Differentiated instruction and Response to Intervention (RTI) share a common goal: modifying instruction until it meets the needs of all learners. A strategic partnership between Renaissance, the leader in K-12 learning analytics, and Achieve3000, the groundbreaker in blended, differentiated instruction, now gives educators the opportunity to seamlessly integrate the two instructional approaches to students from Pre-K through grade 12. Select districts in 2017 will be able to use the embedded and interim assessments to inform and tailor instruction across all tiers of intervention, while accessing deep learning analytics from the companies’ platforms to measure impact and efficacy.

The newly minted partnership combines Renaissance’s highly rated Renaissance Star 360 assessment solution with Achieve3000’s patented model of research-based differentiated instruction for blended learning for students in grades Pre-K through 12. The alliance between the two prominent education technology companies is centered on several shared concepts, such as maximizing educators’ time during the RTI process as more on-task time and targeted, purposeful instruction are critical for students to accelerate learning gains as well as enabling teachers to help all students succeed and move forward on the path to college and career readiness. It also makes data immediate and actionable for leaders, thus demonstrating measurable impact for all students.

“Today, educators need seamless integration of assessment and instruction, and we hear stories about educators spending far too much time bridging the gap between the two when it comes to RTI,” said Jack Lynch, Renaissance CEO. “By marrying these two solutions, educators will have more time to focus on what’s important: discovering skill gaps quickly and pinpointing the exact instruction needed for each student to move further along in their growth.”

“The exploration of a strategic partnership was prompted by many discussions with customers,” said Saki Dodelson, founder, president and CEO of Achieve3000. “Our customers have repeatedly told us that one of their main pain points is the ‘now what?’ when using assessment to inform instruction. When you know precisely what students already understand, it’s easier to plan what to teach next.”

When paired with Renaissance’s reliable, valid Star 360 assessments, Achieve3000’s unmatched literacy instructional models for mixed-ability classrooms, as well as targeted programs for English learners and intervention students, can now provide the achievement and growth data needed to help every educator extend their reach and empower every student to go above and beyond.

About Renaissance

Renaissance is the leader in K–12 learning analytics, enabling teachers, curriculum creators, and educators to drive phenomenal student growth. Renaissance’s solutions help educators analyze, customize, and plan personalized learning paths for students, allowing time for what matters: creating energizing learning experiences in the classroom. Founded by parents, upheld by educators, and enriched by data scientists, Renaissance knows learning is a continual journey, from year to year and for a lifetime. Our data-driven, personalized solutions are currently used in over one-third of U.S. schools and more than 60 countries around the world. For more information, visit http://www.renaissance.com.

About Achieve3000

Achieve3000 is the leader in online differentiated literacy instruction, serving over two million students worldwide. For nearly 15 years, the company has been reaching students at their individual reading levels to deliver significant learning gains, with many making double to triple the expected gains in a single school year. Based on decades of scientific research, Achieve3000’s solutions—Smarty Ants (for grades PreK–1), KidBiz3000 (for grades 2–5), TeenBiz3000 (for grades 6–8), Empower3000 (for grades 9–12), Spark3000 (for adult learners), and eScience3000 (for grades 6–8)—support core curriculum, Response to Intervention, English language learner, and special education instructional models as well as 21st-century education initiatives. From learning how to read to workforce readiness, Achieve3000 empowers all learners to develop the college and career literacy skills needed for academic, professional, and personal success. The company is based in Lakewood, N.J. Learn more about Achieve3000 online at http://www.achieve3000.com or by calling 888-968-6822.

Credo – the industry leader for information literacy, critical thinking, and research solutions – and Arkansas State University are embarking on a partnership to bring information literacy resources and instruction to regional Arkansas high school students in support of their college readiness.

The Literati High School Partnership will be formally unveiled by Ian Singer, Credo’s Chief Content Officer, and Jeff Bailey, Library Director at Arkansas State University’s Dean B. Ellis Library, during an afternoon session at the Charleston Library Conference in Charleston, S.C. The innovative collaboration is designed to provide research instruction to high school students to help prepare them for college success, even before they arrive on a campus.

The partnership will give students access to Credo's School Core Content Collection, with more than 400 ebook titles and millions of reference entries. The collection offers students in grades 7 to 12 a wealth of insightful content covering topics related to secondary school studies, such as biology, physics, mathematics, social sciences, world cultures, world history, and more.

According to Bailey, the “Literati High School partnership is a win for everyone.”

“This is the perfect way for the librarians at the Dean B. Ellis Library to expand our work with area high schools,” Bailey continued. “At the high school level, the teachers and students are gaining access to all of the great Credo content and support that will help students earn higher grades, graduate and get accepted into college. At the college level, Arkansas State University will have incoming freshmen from those high schools who are better prepared, require less remediation, and are more likely to graduate. Plus, those students already will be familiar with using Literati to help them complete their assignments.”

