Exceptional Education Services Adds Teacher-of-Record Support

August 2025

Support exceptional learners with certified SPED teachers

Exceptional Education Services now provides certified special education teachers to serve as teacher of record for high school Exceptional Student Courses (ESCs).

Each student receives a personalized learning plan aligned with IEP goals, delivered in a self-contained virtual setting. Support includes:

1:1 and small-group instruction
Executive functioning practice
On-demand tutoring
Regular progress updates for families and school staff

Imagine+ Assessment for Imagine MyPath and Imagine Language & Literacy

August 2025

Seamless scheduling and unified reporting across Imagine MyPath and Imagine Language & Literacy

Imagine+ Assessment now provides a single, streamlined way to place students and monitor progress in Imagine MyPath and Imagine Language & Literacy. One diagnostic sets the right path in each program and adapts as your students’ progress.

Here’s what’s new:

Direct access via the product selection screen
Seamless navigation between programs
Multi-school management with custom assessment windows and flexible scheduling
Real-time insights at the school and district level
A library of 1,000+ pre-built math and ELA formatives
Game-based screeners for early literacy and dyslexia

Updated Portfolio Tools in Imagine Language & Literacy

August 2025

View student submissions, activity previews, and task skill levels all in one place

At-a-glance context: Preview each activity along with its associated skill, grade level, or Lexile® level (when available).
Review in your portfolio: Student submissions now appear directly in your Imagine Language & Literacy portfolio, making it easy to track what needs your attention.
Time-saving grading: Grade the same activity across a group or quickly scan all recent work for one student.

ELL Pull-Out Support Now in Imagine Instructional Services

August 2025

Personalized ELL support for multilingual learners

English learners enrolled in Imagine Instructional Services courses can now receive support through our new ELL pull-out model. Certified ELL Resource Specialists deliver 1:1 and small-group instruction aligned with language goals and grade-level content. They also collaborate with district teams and track progress to help each multilingual learner thrive.

New Spanish III Course Now in Imagine Edgenuity

August 2025

Includes instruction and credit recovery options

The updated Spanish III course includes instruction, dynamic assessments, and a credit recovery version with pretesting.

To add the course:

Visit the Imagine Edgenuity Catalog
Click Add to My District for each course
The course will appear in your District Catalog and can be added to schools

Learn More

New Vocabulary Games in Imagine Language & Literacy

August 2025

Knitty Gritty Kitties

In this interactive game, students build early academic vocabulary by completing sentences to earn yarn for their kitties and unlock mini-games. If they miss an answer, a short video helps keep learning on track.

Word Champs

This picture-word card game turns basic vocabulary practice into active play. Students are given a word and choose the matching image from three options, building foundational word knowledge in a fun and engaging way.

New: Imagine Learning Coaching for Core

August 2025

Onsite and virtual coaching to support core implementation

New workshops cover topics like Supporting Fluency with K–5 Centers and Enhancing Math for Multilingual Learners. Each session offers practical strategies that educators can apply immediately in their classrooms.

Explore Coaching

Imagine Edgenuity and Imagine EdgeEX: New Admin Reports for Grading and Attendance

August 2025

View student-level grading data by activity

Available in Imagine Edgenuity^® and Imagine EdgeEX™, this exportable report gives administrators a clear, student-level view of grading data by activity. It helps you track student progress and instructional impact across courses.

Educators can now:

View scores and time spent per activity
See grade weight categories
Identify if an activity counts toward the final grade

Learn More

Tracks session times and activity completion by enrollment

The updated attendance report gives administrators a detailed view of student engagement by enrollment. Export data on session duration and completion status to help monitor learning time and track accountability.

Use the report to:

See active, idle, and total session times for each student
Track completed activities, quizzes, tests, and exams per session

Learn More

New and Updated PL for Imagine Core

August 2025

Eight new Imagine IM workshops for professional learning

View The PL Catalog

Refreshed PL sessions across core

Imagine Learning Professional Learning Catalog

We’ve updated session times and delivery modes for Twig Science, Imagine Learning EL Education, and Traverse. Explore the full range of professional learning available to your team in the PL Catalog.

