Speaking Their Language

From: Tech & Learning Digital Edition
April 22, 2010

What do you do when 56 percent of your students are English-language learners, 80 percent come from low income families, your students speak 14 different languages at home, and 215 new students arrive in the first three months of the school year? Bring in the tech. “Technology has helped us create individualized learning portfolios,” says Erick Naumann, principal of Parlin Elementary in Everett, Massachusetts. “From the gifted and talented to ELL, we can educate the entire spectrum.”


In the past year, Parlin Elementary has gone from being the lowest-scoring school in the district for English language acquisition and mathematics to the highest and was recognized as one of the five fastest-growing schools in the state. “We use Diigo, a Web based technology that enables effective collaborative research,” says Naumann. “An ELL-based project team, class, or club can create a group on Diigo to pool relevant resources, findings, and thoughts. The students post book reviews, share ideas about class work, and help each other with homework when absent.

“We use video to record and play student projects and podcasts to share with fellow classmates,” he continues. “Skype and Google Earth enhance the teaching of English-language acquisition, and Fast ForWord has helped our ELL population learn to speak English in a nonthreatening environment where the students are encouraged to make mistakes and learn, without being penalized or embarrassed in front of their peers.”

“So often, student feedback on performance requires a paper to be graded or report card to be filed,” says Gerhard Grotke, principal of James Madison Elementary in San Leandro, California. “The format of assessment may not match the format of learning. Study Island is a great platform for the kids to show what they know.” The internal email system allows ESL students to exercise their written-language skills in a supervised and safe environment (negative- and abusive-language filters tip teachers off to intervene to prevent bullying). Grotke holds school-wide contests that utilize the technology’s capability to remotely monitor usage and achievement, whether at school or at home.

After using Classworks, ELL students at George Y. Komure Elementary in Stockton, California, posted double digit gains in language arts, their proficiency increasing from 19 to 32 percent, says second-grade teacher Karen Brickell. “As our teachers became more focused on specific standards,” principal Jo Ella Allen says, “we saw the benefits in student engagement and in test scores.”

New ACT Prep program from Study Island

Archipelago Learning (Nasdaq:ARCL), a leading subscription-based online education company, announced the introduction of Study Island ACT, a web-based review program that provides both students and schools with a flexible, affordable and effective option for ACT exam preparation.

Most colleges and universities today require an ACT (American College Testing) or SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) score as an eligibility factor. With more and more students applying to colleges, however, a higher ACT score could mean the difference between being accepted or not. The problem is, not every student has access to – or can afford – traditional review programs on the market today.

Not so, with Study Island ACT. Study Island ACT's web-based platform makes the program accessible anytime, anywhere an Internet connection is available, and unlike typical online practice and test-prep programs, it teaches both the content and strategies to achieve the best possible results on the ACT exam. It also allows students to build a study regimen that is completely flexible to their particular needs, and at a fraction of the cost.

"Today's high school students lead busy lives. Some are active in a number of sports and extra-curricular activities; others have home or work obligations that take up a great deal of time. It offers maximum flexibility so students can study exactly what they need, whenever and wherever it's convenient," said Tim McEwen, CEO for Archipelago Learning.

McEwen added that economics also play a part in whether or not students participate in traditional review programs. "The high price of a classroom or one-on-one tutor sessions can result in an unfair advantage for those students from higher income homes where parents can afford to spend hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on a program," he said. "Study Island ACT is a small fraction of the price of traditional programs. It's like having a one-on-one tutor that works at the student's pace, from anywhere with an Internet connection. In addition, since many students take the ACT more than once, the program can be repeated as many times as needed during the one-year subscription term, making it even more cost-effective."

Archipelago Learning partnered with Tutor Associates, a New York City-based leader in one-on-one tutoring, to create Study Island ACT. The program combines Tutor Associates' proprietary Learning Tools and curriculum, which have been developed based on years of successful face-to-face tutoring, with Study Island's online learning platform, which is used in over 21,500 schools in the United States and Canada, to deliver expert ACT knowledge with engaging graphical content.

David Oblath, president and co-founder of Tutor Associates commented, "We are excited for this second collaboration with Study Island to bring our ACT curriculum online. Study Island continues to provide accessible, effective instruction and we have had fantastic feedback on the SAT preparation program we released a few months ago. We are confident that the online ACT preparation product will also become a dynamic learning tool, enabling any student to improve his or her performance on the test."

A core aspect of Study Island ACT is the use of animated, interactive instructional videos that train students on key test-taking strategies and help them avoid common pitfalls. This approach is designed to be as effective as having a live coach or taking a class. Study Island ACT includes in-depth, interactive lessons in math, critical reading and writing, and real-time progress reports to show students' strengths and areas that need more practice. The program also provides hundreds of printable flashcards so students can practice common ACT vocabulary, as well as full-length practice tests to reinforce students' skills and develop their confidence.

Study Island SAT is available for purchase by schools, districts and learning centers, as well as parents and students. More information along with pricing for individuals and quantity discounts for educational institutions is available at the Study Island website: www.studyisland.com/ACT.

UPDATED: K-12 Could Be Bright Spot in Austere Budget

Education Week blog link

By Alyson Klein on January 27, 2010 9:45 AM

K-12 education could be one of the few areas increased in the president's budget.

According to this story, President Barack Obama's budget will call for up to a $4 billion boost to the U.S. Department of Education's budget, or a 6.2 percent increase. Part of that includes the $1.35 billion in additional Race to the Top spending.

And at least $1 billion will be used to help push the administration's goals for renewal of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, whose current version is the No Child Left Behind law. Of course, in past budgets, various administrations have proposed all sorts of funding and Congress has simply moved it around to meet their needs.

