A virtual event around Literacy, hosted by Tina Patterson
Literacy expert Tina Patterson will guide participants through an overview of what the Science of Reading is (and what it isn’t). We will explore some of the ways that Imagine Learning has put the research into action and how practitioners can make changes within their schools to refine literacy instruction.
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October 21, 2022 6:20 pm
Being vulnerable in the classroom (or anywhere) takes courage. Here are just a few ways you can open up to your students and show them that you’re human, too.
Research professor Dr. Brené Brown — who is famous for her talks on vulnerability and taking risks, as well as her #1 New York Times bestseller Daring Greatly — says vulnerability opens us up to pain and tragedy, but also to love, joy, and connection. It is uncertain and sometimes risky, but it can lead to feelings that make life worth living.
Dr. Brown says that learning itself is inherently vulnerable, and encouraging vulnerability in the classroom is not synonymous with “coddling,” as many may think. It’s actually quite the opposite of coddling because it pushes students to open themselves up, leave their comfort zones, and learn in a more personal, intentional way. And the first step to encouraging students to be vulnerable is by being vulnerable in the classroom as a teacher.
Veteran English teacher David Rockower learned this after years of reading predictable, not-very-emotional memoir-writing assignments. In previous years, he tended to shrug off the lack of unique emotional experiences and deep connections in his students’ writing as just a result of their age. But one year, he decided to change his approach. He realized he had to show his students that he was willing to do exactly what he was asking of them. And it ended up changing the game completely.
When explaining the assignment, instead of giving students an inspirational quote from a poet or examples of memoirs from strangers, Mr. Rockower wrote a story about one of the hardest, most emotional experiences in his own life. After reading his story to the class, the questions that followed weren’t the usual, “How long does my paper need to be?” or “How many paragraphs?” Instead, some students clapped, some wanted to share their personal experiences, and one student even asked, “Can we please write now?”
The stories his students turned in later were powerful and far more emotional than any he’d received before. His takeaway from this experience was profound: “My unwillingness to share, to write from the heart, [and] to be vulnerable was ultimately holding my students back. And when I finally took the leap, they followed.”
Being vulnerable in the classroom (or anywhere) takes courage. Leaving your comfort zone is not easy, and there will always be students who want to mock or use things against you, but, as one teacher put it, “for every student who negatively takes advantage of our openness, there will be scores more who thrive because of it.” Vulnerability is a powerful, emotional, and, at times, uncomfortable journey, led by both self-exploration and genuine intrigue to discover often uncharted territories.
Another teacher, who strove for perfection and sought to avoid “inevitable” mockery from his students, says that being the “all-knowing, impenetrable teacher” was uninspiring and untrustworthy. After receiving some life-changing news, he altered his teaching style and allowed himself to be vulnerable in front of his students, which yielded a new type of connection with them. These days, he says, “the mark of a good teacher is having a willingness to learn alongside of their students.”
Being vulnerable in the classroom can promote deeper thinking, strengthen your relationships with students, and prompt more authentic responses. Showing students that you’re not perfect helps them understand that it’s okay to have flaws and imperfections. Teachers across the nation, who first told us why they teach during Teacher Appreciation Week, opened up on the importance of being vulnerable in the classroom, and how they show students they’re human, too.
“Every day, I remind students that we’re a team. In order to get them to fully believe this, I don’t pretend to be an expert on everything. I value students’ opinions and admit when I am not sure about something. I hope this kind of humility shows students that we are always learning, even as adults. I also think this has been an effective way for me to gain a healthier sense of respect rather than one based solely on power and authority.”
“I talk to my students on the playground at recess. I read what they write in their journals and ask them about it. I make sure that they know I care about them. I tell them stories about me, my kids, and my life, so that they have buy-in.”
“You should share with them aspects of your life that are important to things that you’re talking about in what you’re covering that lesson. I stress several aspects of my personal experience. They need to see that I come from somewhere, and I think teachers fail their students if they don’t show them their own backgrounds. You have to share yourself with your students if you want them to take you seriously.”
