to shape our world, the demand for skilled healthcare professionals remains high. By offering programs in health science, school districts prepare students for rewarding careers in healthcare while addressing critical workforce shortages.
A multi-year career pathway in exercise science can look like the following with these courses:
Students who choose pathways in the STEM cluster have access to various opportunities that serve a real need in the workforce. For example, they can design cutting-edge software, build sustainable infrastructure, or conduct groundbreaking scientific research.
As STEM lies at the forefront of innovation and technological advancement, schools that offer such courses can provide students the chance to tackle complex challenges, cultivate analytical thinking skills, and become proficient in emerging technologies.
A multi-year career pathway in robotics can look like the following with these courses:
As educators and policymakers continue to prioritize CTE, investing in comprehensive programs that encompass these essential career clusters is key to unlocking the full potential of our future workforce.
Edmentum is ready to be the partner that can provide CTE courses that help students find success in the 21st-century workforce. View Edmentum’s full CTE curricula catalog to browse options such as virtual courses and middle school level introductory courses.
This post was originally published in February 2019 and has been updated.
Advance CTE’s National Career Clusters® Framework is intended to serve as means of organizing knowledge and skills into different career pathways to help educators design and deliver high-quality programming that leads students to career success. The Framework identifies 16 different Career Clusters, representing 79 unique Career Pathways.
Advance CTE states that the Career Clusters Framework is meant to serve “…as a useful guide in developing programs of study bridging secondary and postsecondary curriculum and for creating individual student plans of study for a complete range of career options. As such, it helps students discover their interests and their passions, and empowers them to choose the educational pathway that can lead to success in high school, college and career.”
These plans lay out an individual students’ course sequence for core academic subjects (math, ELA, social studies, science, etc.) and electives (including CTE). This ensures that counselors and support teams can put the students in the classes that they are either excited about taking, need to graduate, or are required to take to attain a career certification or experience. Student plans are also used by school and district administrators for program goal setting, staffing, budgeting, and other planning tasks. Here’s a breakdown of what these plans include:
Dual credit programs allow high school students to work on post-secondary curriculum, aligned to relevant state standards and taught by a district employee with adjunct status or a representative of the college. These courses can be taught face-to-face, blended or virtually, with the student earning college credit concurrent to high school credit.
This is a method of incubating students to prepare them for college and career experiences. This approach places students in an immersive learning environment that fosters quick analysis and application of knowledge and skills. Examples include job shadowing, internships, and project-based activities connected to actual industry work. These kinds of opportunities provide particularly robust and dynamic learning experiences for students.
Often an internship or practicum is the culminating experience in a student’s CTE pathway, and can be incorporated in a capstone course. In these learning environments, students communicate with their CTE teacher and work supervisor for feedback, grades, and selected areas for improvement. It is of great value for students to journal, develop portfolios, and communicate their experiences with class peers in order to create a learning community and foster improvement.
Externships are opportunities for teachers to gain work experience in industry so that they may infuse those experiences, skills, and resources into their curriculum for students. Externships can be utilized by CTE teachers as well as core academic teachers, from the high school level all the way down to elementary school.
These groups provide opportunities for students to engage in projects and competitions to demonstrate their knowledge and skills toward career readiness. They also offer valuable chances to build connections with adults working in industry, and peers who share their career interests. Here’s a few of the leading CTSOs to check out:
Looking for additional info on all things Career and Technical Education? Check out Edmentum’s CTE Workbook for helpful resources on the different career pathways, an overview of implementation models, interactive program planning worksheets, and more to help you design a program that will truly impact student outcomes.
Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m just bad at math” or “I am just not a numbers person”? For years, there has been a social norm that dismisses poor math achievement as acceptable. Every student can (and should) experience success in math, as it is directly correlated to future success. Research shows that success in math provides students with college and career options, increases prospects for future income and improves social and economic outcomes later in life.
It’s important that we build classroom cultures where math success is about effort to learn the subject, not an inherent talent. Let's delve into some engaging activities tailored for different grade levels, from kindergarten to high school, to celebrate this mathematical holiday in the classroom.
For kindergarten to 2nd-grade students, Pi Day can be celebrated with interactive and enjoyable activities tailored to their developmental level:
For students in grades 3 to 6, Pi Day celebrations can be elevated with more challenging yet still engaging activities:
For students in grades 7 to 12, Pi Day offers opportunities for more advanced and immersive activities:
By integrating Pi Day activities across different subject areas, educators can provide students with a holistic understanding of mathematics while fostering interdisciplinary connections and promoting active, engaging learning experiences. Here are some ideas for how to integrate Pi Day activities across various subject areas:
Engaging the broader school community in Pi Day celebrations can elevate the excitement and educational impact of this mathematical holiday. Here's how you can involve parents, local professionals, and organizations to enrich the Pi Day experience for students:
Getting students excited about math may not always be the simplest task for teachers, but building a solid foundation of math skills is critical to success in the classroom—and it simply makes life easier! So, take advantage of this Pi Day to share a tasty classroom treat, and sell your students on the benefits of math learning and its real-world applications.
]]>In middle school, CTE courses provide opportunities for exploration and skill development. Students can use introductory courses to explore a variety of careers and skills related to a specific pathway or across multiple pathways, helping them identify a career or field that interests them.
Many middle school CTE courses also provide opportunities for students to start developing basic career skills like professional communication skills. These courses also help students develop durable skills, including leadership, collaboration, and an overall positive attitude. By starting these introductory courses in middle school, students can get a jump start on preparing for both college and careers while they're in high school.
Take a look at the middle school electives that Edmentum offers by visiting our curricula catalog.
In high school, CTE courses allow for further career investigation and preparation, as well as durable skills development. Application and technical courses within a pathway allow students to deepen their knowledge of their chosen field, which will help them in determining a future career and gaining further skills needed. Application and technical courses can also provide more opportunities to develop the durable skills that employers seek—work ethic, teamwork, and critical thinking. CTE courses also prepare students for their certification preparation courses.
CTE courses are an easy and cost-effective way to expose your students to the many opportunities available within a variety of fields and industries. Check out Edmentum’s full CTE course catalog to browse all of your options (including fully virtual courses taught by our highly qualified online teachers available through EdOptions Academy.
Finally, certification preparation courses are the culminating courses for students’ chosen career pathways. These courses are intended to prepare students for exams that lead to certification. Technical courses provide the deepest knowledge of a chosen career, such as a certified nurse assistant/aide. Certification courses provide specific, detailed career information that is vital to preparing for the certification exams required (or strongly recommended) for a career in students’ chosen fields. Employers seek these certifications, along with the durable skills students have developed in earlier courses.
Looking to expand your library of CTE courses at your middle or high school or learn more about our certification preparation courses? Count on Edmentum for the resources you need to get started. Edmentum offers both middle school exploration and focused high school CTE courses, spanning 42 multiyear career pathways across 12 nationally recognized career clusters.
Preparing students for the workforce of the future requires schools to equip them with the right skills for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Check out our previously recorded webinar, Durable Skills: Preparing Students for the Future of Work, where education leaders gathered to discuss how they are working to bring durable skills education to K–12 students.