But obviously, reauthorization has moved up the legislative agenda, possibly because it's one of the few areas where there is likely to be some bipartisan agreement and cooperation.

The Department won't be without a few reductions. Apparently, in the budget to be released Monday, 38 programs will be streamlined into 11 and six will be scrapped. Any guesses which ones will be targeted?

And, of course, the question remains: Will this increase in K-12 spending, even though it's just one of a very few boosts in an otherwise slim budget, be enough to gain support from education organizations and practitioners?

UPDATE: Stephen Sawchuk has the teacher implications over at Teacher Beat.

UPDATE 2: So, after a call with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, we have a somewhat better breakdown of that $4 billion. It includes $3 billion for a whole host of K-12 programs, including that $1.35 billion increase for Race to the Top. But $1 billion would be contingent on Congress passing a reauthorization of the ESEA. That's highly unusual, as Duncan acknowledged on the call.

It will be interesting to see what the chairman of the House and Senate appropriations committees (Rep. David R. Obey of Wisconsin and Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa) have to say about that move.

UPDATE 3:Duncan said specifically that the $10 million Promise Neighborhood program, which helps communities create programs that pair education with support services, such as health and college counseling, would be slated for an increase

Will Teacher Programs Be Scrapped in Federal Budget?

By Stephen Sawchuk on January 27, 2010 12:09 PM
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/2010/01/will_teacher_programs_be_scrap.html

There are many teacher implications to this Washington Post exclusive on the federal budget. President Obama's 2010 budget request will apparently include some new funds for education, but will also collapse the number of federal K-12 ed programs from 38 to 11 and eliminate six programs altogether.

Translation: Overall education spending will go up. But it might not be going to the teacher programs, and the one you depend on may be going buh-bye.

Practically all of the federal education programs, to one extent or another, affect teachers, but there are quite a few that are specifically focused on educators. The ones I can think of just off the top of my head include the Title II state teacher quality grants, a flexible teacher-oriented funding stream that mainly supports professional development and class size reduction; the Teacher Incentive Fund, a program that seeds teacher and principal performance-based compensation; Troops to Teachers and Transition to Teaching, two programs that help career-changers enter the classrooms; Education Technology and Math and Science Partnerships, two programs that support professional development; the Teacher Quality Partnership grants, which supports teacher preparation and "residency" programs; and support for advanced certification, such as through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

If I were a betting man, I'd expect the administration to preserve and expand the TIF, which is one of its vehicles for promoting teacher effectiveness. I suspect the TQP program will also stay about the same, because as a senator, Obama supported language to rework the program that ultimately got put into effect in the 2008 Higher Education Act renewal. And I would anticipate something happening to Title II, given the tidbits Arne Duncan mentioned in our recent interview with the EdSec.

I'll be sure to comb through all this when we see the details and do an updated post once I know what's what. But keep in mind that, even if the budget zeroes out, consolidates or tweaks some of these programs, all of that has to go through Congress. And every federal program, no matter its size, has one or two ardent defenders on Capitol Hill.

New Online Program Gives Students a Flexible, Affordable Option for Anytime, Anywhere SAT Preparation

DALLAS -- Archipelago Learning, a leading subscription-based online education company, today announced the introduction of Study Island SAT, a web-based SAT review program that provides students and schools with a flexible, affordable and effective option for SAT preparation.

While traditional SAT review programs tend to be expensive and require students to modify their schedules around set evening or weekend classes, Study Island SAT allows students to build a study regimen that is completely flexible to their particular needs, and at a fraction of the cost. Study Island SAT's web-based platform makes the program accessible anytime, anywhere an Internet connection is available, and unlike typical online practice and test-prep programs, it teaches both the content and strategies to achieve the best possible results on the SAT exam.

"Many SAT review programs are simply too expensive for schools to provide for all students or for parents to purchase for their children, particularly in these tough economic times. Unfortunately, this results in an unfair advantage for those students from higher socioeconomic homes where parents can afford expensive programs. Moreover, many programs require students to attend classes on-site at school or at a private facility", said Tim McEwen, CEO for Archipelago Learning.
"Study Island SAT can be done on the student's schedule at a fraction of the price of traditional programs, without sacrificing the results. It's like having a one-on-one tutor that works at the student's pace, from wherever the student wants to access the program.
In addition, since many students take the SAT more than once, the program can be repeated as many times as needed during the one-year subscription term, making it even more cost-effective."

Archipelago Learning partnered with Tutor Associates, a New York City-based leader in one-on-one tutoring, to create Study Island SAT.
The program combines Tutor Associates' proprietary Learning Tools and curriculum, which have been developed based on years of successful face-to-face tutoring, with Study Island's online learning platform, which is used in over 21,500 schools in the United States and Canada, to deliver expert SAT knowledge with engaging graphical content. David Oblath, president and co-founder of Tutor Associates, commented, "We jumped at the chance to collaborate with Study Island to bring our SAT curriculum online. For those of us in education, Study Island represents the gold standard of accessible, effective instruction. We knew that with their technology, our SAT curriculum would transcend traditional SAT prep to become a dynamic learning tool, enabling any student to improve their performance on the test."

A core aspect of Study Island SAT is the use of animated, interactive instructional videos that train students on key test-taking strategies and help them avoid common pitfalls. This approach is designed to be as effective as having a live coach or taking a class. Study Island SAT includes in-depth, interactive lessons in math, critical reading and writing, and real-time progress reports to show students' strengths and areas that need more practice. The program also provides hundreds of printable flashcards so students can practice common SAT vocabulary, as well as full-length practice tests to reinforce students' skills and develop their confidence.

Study Island SAT is available for purchase by schools, districts and learning centers, as well as parents and students. More information along with pricing for individuals and quantity discounts for educational institutions is available at the Study Island website: www.studyisland.com/SAT.