“I joke and I share things about my life, weekend plans. I think it is also important to admit mistakes and let them know that even we make them, and that’s okay.”
“You have to show your students that you are human, and that you also make mistakes. If you try to look perfect in front of them, you will fail. I think that by showing them you aren’t perfect, you really can connect with them. They become more comfortable with you and see that they can make mistakes and won’t be judged for them. I also feel that incorporating lessons/readings about what they’re interested in can create connections. They feel that you genuinely care about them and their needs, so they feel more comfortable and willing to open up to you.”
If you’re feeling anxious or uneasy about opening yourself up more to your students, remind yourself of the blessing of teaching—it’s naturally a very personal profession, and human connections will always strengthen learning. As our once not-so-vulnerable teacher says, “vulnerability is the essential root of the thinker and learner.” And it starts by challenging yourself to be courageous.
Distance Learning – What’s working and best practices serving teachers, students, and families
Join Imagine Learning for another district leader panel discussion to hear about how the transition to distance teaching continues to evolve. Hear about the new day to day in leading schools through this time of change. See what’s working and how school leaders are adapting to a new learning environment for educators and families.
in intervention and core instruction with Imagine Learning
Lighthouse Imagine Learning users from Michigan detail their implementations and show how it significantly impacted their student’s performance and supported teachers with differentiation and extension resources, both during traditional school and distance learning.
Goal:
Data is all around us, yet data is not always used efficiently or effectively to drive a mathematical vision for schools and/or districts. Ideally data should be used to assess student progress towards mathematical understanding, and to support teachers’ instruction. Imagine Learning experts discuss alternative ways to look at and use data. Learn how to use technology to effectively collect data, to drive instruction, and to drive your school’s mathematical vision.
October 14, 2022 8:00 am
Within just a few hours, U.S. students who solved more than 228,000 Imagine Math problems, converted earned math points to $5,000 for the American Red Cross Hurricane Ian Fund
Scottsdale, Ariz., OCTOBER 14, 2022 – Students across the U.S. who use Imagine Learning’s Imagine Math program completed math problems and donated earned points from the program to raise $5,000 for the American Red Cross Hurricane Ian Relief Fund in just a few hours. Throughout the school year, students solved more than 228,000 math problems to earn more than 5 million math points, which translates to $5,000 for Hurricane Ian relief. On Monday, Oct. 10, Imagine Learning representatives presented a $5,000 check to the American Red Cross chapter in Tampa, Florida. The funds will be dedicated to supporting relief efforts in Lee County, Florida.
“The Red Cross is grateful for the generosity of community partners like Imagine Learning, which makes a life-changing difference to neighbors facing unimaginable loss from Hurricane Ian,” said Kristin Burke, Chief Development Officer for the American Red Cross of Central Florida.
The donation is a part of Imagine Learning’s charitable giving program. Since the incentive program’s inception in 2008, students who have used Imagine Math have donated 1.7 trillion math points, completed more than 2.6 million math lessons, and worked through more than 84 million math problems for a total giving of $172,173 to the American Red Cross. Over the years, students have converted their hard-earned point donations to a variety of American Red Cross causes, including the Haitian Relief Fund, the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund, numerous hurricane relief funds, and most recently the Jackson, Mississippi water crisis.
“When Imagine Math students learned they could contribute to the Red Cross to help people affected by Hurricane Ian, they responded in record time,” said Jeff Pendleton, SVP and General Manager of Supplemental and Intervention for Imagine Learning. “Normally, it might take up to a week for student donations to reach the $5,000 level but in this instance, it only took 3 hours, which is both astonishing and inspiring.”
Students from schools all over the country donated their Imagine Math points. Top donations came from schools in Illinois and Texas, in addition to Renaissance Middle Charter School in Doral, Florida.