]]>Based on our experience working with schools and districts across the country, here are the best practices we recommend for developing a CTE program.
CTE is really a blanket term for a number of program models and educational outcomes, so, it’s important to clearly identify from the start why you want to implement a CTE program in your district and what goals you hope to achieve through your program. For example, are you hoping to stem excessive absenteeism by keeping students more engaged? Do you want to teach students durable skills that they can take with them after they graduate?
Do you want to improve student achievement in core academic skills through an interdisciplinary approach? Or are you looking to offer more focused career pathways to help students be college and career ready?
No matter what your school or district goals are, make sure that they are clearly defined from the outset and use them as the basis for all subsequent decisions you make about how to set up your program.
One of the key benefits of CTE programs is that they place a focus on building skills in the classroom that are directly and immediately applicable in the real world. Offering courses related to career pathways that accelerate employability is a huge piece of any successful program.
Stay in tune to the technical and soft skills that are most in demand across industries and make sure that you know which skills and careers are getting kids excited—and keep in mind that both are going to change over time. Early on, determine which career pathways you’ll offer to teach these skills—doing so will be a big help in planning other logistical aspects of your program.
Think about how you will infuse core skills into your CTE curriculum, and consider offering an exploratory course at the middle school level (often covered by expanded Perkins V funding) to spark interest early.
Once you know what you want your CTE program to provide, it’s time to think about how to actually make that happen. Do you have teachers within your district who are qualified to teach the courses you want to offer? If not, will you need to hire? Are there online courses that can fill in gaps?
Keep in mind that many CTE certifications are in niche fields—teachers holding standard licenses may not have the expertise you need. Additionally, do you have the support staff you need to make your program successful?
Counseling and guidance staff are key in effective CTE programs and are great resources to help students determine paths where they will be successful and learn how to navigate a different kind of educational model.
Your staff members are the individuals who will carry out the day-to-day implementation of your CTE program, so their understanding and buy-in is absolutely essential to success.
It’s important to have a plan to offer ongoing professional development (PD) and training opportunities in order to keep staff in the loop about the objectives of your CTE program and make sure that they’re equipped with the knowledge and resources they need to put strategies into action. This PD will look different for different staff members.
For guidance and intervention staff, it’s important to provide them with a strong understanding of the goals and benefits of CTE so that they can be effective advocates and translators for students and families involved in the program.
For your CTE instructors, especially those with an industry background or a more niche one, it’s important to provide them with interdisciplinary instruction knowledge. And, of course, make sure that all of your staff are clear on the latest standards and comfortable with all of the technology your program is utilizing.
It’s an unfortunate reality—budgets need to be kept in mind from the beginning with any large project. As you’re planning for your CTE program, think about the dollars currently available in your district, as well as new sources of funding you may be able to tap.
Federal Perkins grants are the go-to source for CTE funding, but there are also some career-cluster specific grants that your program may be eligible for. Do your research early (the Association for Career and Technical Education and Advance CTE both have great resource pages), and don’t be shy about submitting applications.
The hands-on, clear connections to real-life careers are one of the biggest draws of CTE for students who are (understandably) always asking why career and technical education courses become truly effective, not to mention popular, when they offer learners the chance to get out of the classroom and experience the working world firsthand.
Building relationships with industries in your district’s community is the best way to create these opportunities. Reach out to different companies and express your interest in creating partnerships between their professionals and your students.
Start small by proposing brief site visits or in-class speakers and work up to more robust ongoing opportunities like mentoring, project-based learning partnerships, or internships.
You may be surprised by the enthusiastic responses you receive from industries—after all, it’s a win-win situation when your students can achieve academic success and companies end up with access to more of the skilled workers they need. Plus, working adults love a change of pace as much as students and appreciate the opportunity to give back to their community.
Implementing a CTE program isn’t a one-time undertaking. It’s a long-term commitment to a model that will inevitably grow and evolve, and along the way, you’re sure to try both great and disappointing strategies. Achieving success is all about iteration and scalability.
From the outset, think about how you will gather feedback from everyone involved—your staff, students, parents, and industry partners. Surveys can be a great tool to make sure that every group’s needs are being met.
Consider the data that you will have available from student test scores, online programs, and classroom formative assessment, and reflect on how you can put it to use to determine if your career and technical education program is meeting its objectives.
Think about how you can compile all of this information to get a meaningful read on how your implementation is going, and make adjustments to course offerings, curriculum, assessments, format, and other program components on a yearly basis.
With clear goals, some careful planning, and a dedication to continuous improvement, a CTE program can be a huge asset to your district to improve student outcomes. Whether you decide to implement the program with available staff or choose the option of our state-certified virtual teachers, consider Edmentum’s course offerings by viewing our curricula catalog or visiting our Career & Technical Education Toolkit for additional resources.
]]>Nothing compares to the splendor of learning to love to read. Whether your students are learning to read or reading to learn, National Reading Month and Read Across America Day on March 2nd provide the perfect opportunity to celebrate the magic of books. It’s also a great time to help your students see the importance of literacy and reading for fun.
Our National Reading Month classroom resources include fact sheets, fun activities, and literacy-themed critical thinking questions to engage your students. And don’t forget to check out a few of our other favorite Reading Month classroom resources:
With the busy educator in mind, we wanted to create a fun and meaningful way to help you encourage reading. These exciting new bookmarks come in three different tracking styles, designed to suit a variety of reading levels. Find which one works best for you and your students.
Whether you're working with kindergarteners just beginning their reading journey or eighth graders delving into complex texts, there are countless ways to celebrate and promote literacy in your classroom. For National Reading Month, we've curated a selection of engaging lessons and activities from our popular literacy programs, Study Island and Exact Path, designed to build essential literacy skills and foster a lifelong love for reading. Explore suggested lessons, download free resources, and discover how Edmentum can help you boost literacy in your classroom. Dive into the full article here.
The Edmentum Brain Game is a fun, descriptive game that puts an interactive twist on flashcard review by challenging players to describe terms with a partner or group. There are multiple ways to play the game, so your imagination is the limit. Plus, the cards are easy to download and print, so your students can play wherever they are.
We’ve assembled a variety of decks for all grade levels in subjects like:
The 30-Day Reading Month Challenge downloadable includes creative ideas and prompts designed to keep students engaged and inspired as they celebrate all there is to love about reading. With 30 days’ worth of fun activities, facts, and resources, learners will look forward to opening up a book each day and making the most out of National Reading Month.
During Women’s History Month, we celebrate and honor the accomplishments and contributions made by women and the vital role of women in our society, culture, and history. In our Women’s History Month classroom resources, you’ll find activities, critical thinking questions, and lesson plans to help you observe and celebrate women’s history with your students.
Be sure to also check out our blog on extraordinary women who changed education.
Pi Day, celebrated annually on March 14th, pays homage to the mathematical constant π (pi), which represents the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. This special day offers an opportunity for math enthusiasts, educators, and students alike to indulge in the beauty and significance of mathematics. In our article Celebrating Pi Day: Finding Math in the Real World, we explore 10 real-world applications of math that demonstrate its relevance and significance beyond the classroom. Embrace Pi Day as a chance to ignite excitement about math and empower your students to see its impact both in school and beyond.