Singer concurred and said the partnership represents Credo’s ongoing evolution as a company focused on positive learning outcomes for students.

“Programs such as this one will help students hit the ground running once they arrive on campus so they’re not overwhelmed by the college academic experience,” Singer said. “We are excited about the potential here, plus we’re looking forward to working with Jeff and the team at Arkansas State University. Of great significance, we will be interested in tracking how the students who had access to Literati performed versus those students who didn’t.”

Boston-based Credo has partnered with more than 2,500 libraries over the last 16 years to drive more effective and efficient student research activities. Since 2014, Credo has been developing instructional content while working with librarians to improve student research outcomes.

The Dean B. Ellis Library strives to meet the informational and research needs of Arkansas State University (enrollment 13,144) by offering a variety of services. Library personnel acquire and organize the library's physical and online collections in addition to providing desk services for research assistance and checking out materials. The library also offers one-on-one research consultations, library instruction for classes and a one credit hour library skills class.

For more information about Credo, visit www.corp.credoreference.com. For more information about Arkansas State University, visit www.astate.edu.

About Credo | www.corp.credoreference.com

Credo is an information skills solutions provider that serves educational institutions worldwide. It enables the flexible configuration of content, technology and services for the purpose of connecting learners, faculty and teachers, librarians and publishers. Credo promotes knowledge building, problem solving and critical thinking to give people the information skills necessary for success throughout their academic, professional and personal lives. Founded in the U.K. under the name of Xrefer, Credo has helped colleges, universities and public libraries successfully educate students and patrons since 1999. Credo is headquartered in Boston, Mass., and maintains an office in the U.K.

Skyward, a K-12 school administrative software provider, is excited to announce its partnership with West Allis-West Milwaukee School District in Wisconsin. The second largest district in Milwaukee County adopted Skyward’s School Management System in August and is preparing to go live with the solution in 2017.

Frona Tenuta, manager of technology services at West Allis-West Milwaukee, described the issues administrators faced with the district’s previous SIS and ERP vendors. “One of our biggest concerns was having so many different third party systems for gathering data,” Tenuta said. “Having multiple systems presented challenges in reporting the data to the state as well as trying to pull and create reports,” she said.

The search for a new option came easy for West Allis-West Milwaukee. Skyward was the ultimate vendor of choice because key staff members of the leadership team had already used it at other districts and because of its overwhelming adoption throughout Wisconsin. Staff were invited to the presentations and, in the end, there was a lot of buy-in from everyone, including a unanimous board approval. “Skyward is a product that several staff had previously used in other districts,” Tenuta said. “Staff were very impressed with the overall functionality of the software in real-time,” she said.

The integrated system, cost savings, and improved customer support Skyward’s School Management System offered the district factored into administrators’ decision to select the new SMS. “We’ll have one, integrated system for all our district needs, opposed to two, we’ll eliminate multiple third-party vendors and Skyward will provide a more open structure for supporting the district’s needs overall, Tenuta said. “In addition, we will experience cost savings with annual fees, and by moving to a paperless environment.”

Tenuta also mentioned functionality and improved efficiencies as playing a role in the switch. “The functionality Skyward has is amazing,” Tenuta said. “Another key benefit for us is that Skyward can be used on any device,” she added.

Administrators at West Allis-West Milwaukee are looking forward to the switch and would recommend Skyward to other districts in the state as well. “If you are looking for a robust, user friendly, integrated system, then Skyward is the system for you,” Tenuta said. “They are constantly looking to improve their product so school districts have all the information they need and it’s easily accessible.”

For more information on Skyward’s School Management System, visit skyward.com/K-12.

School Zone Inc., a recognized market leader in creating innovative multimedia learning tools to prepare children for a lifelong love of education, announced the launch of an all-new brand, Anywhere Teacher, which features an online destination, AnywhereTeacher.com, and proprietary supplemental learning products designed by educators to provide an innovative, curriculum-based supplemental learning experience tailored for children and parents.

Expanding on its nearly 40-year heritage of delivering award-winning early learning solutions, the launch of School Zone Inc.'s new brand coincides with the debut of the newly launched online destination, AnywhereTeacher.com, a "Digital Educational Playground" for children ages 2-8 that connects with kids, wherever they are, and makes learning fun. The content is created exclusively by School Zone Inc.'s dedicated team of educators, editors, designers and programmers, specifically created to give peace of mind to busy parents when children are accessing the easy-to-navigate site independently.

AnywhereTeacher.com provides a safe and trusted subscription-based "supplemental" learning environment, which combines the power of video with traditional learning tools such as digital flash cards, games, interactive worksheets and printable activities, providing learning at a child's fingertips—anywhere and at anytime. Having sold 350 million workbooks to date, School Zone Inc. products are a leading choice of teachers for their children and students and the largest supplier of workbooks and flash cards to home-school families. Over 70 products are available at major retail stores across the U.S., including Toys"R"Us, Target, Walmart, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Sam's Club, Costco, Jo-Ann's, Hobby Lobby, Barnes & Noble, Menards and more.

