Wired Magazine has an interesting article on a proposed public “Game School” for grades 6 to 12 in New York City. The premise is to engage and educate students of the video game generation through innovative curriculum. The key question is be whether they can deliver growth in reading and math for the large percentage of NY students lacking basic skills. This has been a challenge for theme schools: it is often easier to “engage” students than to “educate” them in the basics!
From our perspective, combining engaging youth-friendly media such as video games, pop music, and animation with a rigorous research-based curriculum is the solution. When students are in their “comfort zone”, their focus, attention, and motivation is high. Carefully designed online courses can turn this opportunity into real learning with measurable growth.
Teachers from Georgia schools can now view an alignment of the Reading Upgrade, Comprehension Upgrade, and Math Upgrade courses to the Georgia Performance Standards. The correlation shows the 160 lessons in the three courses listed with each matching standard.
Our courses contain material from a number of different grade levels to provide review and intervention for struggling students. Thus you will notice a wide range of grade level standards for each course. Click “View Context” next to each standard to see it within the larger context of the standards.
Teachers from Virginia schools can now view an alignment of the Reading Upgrade, Comprehension Upgrade, and Math Upgrade courses to the Virginia Standards of Learning. The correlation shows the 160 lessons in the three courses listed with each matching standard.
Our courses contain material from a number of different grade levels to provide review and intervention for struggling students. Thus you will notice a wide range of grade level standards for each course. Click “View Context” next to each standard to see it within the larger context of the standards.
A teacher at a Texas elementary school used the Reading Upgrade online course to help 3rd graders facing retention to improve their TAKS test scores. Each at-risk student received one-on-one intensive instruction with Reading Upgrade in a one-month session in June 2007. After the session, students repeated the TAKS test to avoid repeating 3rd grade. Here is a letter from the teacher:
We are completing our program this week, and I want to take this special time to let you know that without you, we didn’t have a possible chance to pass our TAKS test. We took the test on Wednesday, the 27th of June, and I feel our students did a fantastic job in taking the test.
The Mean Median and Mode song video excerpt from our Math Upgrade online course has crossed 5,000 views on YouTube. Students are using the video to learn statistics basics through music. School teachers and college professors have used the video in math class lectures. Comments from students indicate the videos “brighten up” their math classes. Play the video below or follow the link to the YouTube page.
Teachers from Arizona schools can now view an alignment of the Reading Upgrade, Comprehension Upgrade, and Math Upgrade courses to the Arizona Academic Standards. The correlation shows the 160 lessons in the three courses listed with each matching standard.
Our courses contain material from a number of different grade levels to provide review and intervention for struggling students. Thus you will notice a wide range of grade level standards for each course. Click “View Context” next to each standard to see it within the larger context of the standards.
We also have alignments for other states including California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Texas: see our Alignment Index for a complete list.
We’ve entered a new age, where grandparents go online to help grandchildren struggling in school. Today, grandparents often live far away from their grandkids. Parents may be too busy to provide one-on-one tutoring, or to search online for solutions. So, the ‘net-savvy grandparents tap their favorite search engine.
Many end up at learningupgrade.com, trying out the free trials of Reading Upgrade or Math Upgrade. They can sign up for a free trial, and email or phone their grandkids with the username/password. Then, the fun begins! Grandkids sign in each day at home to complete lessons, while grandparents sign in and view the detailed reports with attendance, levels completed, and areas of strength and weakness. If the grandkids are progressing, the grandparents or parents can sign in and purchase the full one-year course access.
Grandparents have shared with us the advantages of this long-distance tutoring: they can help struggling grandkids catch up, and it gives them an opportunity to interact with their grandkids.
Please share any “grand” experiences with us in the comments!
With summer approaching, teachers and parents and looking for ways to help at risk students catch up in reading and math.The Reading Upgrade and Math Upgrade courses deliver enjoyable lessons filled with songs and games to keep students engaged over the summer.The courses can deliver measurable growth in just weeks, and have proven effective with special needs, English learner, and Title I students.
Each upgrade course comes with a full 12 months of unlimited access, so students can continue working to mastery during the Fall when they return to school. To find out more about using courses for summer school instruction, click here.
Learning Upgrade will be presenting a session at the NAA Conference in Phoenix.The session “Courses Deliver Math & Reading Growth” will take place Thursday March 22nd at 2:00 pm in Room 39 South Hall of the PhoenixConvention Center.Presenter Vinod Lobo will share best practices from the numerous after school programs using the Math Upgrade and Reading Upgrade courses.
You can now view and print an alignment to the Florida State Standards for our three courses Reading Upgrade, Comprehension Upgrade, and Math Upgrade. The alignment lists the matching Florida grade level expectations for each of the 160 lessons (levels) in the three courses.