No matter what Punxsutawney Phil (or any of his descendants) has to say, the spring equinox falls each year between March 19-21 in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the end of winter and the beginning of sunny days and fresh flowers.
To help you celebrate the changing of the seasons, we have prepared a free Spring Equinox Classroom Resource Packet from Edmentum, including fact sheets, critical thinking questions, and a festive classroom poster. And be sure to check out these 4 Fun and Easy Spring Equinox Activities for more ideas on how to say hello to spring with your students.
Interested in exploring more content to celebrate important March holidays and events? Browse Edmentum’s Free Resources page for fun, interactive toolkits, downloadables, activity packets, and more.
This blog was published in March 2021 and has been updated.
Teachers know better than anyone that learning never ends—refining their practice is an ongoing process. As the school year winds down, it’s a perfect time to provide teachers with an opportunity to step out of their routine for professional development. Research shows that an inspiring and informed teacher is the most important school-related factor influencing student achievement, so funding the training and support of both new and experienced educators is vital.
Even if your budget doesn’t cover national professional development conferences, there are still plenty of ways to provide networking and learning for your educators during this time of year. An online course or webinar purchase is an easy way to invest funds in professional development for your staff and allows everyone to complete the training on their own time, rather than adding additional meetings to an already busy end-of-year schedule.
The NEA’s guide for Great Teaching & Learning is a great resource for professional development opportunities.
The effective use of digital learning tools in classrooms can increase student engagement, help teachers improve their lesson plans, and facilitate personalized learning. It also helps students build essential 21st-century skills. If your fiscal year budget allows it, consider one of Edmentum’s high-quality virtual learning programs.
Study Island is a good example. The act of retrieving information previously learned to answer a question (also known as practice testing) has proven to be one of the most effective learning techniques. Our kindergarten through 12th grade practice and classroom assessment program offers engaging and flexible practice options across math, ELA, science, and social studies. The program has over 600,000 unique items, including 10,000 technology-enhanced items to ensure that you have a robust pool of standards-aligned questions written specifically for your state, grade level, and desired subject. You can also identify opportunity areas so student focus their time on those most-needed skills, as well as pull individual reports to set and track customized learning goals.
Summer school programs can offer students extra academic, enrichment, and social-emotional benefits. However, many districts have limited budgets for these programs. To use the federal, state, and local dollars that are available for summer learning, such as Title I, Perkins V, public/private grants, or left-over ESSER money, districts should use their funding by the end of the year. This can help them reach more students who need summer support, especially those from underserved and marginalized communities. It can also prevent them from losing or returning unused funds, which could affect their future allocations.
If your plan is to use these funds to support summer sessions, check out our Summer Planning & Success Toolkit. It's packed with useful resources, blogs, and worksheets that are tailored to help you achieve your specific summer goals.
Edmentum's Federal Funding Crosswalk assists state and local education agencies by providing detailed information on federal funding streams and their allowable uses, helping them align their priorities accordingly.
]]>This month reminds us of the power that women have in making meaningful change for generations to come. The world of education is just one place brimming with impactful, inspiring, and driven women who have challenged the status quo and gone above and beyond for not only their students, but students everywhere. This year's theme, "Inspire Inclusion," highlights the importance of embracing diversity and fostering a sense of belonging for all individuals.
Each woman featured in this article has left an indelible mark on education and society, inspiring inclusion in their own unique ways. Take a look at some of their amazing stories:
“Special children must have special schools with well-trained teachers who use materials adapted to those children’s capabilities.”
Margaret Bancroft was a pioneer in special education. At the age of 29, she opened the first private boarding school in New Jersey for children with disabilities. She believed that children with special needs should have specialized programs that could be adapted to their unique physical and mental needs. At her school, lessons were designed for their individual mental ages, teachers were trained how to individually tailor instruction, and students were able to enjoy recreational activities and trips.
A female leader in education, Bancroft’s ideas laid the foundation for what would become the field of special education. She championed the idea that every child deserves access to specialized education tailored to their individual needs, promoting inclusion and equity in the classroom.
“The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.”
Mary McLeod Bethune was an American educator, stateswoman, philanthropist, humanitarian, womanist, and civil rights activist. As the daughter of parents who were formerly enslaved, she had limited access to formal education as a child, until around the age of 10 when she was able to enroll at a one-room school house. There she learned to read, and because she was the only child in her family able to attend school, would return home each day and share what she had learned with her siblings.
Bethune became a teacher, eventually opening her own school in 1904. She served as an important advisor to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and went on to become a champion of Black women’s education, founding what is known today as the Bethune-Cookman University to help women of color receive access to quality education. Bethune's unwavering dedication to advancing Black women's education epitomizes the spirit of inclusion and empowerment. She believed that education was the key to equality, and we couldn’t agree more.
“Don’t follow the path. Go where there is not path and begin the trail. When you start a new trail equipped with courage strength and conviction the only thing that can stop you is you!”
At six years old, Ruby Bridges single-handedly initiated the desegregation of public schools in New Orleans, Louisiana, in November 1960 when she became one of the first black children to attend an all white school there. Her first year at her new school wasn’t easy, and many people were angry and threatened Ruby, but Ruby just wanted to learn. Thankfully there were people in Ruby’s life who were encouraging and supportive, like her teacher Barbra Henry, who taught Ruby as though she were in a full classroom, even though it was just the two of them. Ruby ate lunch alone and sometimes played with her teacher at recess, but she never missed a day of school.
By the next school year, Ruby was in classes with both white and black students, and ultimately Ruby grew up to be an author, an activist, and a speaker. Bridges' courage and resilience in desegregating public schools challenged systemic barriers to education and paved the way for greater inclusivity and diversity in classrooms across the nation.
“The seeds of dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”
Widely known country music singer/songwriter Dolly Parton is also a certified book worm. Dolly grew up in a small town in rural Tennessee, where many people in her community, including her father, never had the opportunity to learn to read or write. Even as child, Dolly was an avid reader, and often credits her love of reading as part of what inspired her to follow her dreams of being a star.
Driven to share the joy of reading with children all over the world, Dolly created The Imagination Library, which delivers age-appropriate books to children that foster a "love of reading and learning; regard for diversity of people, their roles, culture and environment; promotion of self-esteem and confidence, appreciation of art and aesthetics."
Dolly’s dedication to promoting literacy and education exemplifies her commitment to inclusivity and opportunity for all. She hopes that by making reading more accessible to children, she can inspire them to learn and to achieve their dreams. As she once said, "If you can read, even if you can't afford education, you can go on and learn about anything you want to know. There's a book on everything."
“If children are apparently unable to learn, we should assume that we have not as yet found the right way to teach them.”
Mary Clay was a highly acclaimed educator from New Zealand, known for her revolutionary work in literacy acquisition for children. More than three decades ago, she introduced a method of reading acquisition, known as Reading Recovery, for first graders. The program offers students on-on-one tutoring sessions for a focused short-term period to raise students from low achieving readers to average readers. During that time, the child is surrounded by a language-rich environment, and encouraged to choose books that appeal to the child’s own interests. The program continues around the world through the Reading Recovery Council of North America.