Commented School Zone Inc. CEO Jonathan Hoffman, "Throughout 2016, School Zone's ongoing focus has been on not only the digital conversion of our assets, but distribution as well. Our original and award-winning programming, workbooks, flash cards and other products have helped millions of parents give their children an early learning advantage. With the launch of Anywhere Teacher, we continue to expand easy access for families across a variety of digital platforms, providing parents with the utmost freedom to view our material on any platform anywhere, anytime, globally."

Adds Barbara Peacock, Managing Director, School Zone Inc., "A parent's role is increasingly important in our children's education today, especially because there are a lot of entertainment-only based alternatives. Anywhere Teacher is a fun and cost-effective supplemental learning 'solution' that captivates, motivates and energizes young minds and helps make parental participation in their child's education an effective partnership because they are utilizing tools that have been developed based on decades of research and broad-based experience working with educators. Everyone at School Zone Inc. has taken immense pride and dedication to create this powerful experience tailored for children and parents. Taking this digital world and making it tangible beyond the screen in a guaranteed, simple, safe way is the AnywhereTeacher.com goal."

Differentiating it from other educational sites, AnywhereTeacher.com is compatible with most desktops, laptops, tablets, phones and platforms; and subscribing is just as simple. Parents can purchase from iTunes, Google Play or PayPal to gain access from any device. Starting at $6.99 per month, there's no limit on the number of devices that can simultaneously access the site among family members in the same household. AnywhereTeacher.com also allows parents to manage their child's activities and view their progress on the site, creating an opportunity to discuss improvement and learning goals.

Customers who sign up for a free trial of AnywhereTeacher.com will receive a welcome gift mailed to their child. In addition, an AnywhereTeacher.com subscription will include occasional membership rewards of discount coupons and free gifts, such as a Charlie & Company coloring book, a Try-n-Spy activity workbook, or a Start to Read! book.

AnywhereTeacher.com expands families' options and features a robust array of original content including:

• Video: More than 200 videos teach children early learning skills through entertainment without them even realizing it! Classic, live-action, animation and clay animation content make learning fun. Topics encompass discovery; letters and numbers; shapes and colors; words and phonics; health and fitness; and wellness and nutrition.
• Charlie & Company : This live-action/animated, educational series starring golden retriever Charlie and his teacher Miss Ellie (played by the award-winning actress Danielle Augustine) empowers preschoolers with the skills they need to succeed in school. Anywhere Teacher Miss Ellie guides children through learning "school zone" adventures, exploring fun places and solving "puzzle it out" questions, while reinforcing letters, numbers, crafts, fitness, music and more. Featuring original music by multiplatinum-selling front man for The Verve Pipe, Brian Vander Ark.
• Start to Read! Book Series: Over 60 digital Start to Read! books featuring read-along audio tracks, teach children how to read. Each beautifully illustrated book provides picture clues to help beginning readers associate pictures with words. Level-specific vocabulary books feature charming storylines and relatable themes.
• Flash Cards: A proven way to memorize information, apply important concepts and stimulate active recall, the site's interactive flash cards emphasize FUN by combining sound and motion! Quick, easy and self-directed, flash cards prove virtually unbeatable in helping to master essential math and spelling proficiency skills.
• Games: Pure fun for kids instilling a sense of pride and accomplishment while keeping them excited and engaged as they sharpen spelling, thinking, math and vocabulary skills, as well as eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills.
• Interactive Worksheets: Help kids gain important skills with quick, fun, self-correcting activities. As children practice telling time, counting coins, working with fractions and more, they also practice listening and following directions.
• Printables: A great way for kids to get additional practice with pen and paper while reinforcing the skills they learn online. Writing on paper helps kids to focus and develop fine motor skills.
• Songs: With original songs created by renowned singer-songwriter Brian Vander Ark, of the American rock band The Verve Pipe, kids explore the spectrum of musical styles, from hip-hop and rock to folk and country, with easy-to-memorize lyrics.

Additionally, under the Anywhere Teacher banner, the Little Scholar Mini is the new seven-inch, fun-sized version of its multiple award-winning (Parent's Choice, Pal Award, Family Choice) parent tablet for children in preschool, kindergarten and first grade, programmed with over 70 apps, e-books, songs and videos to help build readiness skills, focusing on early reading and math, to last a lifetime. The tablet also features the interactive, preschool series Charlie & Company.

About School Zone Inc.: For nearly 40 years, award-winning School Zone has offered a wide variety of supplemental educational solutions across multiple learning platforms, from software, apps, videos and music to games, flash cards and workbook products. Designed by educators with proven, research-based content, School Zone connects with kids "where they are," providing a comprehensive source for individual learning styles and goals that are easily implemented and accessible anywhere, anytime, reinforcing the concept that learning should never end beyond the classroom. Based in Grand Haven, Michigan, School Zone is a private company founded by longtime educators James. D. Hoffman, Ph.D., and his wife, Joan Hoffman, M.A. www.schoolzone.com

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ (CMS) vision for science emphasizes inquiry, problem solving and communication. To support these skills and increase student engagement and understanding in physics, CMS has purchased Essential Physics, a comprehensive, high school physics program from PASCO Scientific.