“We could not be prouder of our students; they are an amazing example of our Charter School USA tenets, Integrity of putting others first, and Passion for providing the best education for every child,” said Renaissance Middle Charter School Principal, Elaine Castellanos. “On behalf of Renaissance Middle Charter School, I commend 6th grade accelerated math teacher Mr. Beck and his students for their dedication and kindness.”
Imagine Math combines a rich curriculum with fun, adaptive digital experiences to help students become confident math learners. Recent studies have shown that students who utilize Imagine Math demonstrate significant academic gains on standardized assessments. Ideal as a supplement to standards-based PreK—Geometry core instruction, Imagine Math’s two age-appropriate learning environments are designed for student engagement. In grades 3 and above, students are invited to a meaningful exploration of mathematical understanding. Rigorous, standards-rich content adapts to the unique needs of each learner to develop essential foundations and conceptual understanding they need to achieve grade-level mastery. In addition, students in grades 3 through 8 can earn points by completing lessons which can be turned into charitable donation dollars.
More information about Imagine Math is available at imaginelearning.com/imagine-math.
About Imagine Learning
Imagine Learning is a PreK–12 digital learning solutions company that ignites learning breakthroughs by designing forward-thinking solutions at the intersection of people, curricula, and technology to drive student growth. Imagine Learning serves more than 15 million students and partners with more than half the school districts nationwide. Imagine Learning’s flagship products include Imagine Edgenuity®, online courseware and virtual school services solutions; supplemental and intervention solutions for literacy, language, mathematics, and computer science; and high-quality, digital-first core curriculum, including Illustrative Mathematics®, EL Education®, and Odell Education®—all on the Imagine Learning Classroom—and Twig Science®. Read more about Imagine Learning’s digital solutions at imaginelearning.com.
September 30, 2022 7:00 am
The supervisor for online learning at the Berks County Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania, Marcelle McGhee, shares their schedule and tips for prioritizing students throughout the day
As the supervisor for online learning at the Berks County Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania, students are the focus of my day.
I believe the key to my program’s success has always been the relationship-building I do with students and parents. I try to be open-minded, non-judgmental, and approachable to students and parents. I keep in mind that everyone’s circumstances are different. It may be cheesy to say this, but I try to meet students where they are. Homeless students need food and housing, and students struggling with illnesses need care before they can even focus on learning.
After responding to urgent phone calls or emails, I begin each day by checking the Edgenuity Learning Management System dashboard. Since I have students from multiple school districts, I toggle through those schools to review student progress. Red highlights are flags that I look for along with progress and then grades. I use the student filter on the dashboard to check on students who are behind in pacing. I do a deep dive into each student’s Progress and Grades to determine the reason for lackluster pacing. I add these students to my “home phone call” list.
Around mid-morning, I begin to call home to check on the students on my list. Usually, I have to leave a phone message requesting a callback. I follow up phone calls with a personalized email to the parent, student, and school counselor highlighting the pacing or grade issue. I keep notes on students in case there are extenuating circumstances such as illness that I need to consider before sending the email.
“For teachers, it’s about communication, communication, communication. Students have to feel like you’re directly emailing them… they can tell if you’re disinterested, even if you’re working with them online.”
In the second part of my day, I check attendance in the SIS. I use the SIS filters to create a list of students who have not accessed their classes in more than two school days. I use the LMS Dashboard to get a more detailed student attendance view and to confirm that an attendance email is appropriate for all students on the list. I then use the automatic email feature in the SIS to send students, parents, and school counselors an email regarding the student’s lack of attendance.
I have an “online learning” toolbox of tips and tricks that I send to students. These tips include “directions for attending teacher study hall,” “Locating and Navigating Carone Fitness courses,” and using the Guided Notes” feature. ”
I have open virtual office hours three days a week in the afternoon. I invite (more like insist) students who are behind pacing, have an actual grade of less than 75% in a course, or are violating the attendance requirements, to attend my virtual office hours so that I can assist them with getting back on track.