Clay's innovative Reading Recovery program has empowered struggling readers from diverse backgrounds to achieve academic success, demonstrating the importance of personalized instruction and inclusive teaching practices.
“It was in me to get an education and to teach my people. This idea was deep in my soul.”
Once Fanny Jackson Coppin was freed from slavery, she became one of the first black women to earn a college degree, and dedicated her life to lifting up her fellow black Americans through education. Fanny Jackson Coppin worked for 40 years as principal of the Institute for Colored Youth in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, starting in the 1860s. After the Civil War, Coppin made it her mission to educate many of the formerly enslaved people migrating to the North. She then made it a life mission to ensure all Americans had equal access to education, and through that education, a better life. Her dedication to providing education to formerly enslaved individuals and advocating for equal access to education for all Americans embodies the spirit of inclusivity and social justice.
“We have to build things that we want to see accomplished, in life and in our country, based on our own personal experiences ... to make sure that others ... do not have to suffer the same discrimination.”
In 1959 when Hawaii became a U.S. State, Patsy Mink knew she wanted to run for a position in government. Little did she know, she would become the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Asian-American woman to serve in Congress.
As a congresswoman, Mink fought for gender and racial equality, affordable childcare, bilingual education, and became a supporter of Title IX. She was one of the authors and sponsors of the Title IX law that stated that “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” In addition to this enormous feat, she additionally wrote the Early Childhood Education Act, and the Women's Educational Equity Act, and Mink was the first Asian-American to run for the office of U.S. President.
Mink's groundbreaking legislation has expanded educational opportunities and promoted gender equity in schools, advancing the cause of inclusivity and diversity in education.
“The greatest sign of success for a teacher… is to be able to say, ‘The children are now working as if I did not exist’”
Maria Montessori was an Italian educator and the originator of the educational system that bears her name. She pioneered the concept of child-centered education with the Montessori system which is based on belief in the creative potential of children, their drive to learn, and the right of each child to be treated as an individual. Using hands-on learning methods and encouraging self-directed activities, Montessori was able to form a unique instructional approach that provided successful results even in students that were considered, “unteachable.” To this day, the Montessori Method is implemented in schools all over the world, fostering inclusivity and individuality in classrooms and emphasizing the importance of respecting each child's unique abilities and learning styles.
“The ability to read, write, and analyze; the confidence to stand up and demand justice and equality; the qualifications and connections to get your foot in that door and take your seat at that table – all of that starts with education.”
Today, there are more than 62 million girls around the world who are not in school. This can be due to customs of their community or country, but research shows that countries with more girls in secondary school tend to have advantages such as better child nutrition. Michelle Obama is dedicated to creating programs and resources for girls living in disadvantaged countries that do not have education access. Her Let Girls Learn initiative has made huge advancements in providing schools and education to adolescent girls in Africa. Through initiatives like these, Obama has advocated for educational access and empowerment for girls worldwide, promoting inclusivity and equality in education on a global scale.
“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.”
Malala Yousafzai’s story of resilience and fighting for what is right is nothing short of incredible. Growing up in Pakistan, Yousafzai became an advocate for women’s rights and education at a young age. However, due to the Taliban rule of Pakistan, freedoms for women were severely limited, with access to education virtually nonexistent. She has become one of the most prominent advocates of human’s rights and educational access for women. In 2014, at the age of seventeen, Malala Yousafzai became the youngest person to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her amazing work in bringing attention to these issues.
Yousafzai's fearless advocacy for girls' education in the face of adversity has inspired millions around the world, highlighting the transformative power of education in promoting inclusivity, equality, and social change.
Interested in exploring more content to celebrate Women’s History Month? Check out our FREE classroom resources from Edmentum for fun, interactive toolkits, downloadables, and more in our Women’s History Month Resource Pack.
This post was originally published in March 2021 and has been updated.
]]>With the busy educator in mind, we wanted to create a fun and meaningful way to help you encourage reading. These exciting bookmarks come in three different tracking styles, designed to suit a variety of reading levels. Find which one works best for you and your students.
Effective literacy stations enable young learners to develop their reading, language, writing, and social skills. Literacy stations also help teachers find time for more targeted student instruction. Check out these tips for running successful literacy stations in your virtual, hybrid, or in-person classroom.
The Edmentum Brain Game is a fun, descriptive game that puts an interactive twist on flashcard review by challenging players to describe terms with a partner or group. There are multiple ways to play the game, so your imagination is the limit. Plus, the cards are easy to download and print, so your students can play wherever they are.
We’ve assembled a variety of decks for all grade levels in subjects like: Authors (middle/high school), animals (elementary), math terms (elementary), U.S. state capitals, U.S. presidents, ACT/SAT vocabulary (middle/high school) and more.
At Edmentum, we know a lot about the magic of reading aloud to a classroom full of students, and we have years of experience inspiring imaginations and adventures through books. After all, we’re fortunate enough to say that many members of the Edmentum organization have spent years of their careers serving as educators. In celebration of National Reading Month, we’ve asked them to recount some of their most memorable books they've read from their days in the classroom.
The evidence is clear: developing proficient reading skills in all students by the 3rd grade is a must. What can educators do to ensure that students are developing the literacy skills that will put them on the path toward future academic, social, and career success? Here's what administrators should look for in an online reading program.
Let’s take a closer look at a few of our favorite stories from one of the most beloved authors in children’s literature, Theodor Seuss Geisel (and the reason for NEA’s Read Across America Day). Dr. Seuss once said he never began writing his stories with a moral in mind because “kids can see a moral coming a mile off.” Still, it’s hard to make it through any of his classics without learning a little something along the way. Here are top titles you can share with your students to encourage a love of reading.
While it’s always interesting to see which students really pull out all the stops for book reports, it’s also easy get swept up in the crafting and lose sight of the project’s true purpose: critical analysis of the book. So, what’s a teacher to do? Take a look at these five fun (and glue-free) book report ideas that will satisfy your craft-loving students and still keep them focused on comprehension.
For teachers, building your own classroom library to supplement scheduled trips to your school’s library is a great way to encourage students to look for books that interest them; explore new topics; and develop into proficient, independent readers. Here are six tips to help you create a topnotch classroom library so that your bookworms can eat up some great reads.
A teacher’s quest to find the best literacy structure for his or her classroom never ends. As spring fever hits and your students begin to get a little antsy with the routines you set up back in September, it might be time to take a closer look at the Reading Workshop framework. Whether it’s something you currently practice every day or an entirely new experience, taking a closer look at how your time can be best spent might just ignite the spark of an idea you need to kick your reading instruction back into high gear before the school year ends.
Taking time to explain each new pronunciation or spelling rule (or exception) every time your readers encounter an unknown word can be time-consuming and confusing for learners. But, how can you expect to teach children to read a book like The Cat in the Hat if they don’t understand common word parts like the “th” sound? The answer is sight words. Learn about how sight words, print awareness, alphabetics, and more play a part in how humans learn to read.