“When we began looking for a new physics textbook, we wanted a resource that would be interesting and interactive for our students, and that would help our teachers easily understand and correct the misconceptions students have in physics,” said Dr. Cynthia T. Rudolph, secondary science specialist for CMS. “During our review process, when we showed the Essential Physics program to our teachers, they loved it. They enjoyed the interactivity, the simulations, and the labs. They appreciated the way the lessons identify and correct misconceptions, and the way the material is scaffolded to ensure student success. Since we’ve started using it, I continue to receive emails from teachers saying how excited they are to have the program.”

CMS is implementing Essential Physics in all 19 high schools that offer physics or honors physics courses. Essential Physics is a full-color, comprehensive physics textbook, paired with an e-book offering over 100 interactive tools to increase student engagement and understanding. In CMS, each physics teacher received a classroom set of the hardback textbooks, and each student received the interactive e-book. In addition, each teacher received the Essential Physics Equipment Kit, a complete set of equipment designed for use with the textbook and e-book. It includes the Ergobot and Ergotrack as well as kits for Forces and Machines, Waves and Sound, Light and Optics, and Electricity and Magnetism.

“To learn science, you have to do science. What’s unique about Essential Physics is that it comes with everything we need to teach physics — and teach it well. The quality of the equipment is excellent, and it’s made specifically for student use so it’s durable,” said Rudolph. “Because the program is all-inclusive, I no longer have to go to several different places to find everything teachers need to outfit their labs, and PASCO’s customer service is outstanding.”

For information or a free trial of the Essential Physics e-book, visit www.pasco.com/essentialphysics.

PASCO has been designing, developing, and supporting innovative teaching and learning solutions for K–12 and higher education since 1964. PASCO’s team of educators, scientists, educational researchers, engineers, and many others is committed to the advancement of STEM education around the world. Today teachers and students in more than 100 countries use PASCO solutions. For more information, visit www.pasco.com.

Edmentum, a leading provider of web-based individualized learning solutions, has announced the extension of the Study Island NWEA MAP Link into high school grades. The Study Island NWEA MAP Link is a fully integrated solution that uses a student’s MAP growth assessment results to create an individualized learning path, delivered through the Study Island program. It is now available for customers using the high school curriculum.

Educators using both Study Island and MAP growth assessments can easily pinpoint academic strengths and weaknesses through their MAP test results and then automatically target those areas with Study Island’s standards-based content. Each student will receive a tailored learning path within Study Island based on his or her individual MAP Rasch Unit (RIT) scores. The integration, currently available in grades 3 through 8 since December 2012, will now extend into high school grades as well.

“I’m pleased to announce that our partnership with NWEA is expanding to reach our high school users,” said Hugh O’Donovan, Edmentum product manager. “Study Island NWEA MAP Link users in grades 2–high school will benefit from having a comprehensive solution targeted on standards development and practice in reading and math, focusing on each learner’s key areas of need.”

Edmentum is committed to growing partnerships that provide solutions which support the curriculum needs of schools and districts. The Study Island NWEA MAP Link will be available, at an additional cost, to any school or district that uses both MAP growth assessments and Edmentum’s Study Island program.

About NWEA

Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) is a global not-for-profit educational services organization with nearly 40 years of expertise in providing innovative assessment solutions, including our flagship interim growth assessment, Measures of Academic Progress (MAP); our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, Skills Navigator; and the OECD Test for Schools (based on PISA). More than 8,500 schools, school districts, and education agencies in the US and abroad trust us to offer pre-K – 12 assessments that accurately measure student growth and inform instruction; professional development that fosters educators’ ability to accelerate student learning; and research that supports assessment validity and data interpretation. Educators currently use NWEA assessments with over nine million students worldwide. Visit NWEA.org to find out how NWEA can partner with you to help all kids learn.

About Edmentum, Inc.

Edmentum, Inc., is committed to making it easier for educators to individualize learning for every student through simple technology, high-quality content, and actionable data. Founded in innovation, Edmentum’s powerful learning solutions blend technology with individual teaching approaches. We are committed to being educators' most trusted partner in creating successful student outcomes everywhere learning occurs. For more information, visit edmentum.com.

eScholar, the leading provider of education data solutions, announced the launch of a new solution for states seeking to directly certify eligible students for free or reduced-price school meals through the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). The new solution, eScholar DirectMatch™, enables users to match student data with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) files using the solution's combination of probabilistic and deterministic matching algorithms. This process allows states and their school food administrators to quickly and accurately identify students who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.