On other days my afternoons are reserved for administrative tasks that keep my program running smoothly.
My day usually ends with a check of email and last-minute phone calls. I often take parent phone calls and respond to text messages during the evening.
Marcelle McGhee is the Supervisor of Online Learning for Berks Online Learning, a service of the Berks County Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania. A mother of two herself, Marcelle is proud to have the role of “professional mom” to those students who come to online learning needing support and accountability, helping students to learn the ropes of virtual school and reach their goals. As a first-generation college graduate and Guyana native, Marcelle has a wealth of experience and understanding that shines through as she goes above and beyond in supporting her students. Marcelle is a true Imagine Edgenuity veteran, having started using our products almost twelve years ago, and her expertise shines through in the way she provides support to other educators at every turn.
September 12, 2022 8:00 am
U.S. students solved more than 228,000 Imagine Math problems, converting earned math points to $5,000 for the American Red Cross Jackson Mississippi Flood Relief Fund
Scottsdale, Ariz., SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 – Students who use Imagine Learning’s Imagine Math program completed math problems and donated earned points from the program to raise $5,000 for the American Red Cross Jackson Mississippi Flood Relief Fund—all in 3 days after hearing about the funding opportunity. During the donation period, students solved more than 228,000 math problems and donated more than 5 million earned math points, which translates to $5,000 for the Jackson Mississippi Flood Relief Fund.
The donation is a part of Imagine Learning’s charitable giving program. Since the incentive program’s inception in 2008, students who have used Imagine Math have donated 1.6 trillion math points, completed more than 2.5 million math lessons, and worked through more than 82 million math problems for a total giving of $167,173 to the American Red Cross. Over the years, students have converted their point donations to a variety of American Red Cross causes, including the Haitian Relief Fund, the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund, numerous hurricane relief funds, and the Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund.
Top donating schools from around Mississippi and the U.S. include:
“It’s inspiring to see our students donate their hard-earned Imagine Math points to make a difference for a community,” said Jeff Pendleton, SVP and General Manager of Supplemental and Intervention for Imagine Learning. “We’re proud of the many students across Mississippi and the U.S. who are sharpening their math skills while also helping people in need.”
“Imagine Math has given our students and teachers the perfect opportunity to show kindness during the water crisis in Jackson,” said Shauna Gregg, Math/Science Curriculum Specialist for Tate County School District. “We are so proud of our students that selflessly gave in order to help our southern neighbors.”
“Pearl River County School District is so proud to have been a part of the charitable donation toward the American Red Cross of Jackson Flood Relief,” said Ashley Franatovich, Technology Integration Specialist for Pearl River County School District. “It is a beautiful way for our students to be able to contribute toward local charities. Having the option to donate brings a new and exciting motivation for our students to give their best efforts when completing math lessons. This sort of selfless giving is what we would like to encourage all children within Mississippi to participate in. Our district theme this year is ‘Be the Light’ and we are so extremely proud that our students are embracing this idea and being the light for children around our great state.”
Imagine Math combines a rich curriculum with fun, adaptive digital experiences to help students become confident math learners. Ideal as a supplement to standards-based PreK—Geometry core instruction, its two age-appropriate learning environments are designed for student engagement. Rigorous, standards-rich content adapts to the unique needs of each learner to develop essential foundations and conceptual understanding they need to achieve grade-level mastery. Two recent studies revealed that elementary and middle school students who used Imagine Math demonstrated significant academic gains on standardized assessments. Findings from one study showed that after one year of using Imagine Math, students demonstrated significantly greater gains on the Renaissance Star Math assessment than their nonparticipating peers. A second study that analyzed Fall 2020 to Spring 2021 NWEA MAP Growth Math data showed that students who used Imagine Math demonstrated a significantly greater growth rate than non-users.