When you understand what dyslexia is and how to work around it, you give dyslexic students in your class a better shot at success. Dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence or ability—and while there is no magical cure for dyslexia, it can be overcome. Here are some best practices to better support your dyslexic students.
This post was originally published in February 2019 and has been updated.
]]>How do sight words fit into evidence-based reading instruction?
Words that appear most commonly in reading and writing are called sight words. There are two main categories of sight words: high-frequency words (and, it, cat) and words that are phonetically irregular, or cannot be decoded with traditional phonics rules, (are, said).
These lists of common words make up an estimated 75 percent of all words in books, and they are essential for a new reader to be familiar with to make it through even the most basic reading practice. They’ve historically been taught through rote memorization and drilling flashcards throughout the early elementary years.
While this method works well for some, it yields poor results for many struggling readers. The science of reading instructional practices present another way forward—one that can better serve all students.
There are hundreds of sight words to learn. For years, teachers took their lists and divided them up into categories based on text frequency, regardless of the phonics rules they may have followed. This meant that students could be learning one at the same time they might be practicing play. There was no phonics connection, and therefore, memorization was the only way forward.
Upon closer inspection, however, many sight words have sound-spelling correspondences, and they can be successfully taught in related phonics-based lessons. For this reason, you now see educators taking their tried-and-true lists and organizing them into phonics-based groupings.
Take the word with, for example that uses the digraph “th.” This sight word might be introduced in the context of a larger “th” digraph lesson, thus building an essential decoding skill and giving students phonics knowledge they can apply to related words with the same sound-spelling correspondence. Other irregular words might still require memorization, but the list of words to apply this approach with is now much shorter and manageable.
Becoming a skilled reader with a huge repertoire of sight words requires knowledge of phonemic segmentation, letter-sound correspondences, and spelling patterns. Essentially, it requires true phonics instruction, and studies in the science of reading are bringing greater success for struggling and advanced readers alike.
There is no “official” sight word list, although two of the most widely accepted high-frequency word lists used when teaching sight words to students are likely to sound familiar: The Dolch list and the Fry list.
The Dolch list was compiled by Dr. Edward William Dolch in the 1930s through 1940s. The list contains 220 “service words” and 95 “high-frequency nouns” collected from the most frequently used words in children’s storybooks.
The words are meant to be divided into groups by grade level and are used primarily from pre-K to 2nd grade. Dr. Charles Browne and Dr. Brent Culligan developed the “New Dolch List” in 2020 as a list of high-frequency English words designed to aid English language learners.
Another more modern version of the original Dolch list, the Fry “1000 Instant Words” list was first developed in the 1950s and then revised in the 1980s by Dr. Edward Fry and further revised in 2000. This list contains 1,000 words from all parts of speech that most commonly appear in reading material.
While each list compiles words from different age-appropriate reading materials, together, they have many words in common. Readsters.com takes the top 100 words from the Dolch list and the Fry list and finds a combined total of 130 unique words; all words on the Dolch 100 list appear on the Fry "1,000 Instant Words" list.
One list is not necessarily better than the other, and ultimately, just as every emerging reader’s journey is unique, the benefits of sticking to one list over another, mixing and matching, or creating your own sight word list will depend on the individual student.
Online learning programs can be incorporated that leverage the science of reading strategies to teaching sight words.
Consider Exact Path, our K–12 diagnostic-driven, individualized learning program. It’s a powerful resource to diagnose individual learning needs, provide just-in-time instruction, and measure growth over time.
Phonics-driven lessons for early elementary students expressly use the science of reading principles to ensure literacy success. This involves folding in high-frequency word practice and including decodable readers in the context of related phonics concepts.
Want to take some of these new content modules for a spin? Learn more about our K–2 experience and explore content samples.
A healthy dose of systematic, explicit phonics instruction helps build the foundation for successful reading and, ultimately, greater academic success across all subject areas. To learn more, check out our article, The “Science of Reading” and What It Means for Your Classroom.
This post was originally published June 2017 and has been updated.
]]>The practice of CTE is broad, encompassing a number of unique types of programs and catering to students with widely ranging goals. Comprehensive CTE programs are designed to equip students for either continued postsecondary learning or direct entry into high-demand careers. They are flexible, forward-thinking, student-centered, and well worth the investment to expand student options.
Considering a CTE initiative in your school or district? Here are five benefits to consider:
According to research from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), high school students in CTE programs are more likely to graduate on time, significantly higher than the national rate of 84.6 percent.
What’s more, ASCD research indicates 81 percent of high school dropouts “reported that relevant, real-world learning opportunities would have kept them in high school.” These programs offer students various structured career pathways, designed to align with high-demand industries and providing necessary skills and knowledge for rewarding careers.
It’s obvious that CTE options resonate with struggling students. But, equally important, CTE alternatives help them experience academic success and capitalize on that positive momentum.
When students have a clear, tangible outcome for their learning and are able to recognize their own successes, engagement comes naturally. And, the payoffs are clear—27 percent of people with less than an associate degree, including licenses and certificates, earn more money than the average bachelor’s degree recipient.
It’s no secret that struggling students are some of the most likely students to leave the traditional classroom for more flexible alternative, virtual, or charter school options.
CTE programming designed with career preparation at top of mind can help retain these students (and the funding that comes with them) in your district by allowing students to explore a variety of career options within different industries. This exposure helps students discover their interests and passions, leading to a greater commitment to their education and career success.
When career preparation is the goal, opportunities for real-world application and experience are key. CTE programming is a great chance to engage with the businesses and industries in your area to provide these students with opportunities for job shadowing, mentoring, externships, internships, and more.
Even better, these experiences provide an outstanding foundation to help students transition directly into community-supporting jobs immediately after graduation.
At-risk students are often some of the most disruptive in the classroom—precisely because they don’t see the benefit of being there. Integrating math, science, and language arts into career exploration activities helps students see the relevance of academic subjects to real-world contexts, making learning more meaningful and engaging.
CTE courses prepare students for attaining tangible certifications and career opportunities, leading to more positive relationships between students and teachers while lowering dropout rates.
Ready to get started with career and technical education programming in your school or district? Explore Edmentum’s CTE offerings within our Curricula Catalog.
]]>“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh! The thinks you think up if you only try!”
The quintessential Dr. Seuss celebration of imagination, Oh, The Thinks You Can Think!, is a great story to share with your students to encourage them to run with their own creativity, embrace possibilities, and believe in their own abilities. Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! is yet another one of Dr. Seuss’s books that even adults should read from time to time. The story explores the different ways readers can think about things and embraces how it’s important to consider different or unusual viewpoints sometimes and to think outside of the box. This story also teaches us to embrace new ideas and the power of our own creativity.
You might also recognize this book as the inspiration for the musical Seussical.
You can’t beat the classics, especially when it comes to Dr. Seuss. For early readers or those who are really just starting to get the hang of the alphabet and letter sounds, Dr. Seuss has quite a few books to choose from.
But, something about "Dr. Seuss’s ABC", which takes a refreshing break from the traditional “A is for apple, B is for book” format, deserves a special shout-out. The fun, nonsensical words makes learning letters and sounds fun for children and encourages them to think of letters in different ways than they might normally. It’s the sort of book you start out reading to children, and before too long, they’re tugging at your sleeves, begging you to sit down with them while they read to you.