Historically, schools collected meal forms from students' parents to determine program eligibility. However, this method created a significant amount of paperwork and could also lead to errors. With direct certification, eligibility for school meals can be determined automatically based on SNAP data. However, without a strong data matching system, many states struggle to increase direct certification rates. As a result, eligible students may attend school hungry, which can have significant negative impact with students' engagement during school and their academic performance. Additionally, states may be missing out on funding from the USDA, which reimburses them for meal costs.

By deploying eScholar DirectMatch to directly certify students for free and reduced-price school meals, states can improve their direct certification rate and increase their reimbursement. Benefits from the solution include:

• Accuracy: eScholar DirectMatch uses sophisticated matching algorithms, which prevent certification errors so no child is denied the benefits they should receive.
• Precision: eScholar DirectMatch enables districts and school food administrators to resolve near matches using 15 different data elements, including name, address information, and gender.
• Security and Privacy: As a secure web-based application, the process of direct certification can be completed securely at the district or state levels through the centralized system, eliminating the need to email and extract files with personally identifiable information.
• Verification: eScholar DirectMatch allows the state and districts to audit and review all match decisions, including previous school years, within one application.

Overall, the culmination of these benefits is that more children are accurately identified as eligible for school meals without having to bring in a meal form; they don't have to be distracted by hunger while attending school. eScholar Product Manager, Juan Guerrero, recognizes the benefits of using data matching for direct certification.

"The 95% direct certification rate is an ambitious, yet achievable goal set by the Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act, but getting to 95% can be a big challenge without a matching system," said Mr. Guerrero. "No child should have to learn on an empty stomach because they weren't correctly matched to the right meal benefit. With eScholar DirectMatch's probabilistic and deterministic algorithms, states will see an immediate improvement on the direct certification rate and move closer to directly certifying and feeding 100% of eligible students."

eScholar DirectMatch is available to state agencies seeking a data matching solution for direct certification. Future enhancements to the solution already being planned for 2017 include matching against other types of data used for direct certification, including TANF and Medicaid. eScholar DirectMatch is available as an integrated module to eScholar Uniq-ID®, eScholar's unique identification product, or installed as a stand-alone solution.

As an introduction to the new solution, eScholar is inviting local, state, and federal agency staff members to attend a live webinar for an overview and demonstration of eScholar DirectMatch. Webinars will be held on Tuesday, November 15 at 2 PM EST, and Thursday, November 17 at 12 PM EST. For more information on the webinar and eScholar DirectMatch, please visit www.escholar.com.

About eScholar: From data warehousing to analytics, eScholar produces education software to meet all of your data needs. Since 1997, eScholar has revolutionized education through data. For more information, visit www.escholar.com.

Project Connect, formed by Follett to advocate for librarians to serve as leaders in their district and schools, will be debuting a set of professional development online courses this month. Designed for school and district librarians, these courses give librarians tangible skills needed in a future-ready world and help promote innovative models of school libraries.

According to Nader Qaimari, President of Follett School Solutions, the courses are an example of Project Connect continuing to “advocate for strong, empowered librarians and educators in their quest to become more future ready and recognized as respected leaders in their libraries, classrooms, and schools. These courses, coupled with our exclusive sponsorship of the Future Ready Librarians’ initiative, illustrate our commitment to transforming the role of the librarian.”

The first two PD courses have been announced – Educational Leadership and Digital Citizenship – and will be taught by Mark Ray, nationally recognized for transforming the role of the school librarian into a technological innovator in schools. A closer look:

Educational Leadership: The course explores the challenges and opportunities of how to lead beyond the library, and how to develop future-ready learners. Participants will discover new concepts and techniques to stretch their professional skills in unique ways. Through individualized inquiry and work, they will develop strategies and insights to help them lead in their library and beyond. The course, inspired by the Future Ready Framework, is free for all participants.

Digital Citizenship: Librarians must ensure schools are cultivating productive, safe and responsible members of a digital world. Aimed at educators who currently teach or plan to teach digital citizenship, the course will assess what librarians, their students and peers currently think about digital citizenship, evaluate current practices and create a plan for success in the digital age. The course is $125 per participant, with an opportunity to earn a micro-credential badge.

“As someone who went from teaching in a library to leading a district-wide digital implementation as Chief Digital Officer, I have learned many lessons about leadership,” says course instructor Ray, 2012 Washington State Teacher of the Year. “The Educational Leadership course will explore how to work and think differently so that librarians can effectively lead beyond the library. The Digital Citizenship course is a great opportunity for librarians to apply their leadership to a shared strategic challenge – how can librarians help ensure schools are cultivating productive, safe, and responsible members of our digital world?”

For more information about:

• Project Connect, visit www2.follettlearning.com/projectconnect/
• PD courses, visit www.follettlearning.com/microcreds or send an email to fss-professionaldevelopment@follett.com
• Follett, visit www.FollettLearning.com.

