Study Island Launches Common Core Benchmarking Program for Grades 6-8

Archipelago Learning, a PLATO Learning company, has launched Study Island's Common Core Benchmarking for grades 6-8. Study Island is a web-based instruction, practice and learning program built from individual state and Common Core standards. The new benchmarking tests allow teachers of grades 6-8 to better evaluate students' proficiencies against the Common Core Standards.

Designed to help prepare students for success in college and their future careers, the Common Core Standards provide clarity to teachers on what they are expected to teach in math and English language arts. The standards, which have now been formally adopted by all but four states, allow teachers to tailor teaching to expected outcomes, and give students greater understanding of what concepts they are expected to master. With Common Core

Benchmarking in Study Island, teachers can easily pinpoint student strengths and weaknesses at a specific point in time against the Common Core Standards.

"Study Island Common Core Benchmarking acts as an instant diagnostic for teachers to target an individual student's needs," said Cathy Caldwell, vice president, product development for Archipelago Learning. "Where the Common Core Standards serve to create efficiency and manage expectations, benchmarking optimizes a teacher's resources so instruction can be applied where it is needed most."

Earlier this year, the award-winning Study Island program added Common Core Benchmarking for grades 3-5.

About Archipelago Learning

Archipelago Learning, a PLATO Learning company, is a leading subscription-based, software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider of education products used by approximately 14 million students in nearly 38,700 schools throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Our comprehensive digital supplemental product suite uses technology to transform education. We make rigorous learning fun, engaging, accessible and affordable. For more information, please visit us at http://www.archipelagolearning.com/.