Who hasn’t had green eggs and ham?
Thanks to Dr. Seuss, sampling a bite or two of green eggs and ham has become a sort of rite of passage for many kindergartners or, at the very least, a fun excuse to use green food coloring. Besides providing an excuse to eat artificially colored breakfast foods in class, "Green Eggs and Ham" is a great lesson for children on trying new things, like new foods (and everyone knows how notoriously picky children can be about food).
Just like Sam-I-Am, when you try something new, you might be surprised at how much you actually like it.
"What Was I Scared Of?" features a narrator who is terrified of an empty pair of pale green pants that can walk. Soon, the narrator realizes the pants are just as scared of him as he is of them, and the two decide to get to know one another and become friends.
Besides the fact that this story features some of the prettiest shades of blue and pale-green ever (and comes in a glow in the dark version), this charming tale does a wonderful job of showing us how getting to know someone can be scary at first, until you realize how much you have in common.
There is probably more than one teacher out there who can admit to blinking away a tear or two while reading this book aloud, bidding farewell to a group of students at the end of the year.
Part of the magic of "Oh, the Places You’ll Go!" is that while it’s often read as a “goodbye” book to students (or, occasionally, as a lesson on using future tense), it’s really more of a “see you later” kind of story.
The open ending reminds us that no matter how old we are, where we are in life, or what we are doing, there are always new places to go, discoveries to be made, and things to see. It’s just as inspiring to the teacher reading to his or her class as it is to the students listening in closely.
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. No, it’s not.”
There’s hardly a better way we can think of to introduce young learners to the importance of caring for nature than by reading this classic cautionary tale.
While it’s always heartbreaking to read as the Lorax lifts himself up by the seat of his pants and floats away, the story ends on the hopeful note that maybe the Lorax and all of his friends might come back if we, the readers, can do our part to protect nature. Budding environmentalists will be inspired by the Lorax as he “speaks for the trees!”
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
"Horton Hears a Who" is an outstanding Reading Month addition to your next life skills education lesson. Dr. Seuss’ catchy rhymes make his lovable character, Horton the elephant, a great teacher of the importance of kindness and perseverance.
“And the turtles, of course…all the turtles are free. As turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.”
"Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories" includes three stories, though it is best known for the first title story. Yertle the Turtle is a timely metaphor for our shared rights to freedom and equality—offered with signature Dr. Seuss humor and flair.
“Gertude McFuzz” is a story collected in Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories. Everyone, at some point or another, feels like Gertrude McFuzz with her one, small, plain tail feather, especially with all the Lolla-Lee-Lou types in the world, with their two pretty feathers (or new smartphone, fancy car, cool lunchbox, trendy haircut, etc.).
Thankfully, the tale (no pun intended) of Gertrude McFuzz exists to teach us the valuable lesson that extra tail feathers can’t make you happy if you don’t truly love yourself. Sometimes, the key to real happiness lies in loving ourselves for who we are because everyone is beautiful in his or her own special way.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
How could our list be complete without "I Can Read with My Eyes Shut"? Dr. Seuss’ well-loved character, The Cat in the Hat, takes young readers on a fun and funny ride to discover the joy that books can bring.
In addition to our National Reading Month Topical Resource Pack for guided activities, and visit our national reading month resources article for more tips to keep students reading all month long.
There’s nothing quite like the delight of reading a good book, except for maybe the joy of teaching your students to love reading. This article shares some easy-to-use printable resources from the literacy portion of our most popular programs, Study Island and Exact Path. Download these free and fun reading resources to build your students' literacy skills and love for reading throughout the month and beyond.
Build the foundation of students' literacy skills with the following lessons and activities:
Exact Path: Kindergarten - Parts of an Informational Book - Lesson Plan and Activities
Exact Path: 1st Grade - Retelling Stories - Lesson and Activities
Exact Path: 2nd Grade - Asking and Answering Questions - Lessons and Activities
The following lessons help refine and expand students' literacy skills:
Exact Path: 3rd Grade Reading Literature - Lesson Idea: Main Idea
Exact Path: 4th Grade Language & Vocabulary - Lesson Idea: Context Clues
Exact Path: 5th Grade Reading Literature – Lesson Idea: Theme
Exact Path: 6th Grade Reading Literature – Lesson Idea: Point of View
Study Island: 6th Grade Author Techniques Lesson Plan & Struggling Learner Activity Sheet
Assist students in understanding complex texts with the following:
Exact Path: 8th Grade Reading Informational Text – Lesson Idea: Summarizing Information
Study Island: 7th Grade Analogies Lesson Plan & Activity Sheet
Study Island: 8th Grade Poetry Lesson Plan and PowerPoint
National Reading Month is the perfect opportunity to nurture both literacy skills and a lifelong love for reading in your students. Celebrate in your classroom with the free National Reading Month Resource Pack to encourage your students to embrace the joy of reading.
Interested in learning more about how Edmentum can help you boost literacy in your classroom? Contact us to get a quote for Exact Path or Study Island.
This post was originally published February 22, 2019 and has been updated.
]]>One of the coolest things about Digital Learning Day is that it is all about participation.
Last year, educators across the U.S. hosted over 2,300 local celebrations to spotlight or encourage new and different ways of using technology to support learning. Each event is unique, and the possibilities for your own are nearly endless.
Get students out and exploring the community, showcase student-created films or podcasts, host your own TEDx event, introduce students to coding, and so much more.
The whole point is to utilize technology to learn something new and share in the process with other educators and students.
There’s no better opportunity than Digital Learning Day to sign a digital citizenship pledge with your students.
While you’re on the topic of online safety, be sure to explain and discuss with your students why digital citizenship is so important and how it can affect their future college admission decisions, job searches, and more.
Encourage students to embark on a quest to find information related to specific topics or concepts using a variety of educational apps or websites. Whether exploring historical events, scientific phenomena, literary works, or mathematical concepts, the possibilities for scavenger hunt themes are endless. Students can use search engines, educational platforms, or subject-specific websites to uncover clues, solve puzzles, and gather information.
Try incorporating multimedia elements such as videos, images, and interactive quizzes to make the scavenger hunt more engaging. For example, you could create a quiz using a platform like Kahoot!, where students answer questions related to the scavenger hunt clues. Additionally, consider including bonus challenges or hidden clues to encourage critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Part of navigating our online world is making sure that your students are practicing safe behaviors every time they use the Internet. Take some time on Digital Learning Day to explain the importance of Internet safety to your students.
Common Sense has put together some awesome lesson plans for grades K–12 that talk about a variety of subjects like talking safely online, risky online relationships, and more. Also, be sure to decorate your classroom with our free downloadable handy Internet Safety poster.
As an educator, you have an important role in helping your students build investigation, evaluation, and critical-thinking skills when it comes to conducting research.
The ability to evaluate different types of media and forms of content has even made its way into the Common Core State Standards, as this skill is becoming increasingly important for your students to learn as they transition into adulthood.
We’ve gathered a few age-appropriate resources to help you teach your students how to navigate the different parts of a website, how to find the right site, how to evaluate its credibility, and how to start the conversation about credibility in your classroom.