View The PL Catalog

August 14, 2025 11:35 am

The Human in the Room

AI, algorithms, and automation all have their places in education, but this back-to-school season, we want to help teachers start the year with irreplaceable human connection.

Young tomato pant in Imagine Learning tomato soup can

Most students approach back-to-school season as a multifaceted mystery to be solved. The three leading questions tend to be:

What will I wear on the first day?

Imagine Learning grocery bag filled with school supplies

Will any of my friends be in my class(es)?

Who will my teacher(s) be?

It’s safe to say the answer to question one is least likely to determine a school year’s success or failure (though some of Gen Z might disagree), while number three is the leading contender for impact. As much as technology has integrated itself into today’s educational environments, students and their families still look to the teacher, the human in the room, to set the tone for the year. It will be the teacher, not any instructional AI, who will make students feel seen, safe, and supported.

Taking the mystery out of “Who is my teacher?” will help you establish a bond with students from day one, and tech-free connection builders can strengthen your relational foundation when it’s time to introduce AI and other new systems later in the year. Focus on making connections, and once you’ve built that trust, you’ll be able to meet this school year’s challenges together, and thus more effectively.

“As much as technology has integrated itself into today’s education environments, students and their families still look to the teacher, the human in the room, to set the tone for the year.”

Try this list of ideas and activities designed to foster fusion:

Image of a sheet of paper with writing and a pin wheel

Same Here

Play a game where everyone has to find something they have in common with you. Write some facts about yourself on the whiteboard or pass out a “Teacher Fact Sheet” where students can choose one trait they share with you, then use that as a journal prompt or a group graphing exercise.

Who Do You Think I Am

Students can share or write things that they guess about you on the whiteboard, and you can give prizes for correct (or most creative!) guesses — “Has a dog”, “Loves to travel,” “Competitive hot-dog-eater.”

Image of papers with silhouette on them accompanied by a magnifying glass and trophy

Meet My Teacher (younger students)

Pass out “human body silhouette” coloring pages and share facts about yourself while students color and annotate their page to show their families. This will help students remember things to share at home after an overwhelming first week at school.

Breaking News (older students)

New to your school this year? Have students flex their journalism skills by writing a column on “the new teacher in town” for the school newspaper (real or fictional). Allow the class to interview you and then assign small groups to create a mock newspaper front page for their story.

Image of a classroom with a small group of chairs and computers

Image of looking into a classroom from the hallway

Split The Room

Using facts about yourself for each round, gather everyone into the middle of the room, and for each round, students either move to the room’s left or the right as applicable. (Example: “I’m an only child. If you’re an only child, move to the left. If you have siblings, move to the right.”) Encourage students to keep up with how often they were on your side of the room or if they frequently shared a side with a particular peer or two. Discuss how similarities foster connection, and differences foster opportunities for exploration.

Flashback

Share a photo of yourself at your students’ age, along with pop culture and personality features from that time. For example, “My favorite movie when I was your age was Toy Story, my favorite drink was Sunny D, and I loved having glow-in-the-dark shoelaces.” Then, pass out a list of similar questions and have students complete their own worksheet to reciprocate the connection. Being reminded that your teacher was once a regular kid like you (even if it was, like, 100 years ago) is always a fun experience for a student.

Image of record player, cup pf tea, and disco ball

Whatever you decide to do, remember that the best thing you can give your students is simply your time and attention. They might not remember everything you teach them this year, but they’ll remember your intentional presence and how you valued them as individuals enough to connect with them.

As you plant the seeds that will grow into meaningful relationships, know that we’re right there with you as part of your community, toolkit, and team. Whether it’s on-demand PD, in-product implementation support, or just having a real person ready to answer a question, our goal is the same as yours: make this year better for your students.

Full grown tomato plant in Imagine Learning tomato soup can

About the Authors: Mary Lou McCaslin & Kallie Markle

Mary Lou McCaslin is a former English teacher based near Memphis, Tennessee where she lives with her husband and three kids. In her free time, she enjoys listening to podcasts, snuggling her dog, Lilo, and scrolling Pinterest for the next perfect arts and crafts project to spend her money on.

Kallie Markle writes from Northern California, where she also attempts to learn the piano, raise two teenagers, and read a lot of British spy novels.