More information about Imagine Math is available at imaginelearning.com/imagine-math.
About Imagine Learning
Imagine Learning is a PreK–12 digital learning solutions company that ignites learning breakthroughs by designing forward-thinking solutions at the intersection of people, curricula, and technology to drive student growth. Imagine Learning serves more than 15 million students and partners with more than half the school districts nationwide. Imagine Learning’s flagship products include Imagine Edgenuity®, online courseware and virtual school services solutions; supplemental and intervention solutions for literacy, language, mathematics, and computer science; and high-quality, digital-first core curriculum, including Illustrative Mathematics®, EL Education®, and Odell Education®—all on the Imagine Learning Classroom—and Twig Science®. Read more about Imagine Learning’s digital solutions at imaginelearning.com.
August 26, 2022 8:00 pm
Richmond, Va. (Aug. 24, 2022) – ChallengeU, an innovative high school dropout recovery program, changed the life trajectory of Richmond City high school students who were no longer in school. Students were able to graduate against all odds because of ChallengeU’s ability to combine the power of building relationships through boots-on-the-ground coaching with the flexibility of online learning.
On Aug. 24, a special ceremony was held at The Kitchens at Reynolds to honor four graduates who, after overcoming difficult life circumstances, are eager to pursue their chosen careers at local educational institutions such as Reynolds Community College.
“We believe every student should be able to pursue a promising career and have an equal opportunity to be successful, even after dropping out of school,” said Nicolas Arsenault, CEO of ChallengeU. He highlighted that ChallengeU partners with Imagine Learning to provide high-quality online courses aligned with state standards and delivered by state-certified virtual instructors.
One ChallengeU Graduate’s Story
Jahneysha Gibbs was always up for the challenge when it came to her academics. However, during high school, balancing life and school became overwhelming. Between the loss of her grandmother, constantly moving to different cities, and switching from school to school, she slowly began to lose motivation, and dreams of a future seemed out of reach.
“A few months after I stopped going to school, someone called my mom and told her about the program. I had enough time to grieve and deal with the loss of my grandma and was willing to come back to school as long as I did not have to go back into the building,” says Jahneysha.
She found the ChallengeU coaches to be consistent, engaging, and very adaptive to her different life situations. “I love ChallengeU and the coach relationships! They are so motivational and help you out in every way they can,” says Jahneysha, who aims to enter the registered nursing program at Reynolds in the fall.
ChallengeU is assisting her with the application process, connecting her to a job at the Omni hotel, and will be providing an academic scholarship that will be applied to her post-graduation plan. “I have always wanted to help people. ChallengeU is helping me to learn more about the field of nursing and the different roles,” she concludes. Now that she is across the finish line with high school, she wants to encourage others in similar circumstances. “It gets better, and if someone has the option to work with ChallengeU, they should definitely take it!”
“The opportunity to walk alongside these students as they have overcome various challenges has been a privilege that I am most grateful for,” said Bria Jacobs, Lead Graduation Coach of ChallengeU in Richmond Virginia. “Our program is designed to meet youth right at the intersection of their current circumstances and their greatest desires for a bright future. We see our participants as future scholars, entrepreneurs, teachers, healthcare practitioners, and anything else that they set their minds to. The ultimate goal is for participants to see the light at the end of the tunnel and walk toward it with confidence and a solid support system committed to assisting them every step of the way.”
“Working in partnership with public school systems in the U.S., ChallengeU is building a better, brighter future for students who have dropped out of school due to a variety of life circumstances,” concluded Arsenault. “Walking across the stage to receive a high school diploma is a moment that every student should experience and celebrate. Our team at ChallengeU is honored to help make that important milestone a reality, as well as creating a pathway to be a productive member of the workforce.”