About Follett’s PreK-12 Business| FollettLearning.com

Follett is the largest provider of educational materials and technology solutions to PreK-12 libraries, classrooms, learning centers and school districts in the United States, and a major supplier to educational institutions worldwide. Follett distributes books, reference materials, digital resources, eBooks and audiovisual materials, as well as pre-owned textbooks. Follett also is one of the leading providers of integrated educational technology for the management of physical and digital assets, the tracking, storing and analyzing of academic data, and digital learning environment tools for the classroom focusing on student achievement.

About Follett Corporation | Follett.com

For more than 140 years, Follett has been a trusted partner to preK-12 schools, colleges and campus bookstores, taking care of the critical details that make it easier for schools to run, teachers to teach, students to learn and fans to celebrate. A leading provider of education technology, services and physical and digital content, Follett currently works with 70,000 schools and operates more than 1,250 local campus stores and 1,600 virtual stores. With the 2016 acquisition of Baker & Taylor, LLC, Follett's reach also extends into the public library and global retail markets. Today Follett Corporation is the world's largest single source of books, entertainment products, digital content and multi-media for libraries, schools and retailers. Follett is a $3.6 billion privately held company headquartered in Westchester, Illinois.

Nebraska’s Schuyler Community Schools announced an expansion of its three-year partnership with Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms. The latest phase of this collaboration focuses on professional development and will provide eight educators from Schuyler Central High School the opportunity to participate in Discovery Education’s Digital Leader Corps initiative. A comprehensive professional development system, Digital Leader Corps supports the growth of teacher-leaders as they serve as change agents powering the district's transition to dynamic digital learning environments.

This new effort supports Schuyler Community Schools’ “SchuyPad” initiative. Launched in 2013, the program has given all district high school students access to a personal device and is designed to provide students 24/7 access to learning at school, after school, and at home; prepare students for college and the workforce; personalize learning; and help students build important skills such as creative thinking, problem-solving, communication and collaboration.

Schuyler Community Schools’ teachers and students currently use Discovery Education’s Science, Social Studies and Math Techbooks, a series of digital textbooks that are aligned to rigorous standards, support a comprehensive curriculum, and include professional development. The Social Studies Techbook series uses an inquiry-based instructional approach that emphasizes informational text literacy and the analytical writing and problem solving skills that students will apply in the classroom and beyond. Each subject area includes primary source documents and activities, digital investigations, a multimedia reference library, interactive maps and informational texts. Utilizing an inquiry-based format built on the 5E model, the Science Techbook, through hands-on labs, digital explorations, an interactive glossary, and data analysis activities, helps teach students to read, write, and think like scientists. Math Techbook, the latest addition to Discovery Education’s award-winning line of digital textbooks, transforms the way students and teachers experience math through engaging instructional strategies and real-world problems that motivate and excite students with diverse learning styles.

In addition, Discovery Education Streaming Plus, a comprehensive digital service supplementing instruction across all K-12 curricular areas, is also being used by educators to enhance teaching and learning across the district.

Building on the successful integration of these services into classroom instruction, Schuyler Central High School is now participating in Discovery Education’s Digital Leader Corps. Featuring a unique combination of professional learning, pedagogy and tools, Digital Leader Corps offers participating educators proven approaches to integrating educational technologies and digital media into classroom instruction. These approaches are then practiced in educator created, student-centered Learning Labs. In these labs, teachers practice and adapt their new skills in a classroom setting before sharing their successes broadly with their colleagues. The Digital Leader Corps program provides teachers with continuous customized, job-embedded consultation, with on-going modeling, coaching and feedback from Discovery Education experts in the pre-planning, stakeholder communications and implementation phases.

“Schuyler Community Schools, in partnership with parents and the community, is committed to providing students the educational experiences they need to become skilled, knowledgeable, and responsible citizens in a global society. We look forward to continuing to partner with Discovery Education on that mission,” said Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Dan Hoesing. “The Digital Leader Corps will help our educators build the challenging, authentic, digital learning environments they need to create these experiences.”

In addition, the Discovery Education Community will continue to support Schuyler Community Schools’ educators in their efforts to transform students’ learning experiences with digital media. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Education Community connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable networking, idea sharing and inspiration.

“Discovery Education is proud to support Schuyler Community Schools’ commitment to digital learning by building the capacity of their teachers to make a positive impact on student engagement and achievement,” said Jason Barnes, Vice President of Partnerships at Discovery Education. “By combining sustained professional development with dynamic digital content, the Schuyler team is creating authentic digital learning spaces that will engage today’s learners and advance student achievement.”

For more information about the Digital Leader Corps, or other services and resources from Discovery Education, visit www.discoveryeducation.com.

About Discovery Education

Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional development, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education’s services are in half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50 countries. Discovery Education partners with districts, states and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

The not-for-profit education services organization NWEA announced that the Killeen Independent School District (ISD) has selected the NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) growth assessments for use with almost 30,000 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The district piloted MAP as an assessment for English language learners (ELLs) during the 2015-16 school year and has expanded use of the assessments to include all K-8 students this fall.