Technology will never replace those critical interactions between teachers and students—but it can inspire some pretty incredible, student-centered learning activities. Take advantage of this Digital Learning Day not only to celebrate the amazing doors that technology has opened but also to help your students understand the importance of using that technology appropriately. By learning and applying strong digital citizenship skills, we can continue to make meaningful strides forward for everyone.
Need a little push to start incorporating more tech in your school or classroom? Check out this blog post on Implementing Tech Tools without the Headaches.
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“The skills possessed by each country’s population provide the fundamental determinants of prosperity and well-being. However, developing skills is costly and so investments in skill building need to be made wisely” (OECD, 2013).
Central America is one of the regions with the lowest development indexes in Latin America, the Covid-19 pandemic also left important challenges related to educational improvement and the personal, social and academic development of students. The region is faced with the need to offer the best learning opportunities to take advantage of the talent, skills and interest of millions of young people whose eyes are set on technology, social networks, video games and even the concern about the world in which they will develop in the coming decades.
"Education must evolve at the same pace as our societies, anticipating change rather than simply reacting to problems. The first decades of the 21st century are the intersection between the turn of the millennium and rapid technological progress. Although we are often wary of change, digital technologies have dramatically transformed our lives. It is necessary to understand what has changed for our children" (Fundación Santillana and OECD, 2019).
The possibilities of remote learning enabled by digital technologies open up a number of large-scale opportunities for students to be exposed to international learning experiences that allow them to engage with people outside the borders of their countries, for the development of many competencies, among which is global competence. Global competence is the ability of individuals to critically examine and think critically about local and global issues, taking into account their intercultural conditions and acting for the benefit of the collective.
The advantages of student participation in international learning experiences go beyond individual benefit to the development of a population with the leadership, vision and critical judgment to move their countries and societies forward. One of the most robust opportunities available to students today is the awarding of dual diplomas. This means that they can graduate from high school with the official procedures of the Ministries of Education of their countries, while complementing their education with a diploma recognized in countries such as the United States. Obtaining a dual diploma represents in the life of a student the opening of doors to enter universities in the United States and other countries of the world, as well as to opt for scholarships in which having this requirement could be a defining condition for obtaining the benefit.
"...for me the dual diploma has helped to develop abilities such as discipline and responsibility, because the students are in charge of deadlines, tasks and all related to priorities. You get used to the study strategy and right now I can see these abilities in my university experience…" Alina Sánchez, graduated student.
In Central America, there are already experiences of students and educational centers that have opened opportunities for them to join a dual diploma program, in which they have access to a curriculum aligned with U.S. standards and the accompaniment of U.S. certified teachers. These offers allow students to study in a flexible and personalized scheme according to their interests and needs in diverse courses in which they comply with a scheme of credits and objectives that allow them to achieve a diploma.
"I have seen the growth and maturity that my daughter has developed through the process and the courses in the learning platform. She talks about world issues with a lot of property and knowledge, sometimes she surprises us. The teachers exercise their accompaniment with an incredible level of empathy and knowledge. This diploma has already opened many development options that I am sure will increase with time". Ana Chaves, mother.
The ubiquity that virtual learning allows makes these offers relevant to the time, schedules and possibilities of students, the learning process in their countries and family dynamics, in which the process does not break into rest periods or vacations. They can be adapted to different situations and contexts as long as the minimum requirements of credits, time and required and optional subjects are met.
“Personally, I really enjoyed the experience. I have taken numerous courses, and overall, they have helped me learn about responsibility, especially in how to manage my time. In terms of content, I really enjoyed the artificial intelligence topic; I learned quite a bit and one of my favorite courses was the French course. Given the number of courses, I had to learn how to manage myself to keep up and turn in all the assignments on time to get an acceptable grade and fulfill the required credits. Overall, I find the program to be very beneficial, provides a great amount of learning, and would recommend it without hesitation 100%”. Dominique Montero, graduated student.
The learning process, due to the nature of the content and the virtual pedagogical mediation of the teachers, engages students in ways that often the official process in their countries does not. And therefore, the complementarity of the experience in the educational development of individuals is very significant for the permanence and educational success in the two experiences that go in parallel.
A sufficient level of English to participate in these offers is a requirement, but at the same time the learning experiences contribute to the evolution of the language in the students who participate, as they are exposed to experiences in which they must communicate, defend their points of view, write and solve problems in this language. The interculturality to which they have access is another advantage to develop skills that better position them in a highly globalized and competitive world, as they learn to interact with people outside their borders and better understand how to move in today's world.
"English proficiency is increasingly necessary for business and international communication; in that sense, it is linked to prospects for economic competitiveness and growth in the global economy. Interest in learning the language continues to rise throughout Latin America." (The Dialogue, 2017).
Central America is a region with great potential based on the talent of its inhabitants, many of whom stand out in other countries for their contributions in different social, economic, artistic and sports fields. The expansion of opportunities today is based on policies based on the educational use of digital technologies with the vision set in cost-effective initiatives that reduce the gaps between countries and position the regional talent at the forefront of the world. Solutions exist, possibilities exist, desires also exist.
Melania Brenes Monge, PhD is the Academic Vice President of EduTech de Centroamérica and is the author of this article.
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Secondary students have a lot to accomplish on their educational journey. They need to learn the content and skills for graduation, while also discovering their interests and passions for their future careers. How can teachers and schools help them achieve their goals?
In the previous post of this series, we explored some of the daily interventions in the secondary classroom. But some students may need more intensive interventions that operate on a larger scale.
In this article, we will focus on three larger-scale interventions: credit recovery, concept/skill recovery, and career and technical education (CTE). These interventions support secondary students in meeting their educational goals while managing time constraints.
Often, students need to recover credits because of absenteeism, illness, or failing a course from an original credit situation. Credit recovery programs allow students to catch up and earn credits toward graduation. Credit recovery classes can take place online, in person, or in a blended environment, depending on resources and administrator/student preferences.
Not only can credit recovery help students stay on track for graduation, but it can also boost their self-confidence, motivation, and engagement in learning. You can structure your credit recovery program to meet each student’s needs and goals, allowing them to focus on the essential standards and skills.
According to a report from the U.S. Department of Education, 89 percent of high schools nationally offer at least one credit recovery course, and 15 percent of all high school students have taken part in some type of credit recovery. The report also revealed that credit recovery participation differs based on student characteristics, including race, gender, English learner status, disability status, and socioeconomic status. For instance, Black students (22%) were more likely than white students (11%) or Hispanic students (14%) to take part in credit recovery programs.
Today, students have several alternatives to the boring and repetitive credit recovery labs they’re become accustomed to. Below are a few ways technology can supercharge your credit recovery program.
Credit Recovery Needs Analysis
This free guide helps evaluate credit recovery needs, including student, staffing, and instructional resources. Zero in on priorities and nice-to-haves through a series of interactive questions.
Credit Recovery Toolkit
We've taken our best free resources on credit recovery (e.g., workbooks, videos, and best practices) and put them all in one place.
