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Overview Federal and state legislative mandates have put school districts under great pressure to show increases in student achievement and improve teacher quality. On the current trajectory, districts will fail to meet the mandated 100% proficiency mark by 2014 set by the federal No Child Left Behind Act unless they can find a systematic way to measurably and consistently increase student achievement. Predictability requires the integration of curriculum, instruction and assessment to provide districts with better information about the instructional practices being used in the classroom and how those practices affect student performance. Districts and schools must consistently and concretely determine what is essential for students to know, identify and execute best practices in instruction and accurately assess when and how students achieve mastery to adjust their practice accordingly. Only then can districts predictably increase student achievement. Unfortunately, technology alone does not close the achievement gap. The foundation of any investment in technology for K-12 education must be a sound instructional improvement strategy that drives student achievement. The Edgenuity Achievement Suite is a comprehensive, integrated solution specifically designed to help districts predictably increase student achievement. By using the right technology and strategy to integrate the core components for instructional improvement, districts can meet or exceed their performance objectives. Click on each component to learn more.   | Instructional Effectiveness For teachers to be effective, they must understand what to teach with strategic intent and how to continually assess student mastery using a variety of measures (including grades, rubrics, and testing). Teachers also need to identify the gaps in learning core concepts and critical skills, and adjust their instructional strategies at the critical moment when the gap occurs to ensure true learning. Put simply, this is what triggers the teachable moment. Curriculum The curriculum forms the foundation for educating students. Effective curriculum development starts with defining mastery and the development of a common framework of the core concepts and critical skills that are aligned with state standards for each course and grade level. This framework is then used to establish the necessary instructional and pacing expectations for meeting or exceeding the state standards and testing requirements. This effort also involves identifying the lessons required to support the teaching of these core concepts and critical skills. Without this foundation, following the textbook becomes the default curriculum, putting the burden on the teacher to determine what, when and how to teach. Instruction The key to student achievement is good teaching. This extends well beyond adherence to lesson plans and scripted delivery of basal programs. What makes a teacher the master of his or her craft is the knowledge of using appropriate strategies and when and how to employ them based on students’ individual needs. By adjusting lesson plans, grouping, and specific teaching strategies, teachers can deepen students’ understanding and mastery of the subject matter. Assessment In today’s test-driven environment, assessment has been reduced to benchmark testing every six to nine weeks. But as experienced educators well know, effective assessment must be ongoing, taking place at shorter intervals to enable immediate re-teaching of students requiring additional time and effort to learn core concepts and skills. These short term assessments need to encompass a variety of measures including teacher observations, classroom work, and homework assignments. By using multiple measures of student performance, this practice moves beyond simply tracking proficiency on tests to demonstrating true subject mastery. | |
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Education Strategy