“Our previous universal screeners didn’t provide us with the data we really needed to make good instructional decisions for students,” said Karen Hutchison, director of elementary curriculum & professional development at Killeen ISD. “The data we get from MAP is amazing and we are really able to use it to help our students. The ELL implementation helped us realize that we would have great support from NWEA when we rolled it out district-wide.”

Killeen is home to Fort Hood, the largest military installation in the continental United States. This high-mobility school district is one of the 30 largest in Texas, serving 44,000 K-12 students across 53 campuses. MAP is a nationally normed assessment with a stable scale, and therefore provides consistent, precise, and accurate results for each student, regardless of location – an asset when working with a high-mobility population.

MAP will play an important role in supporting the district’s focus on a comprehensive approach to student learning. An important element of this is streamlining the district’s assessment portfolio to include only those that deliver value for the time invested.

“Time is our most valuable resource, so our goal is for students to get the best instruction the first time around,” said Dr. John Craft, superintendent of Killeen ISD. “MAP growth assessments will support our teachers with the valid and reliable data they need to make instructional decisions that are right for each student, thus helping us achieve our goal of having all students learn to their maximum potential.”

MAP is the leading assessment of student academic growth. Its precise, valid, and reliable data can be used to project proficiency on state assessments and inform how educators differentiate instruction, evaluate programs, and identify professional learning needs. Its computer adaptive design provides a unique testing experience for each child and measures academic growth regardless of a student’s grade level. MAP is an efficient and trusted tool that gives teachers actionable information about what each student is ready to learn, and administrators’ insight into systemic needs.

“We have built MAP to deliver the relevant information teachers need to make instruction more targeted and efficient,” said Matt Chapman, CEO of NWEA. “NWEA is proud to partner with Killeen ISD as they serve the needs of all students, including many children of Americans serving in our armed forces.”

About Killeen Independent School District

The Killeen Independent School District (ISD) proudly serves the central Texas communities of Killeen, Fort Hood, Harker Heights, and Nolanville. Killeen ISD is committed to providing excellent educational opportunities to ensure all 44,000 students served are able to reach their maximum learning potential. Students within KISD attend 32 elementary schools (grades PK-5th), 10 middle schools (grades 6-8), four high schools (grades 9-12), Early College High School, two alternative schools, the KISD Career Center and several specialized campuses. Killeen ISD employs a phenomenal team of approximately 7,000 individuals dedicated to helping students attain success each and every day. Killeen ISD recognizes the importance of responding to the needs of our students and families and we welcome feedback and suggestions, as we believe this is an important part of the continuous improvement process.

About NWEA

NWEA is a global not-for-profit educational services organization with nearly 40 years of expertise in providing innovative assessment solutions, including our flagship interim growth assessment, Measures of Academic Progress (MAP); our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, Skills Navigator; and the OECD Test for Schools (based on PISA). More than 8,500 schools, school districts, and education agencies in the US and abroad trust us to offer pre-K – 12 assessments that accurately measure student growth and inform instruction; professional development that fosters educators’ ability to accelerate student learning; and research that supports assessment validity and data interpretation. Educators currently use NWEA assessments with over nine million students worldwide. Visit NWEA.org to find out how NWEA can partner with you to help all kids learn.

Makerspaces are expected to reach accelerated classroom adoption in less than one year, according to the K-12 Edition of the 2016 New Media Consortium Horizon Report. As educators continue to embrace a transformative shift in classroom instruction and design, the Union City School District in New Jersey pioneers district-wide STEAM curriculum through the integration of 3D printing technology with the Dremel Idea Builder.

As a Title 1 district with 98 percent minority enrollment and nationally known for an above-average graduation rate, UCSD leaders credit much of the district’s success to a mission for technology equity. Marcos Navas, a Dremel Idea Builder Ambassador and technology facilitator at UCSD, scales a design-thinking model to work within the district’s number of STEAM initiatives. From project-based lessons in STEAM curriculum to summer-long STEAM camps, Navas facilitates “making” in projects big and small.

“STEAM is not a separate subject or time set aside for students to play with kits and tools,” Navas said. “It’s embedded into all curricula, so students can explore practical solutions for real-world problems.”

Erecting a classroom makerspace can be an intimidating project for educators. Navas eases this adoption by helping educators fuse existing STEAM curriculum with project-based learning. Navas considers the applications of a traditional lesson to guide classroom instruction, where he often introduces the Idea Builder in K-12 instruction as a tool for students to visualize abstract concepts and work through practical problems.

“The maker movement has vast potential, but it’s certainly not a one-size-fits-all initiative,” said Rafael Franca, manager, Dremel 3D Education. “We listen to how districts like UCSD are using the Idea Builder to forge new learning experiences, and provide resources for students to approach a 3D printer as a flexible tool, rather than a stand-alone technology.”