Edmentum Courseware
Get mastery-based, customizable core curricula that helps students recover a few credits or entire grades while building in-depth understanding. According to a recent mixed-methods study, students in credit recovery programs saw a 30% increase in successful course completion over four years, Integrate Courseware into designated credit-recovery classes, longer core learning sessions, or elective alternatives.
Many secondary students struggle with learning gaps that hinder their academic progress and future goals. Whether they need to catch up on concepts, earn credits, or strengthen foundational skills, they deserve a strategic and integrated approach that meets them where they are.
With intervention, educators often take a surgical approach to pinpoint and address specific learning gaps or concepts hindering progress, ensuring efficient support for the student. Concept recovery refers to the process of helping students who have missed or misunderstood some key concepts in a subject area, while skill recovery refers to the process of helping students who have not mastered some essential skills in a subject area. Technology can help make both processes as efficient as possible.
Technology offers a powerful toolbox for transforming approaches to skill and concept recovery in schools. By leveraging technology effectively, educators can personalize learning, create engaging experiences, and improve student outcomes.
Tutoring & Intervention Toolkit
This toolkit collects our best resources for building a tutoring and intervention program that targets learning gaps and helps students keep pace with challenging curriculum.
Apex Tutorials
Minimize gaps and promote success by using course- and EOC-specific Apex Tutorials to help students catch up. Students who use Tutorials score up to 39% higher on math and English EOC retakes.
Exact Path
Help every student access grade-level learning with foundational instruction in Exact Path, designed to reinforce critical math and reading skills. Tier II ESSA evidence confirms Exact Path increases achievement on state assessments, NWEA MAP Growth, and Renaissance Star.
Career and technical education is an intervention that provides students with opportunities to learn about and prepare for various careers through hands-on experiences and industry-recognized credentials. You can offer CTE as standalone courses, programs of study, or pathways that integrate academic and technical content.
Career and technical education can help students explore their interests and passions and connect them to their future careers. It can also help them develop the knowledge and skills for the most in-demand careers. We can align CTE with the college and career readiness standards and expectations of each state.
According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, about 77 percent of public high school graduates in 2013 completed one or more CTE courses during high school. Of these graduates, about 20 percent were CTE concentrators, meaning they earned three or more credits in a single CTE program area. The most common CTE program areas were business (23 percent), health sciences (15 percent), and family and consumer sciences (12 percent).
With the right partners, you can put the world at the fingertips of your students and allow them to explore endless options and opportunities.
Career and Technical Education Toolkit
We've gathered our top tools and resources to help you support your students' college and career success.
CTE Career Clusters & Pathways
Career and technical education programs are creating new pathways to success that prioritize real-world learning application and career interests for middle and high school students. At Edmentum, we're committed to helping these learners explore a career theme of interest, learn a set of technical skills, and develop soft skills that speed up employability, all while earning their high school diploma.
Edmentum Courseware Prepare students for in-demand careers and dial up engagement to combat absenteeism with high-quality CTE and elective options through Courseware. ACTE reports that 94% of CTE students graduate high school, 10% higher than the national average.
In conclusion, the future is bright for secondary intervention. Technology can help students who need extra support to achieve their learning and career goals by providing them with personalized, flexible, and authentic learning opportunities. Students can use technology to connect with online and offline resources, tools, and experiences, helping them explore and prepare for a wide range of careers. By using technology, students can become more independent in their learning and better plan for their future.
In the last installment of this series, we discuss steps you can take to immediately improve intervention for your secondary students, including:
Poetry is an especially helpful tool when teaching literacy in the classroom, and it just so happens that Valentine’s Day is poetry’s time to shine. For younger grades, reading simple and silly poetry, like Jack Prelutsky’s “I Made My Dog A Valentine” can help them practice their figurative language and fluency skills. For older grades, diving a little deeper into more challenging poems is a great way to teach literacy skills such as identifying tone and mood. You can even get creative and have students write their own Valentine’s Day poetry (or anti-Valentine’s Day—whatever they choose) with teacher-selected prompts.
Encourage students to work together and fill in the blanks of a Valentine’s Day-themed story using nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Students can swap their completed Mad Libs to read aloud the comical and often unexpected results. This exercise not only hones their understanding of nouns, adjectives, and verbs but also encourages them to think on their feet as they concoct imaginative and humorous tales with a Valentine's Day-themed twist.
For another fun writing activity, have students create their own Valentine's Day cards. They can write messages to their classmates, friends, or family members, and decorate the cards with drawings or cut-outs. Encourage students to explore their creativity further by incorporating puns, wordplay, or other elements learned in class, turning this card-making exercise into an opportunity for both heartfelt expression and reinforcing language arts skills.
Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be all about cards and heart shaped candy—you can incorporate some math skill practice into your celebrations too. A fun and simple activity to try out is testing the efficiency of candy packaging. Gather some of the packages of Valentine’s candy you have handy in the classroom. Have the students measure the packages, and then measure the amounts of candy contained within each package. Which candy company is the most efficient with their packaging? Are there ways to improve each box? Looking to work on geometry skills? Have the students try to explain why the boxes of Toblerone are shaped like triangular prisms.
Take the above candy activity a step further by encouraging students to analyze their candy data. Discuss with the class which types of candies were most and least common, and lead some insightful conversations about data representation and interpretation. To add a mathematical challenge, prompt students to calculate the average number of candies per package and explore the concept of variability within their sweet samplings.
With some planning, Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to discuss the science of brain chemistry, particularly what happens when someone falls in love. Your discussion can center around the “jobs” of endorphins, testosterone, and norepinephrine, as well as how each of these hormones play a key role in human emotions. Bringing in engaging resources such as MRI videos displaying brain activity can help drive the point home.
Have students measure their heart rate before and after participating in different activities, such as running, jumping, or dancing. They can record their results and compare them to see which activities increase their heart rate the most. This is a great activity to teach students about the cardiovascular system and the effects of physical activity on the body.
You might be surprised to know that Valentine’s Day is one of the top 10 most celebrated holidays throughout the world. It is also a holiday that history teachers love, as the history of the holiday itself is a little deceiving. It’s the perfect opportunity to explore how the meaning of the day (and who it’s named after) has evolved over the past 1500 years or so. Your students may be shocked to know that it wasn’t until the 14th century that this day was actually romanticized, as there are four possible saints to whom the name Valentine might refer, and some weren’t very romantic at all.
Transport students back in time by exploring love letters written in different historical periods. Students can uncover the love letters exchanged between iconic couples such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning, or Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Encourage them to examine the evolution of love letter writing styles across these different time periods. How did expressions of love differ in the Victorian era compared to the Renaissance? What role did societal expectations play in shaping the content of these letters? By connecting the personal lives of historical figures with the broader social and cultural contexts, this activity can create a rich and immersive exploration of love throughout the ages.
Looking for more ways to make classroom discussions more exciting on Valentine's Day? Share these fun facts about the holiday with your class to add intrigue and spark some conversations.
There is no doubt that Valentine’s Day is one of the crazier days of the year in a classroom. However, with a little advance planning and incorporation of fun, core-subject aligned activities, you can ensure that you don’t just survive Valentine’s Day—you (and your students) thrive!
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