About ChallengeU
ChallengeU is a dropout recovery program that partners with school systems to identify, re-enroll and graduate students who had previously dropped out of high school. Our intervention model combines the flexibility of online learning with the power of building relationships through in-person coaching. Our coaches provide wrap-around support in collaboration with local community organizations. We engage students in various levels of support, ensuring they will have the confidence and motivation to commit to working with us toward graduation and post-graduation opportunities. We advanced our mission in the USA based on the success of our operation, which has re-enrolled more than 24,000 dropouts in school systems throughout Canada. In 2022, ChallengeU was recognized as a B Corp Best For The World™.
For more information, visit ChallengeU.com.
Media Contact: Jill Vaughan, jill@jlvcomms.net, (804) 363-7175
August 25, 2022 3:28 pm
Imagine MyPath will report Lexile and Quantile measures, beginning in the 2022-23 school year
DURHAM, N.C. & SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – August 24, 2022 – As schools face significant unfinished learning resulting from the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, MetaMetrics®, developer of the Lexile® and Quantile® Frameworks, and Imagine Learning, the largest provider of digital curriculum solutions in the United States, today announced an expansion of their long-term partnership.
Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, Imagine MyPath® assessments will report National Percentile Ranks (NPR) for Lexile and Quantile measures, supporting K-12 students on their pathway to grade-level success. This will allow teachers and parents to see how students performed in comparison to other students in the same grade in reading and math, providing them with a metric to guide future learning and monitor student progress. For nearly a decade, other Imagine Learning assessments have reported Lexile and Quantile measures.
“Imagine Learning’s digital curriculum solutions include high-quality assessments designed to identify a personalized learning path that meets each student where they are and helps all students reach their potential,” said Jeff Pendleton, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Supplemental and Intervention at Imagine Learning. “Our longstanding partnership with MetaMetrics supports educators in using Lexile and Quantile measures to further personalize classroom instruction.”
Imagine MyPath gives every K–12 student a pathway to grade-level success with a personalized and adaptive program in reading and math. As students move from targeted intervention to supplemental grade-level practice and enrichment, Imagine MyPath continues to deliver adaptive lessons propelling them forward. Imagine MyPath empowers teachers with the data and point-of-use resources that allow them to quickly get their students back on track.
The Lexile Framework for Reading and Quantile Framework for Mathematics measure student ability and the difficulty of reading and math content on the same scale.
“Differentiated instruction allows teachers to ensure that all students receive instruction that is tailored to their individual needs, strengths and interests,” said Malbert Smith, CEO and co-founder of MetaMetrics. “By reporting Lexile and Quantile measures, Imagine MyPath will provide educators with even more actionable data to accelerate learning.”
About Imagine Learning
Imagine Learning is a PreK–12 digital learning solutions company that ignites learning breakthroughs by designing forward-thinking solutions at the intersection of people, curricula, and technology to drive student growth. Imagine Learning serves more than 15 million students and partners with more than half the school districts nationwide. Imagine Learning’s flagship products include Imagine Edgenuity®, online courseware and virtual school services solutions; supplemental and intervention solutions for literacy, language, mathematics, robotics, and coding; and high-quality, digital-first core curriculum, including Illustrative Mathematics®, EL Education®, and Odell Education®—all on the Imagine Learning Classroom—and Twig Science®. Read more about Imagine Learning’s digital solutions at imaginelearning.com.
About MetaMetrics
MetaMetrics is an award-winning education technology organization that offers the only scientifically valid, universal scales for measuring silent and oral reading and listening (Lexile®) and math (Quantile®) measures with plans to develop measures for writing. The Lexile and Quantile Frameworks measure student ability and the complexity of the content they encounter. Lexile and Quantile measures and related technologies link assessment to instruction and provide next steps for students of all ages and abilities. The measures also provide valuable insights about students’ potential for growth. MetaMetrics’ measures, products and services are licensed to dozens of education product companies to help achieve that growth. For 35 years, MetaMetrics’ work is increasingly recognized for its research-based approach to improving learning. For more information, visit metametricsinc.com.