Because UCSD is home to a large population of bilingual students, many of who emigrated from Spanish-speaking countries, Navas believes 3D printing gives students the freedom to rethink and tinker, consequently capturing new perspectives applicable beyond the classroom.

“As an educator, it’s a powerful moment to watch students proudly showcase what they’ve made and accomplished,” Navas said. “I’ve seen students from rigorous problem-solvers and take learning past the limits.”

To learn more about UCSD STEAM initiatives and adoption of 3D printing technology, read the complete story at http://bit.ly/2eYYfTU.

About Dremel

Founded in 1934, Dremel is the industry standard in leadership and excellence for versatile tools systems. The Dremel 3D Idea Builder expands the brand’s reach from the workshop to the classroom to provide educators and students with cutting-edge technology for STEM education. Built upon the brand’s dedication to empowering makers through creativity, precision and project enjoyment, the Dremel 3D Idea Builder nurtures student confidence by giving them a tool to design and build their own models to understand lessons. With available curriculum to draw connections between 3D printing and instruction, Dremel is providing educators with the support they need to transform classrooms. Learn more about classroom applications and curriculum-based learning at 3dprinter.dremel.com.

The Idaho State Department of Education recently approved Curriculum Associates’ Ready® Common Core Mathematics as part of its 2015–2016 K–12 Mathematics Review. Built for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), Ready Mathematics underwent a rigorous screening based on its content, organization, presentation, and quality. Of the programs approved by the state, Ready Mathematics was the only program that was approved in all grade levels K–5 and 6–8.

During the review of the program, the committee noted numerous strengths including its user friendliness, fun and engaging interactive activities, alignment to the CCSS, learning progression, and more. One grades 6–8 reviewer additionally noted, “The teacher’s edition is an invaluable resource that gives multiple lesson strategies, presentations of learning, and motivational strategies.”

Built from scratch by strictly following the Publishers’ Criteria for the Common Core State Standards, Ready Common Core Mathematics emphasizes conceptual understanding through reasoning, modeling, and discussion that explores the structure of mathematics while also developing students’ procedural fluency. The program uses a research-based, proven-effective, gradual-release instructional model that balances conceptual understanding and procedural fluency to build confidence and mastery of the Common Core Mathematics Standards.

Prior to the state’s review of Ready Common Core Mathematics, Coeur d’Alene School District conducted its own review of mathematics programs. “After six months of review and evaluation of more than 180 titles from around the world, we chose Ready Mathematics for whole group mathematics instruction for elementary through middle school math,” said Michael Nelson, director of curriculum and assessment of Coeur d'Alene School District 271 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. “Ready Mathematics was chosen because it was the best title to allow our students to think like mathematicians.”

To learn more about the Idaho State Department of Education’s 2015–2016 K–12 Mathematics Review, visit http://www.sde.idaho.gov/academic/curricular/materials.html#math. To learn more about Ready Mathematics, visit www.ReadyCommonCore.com/ReadyMath.

About Curriculum Associates

Founded in 1969, privately owned Curriculum Associates, LLC designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screens and assessments, and data management tools. The company’s products and outstanding customer service provide teachers and administrators with the resources necessary for teaching diverse student populations and fostering learning for all students.

Amnet Systems has inked a deal with Kezban Media and Publishing to market an online library platform combined with digital rights management services to publishers and libraries, further enhancing the company’s technology capabilities for digital assets.

Publishers will be able to host all or parts of their library on the platform; libraries can curate specific content collections to be offered to their members. Currently the platform has over 200 library subscribers in Europe, serving over five million members.

“Amnet now has the exclusive right to offer this hosted online library platform to North American libraries and publishers, in addition to clients worldwide. The user interface is brilliant in its simplicity for both administrators and end users. We take care of the licensing, affording publishers of all sizes a cost-effective option for additional distribution and revenue stream,” said Jacklyn Smith Karceski, EVP of Amnet Systems.

Jahir Hussain, Founder and CEO of Kezban, noted, “our collective passion for education and enrichment drove the efforts of our technology team in developing a scalable online library platform. Merging our technology with Amnet’s world-class publishing service offerings will, in simple terms, provide more people with more of the content they want.”

The online library platform will be available in mid-November. For more information, please contact Scott Hanson, Director, STM, Society + Association Development at 978-621-6231 or scott.hanson@amnet-systems.com.

About Amnet: Amnet provides comprehensive publishing technology and editorial solutions for content development, design, and accessibility. Founded in 2001, Amnet is now a team of over 1,500 creative and experienced specialists located around the globe. The company supports changing technology and workflow requirements in the production, transformation and distribution of print and digital assets.

About Kezban: Kezban is a publishing technology innovator, dedicated to empowering the user experience for publishers, libraries and readers around the world. Founded in London in 2013, the team is dedicated to developing and improving the online library experience for students, professionals, corporations, and government organizations.

Boston Public Schools recently announced the selection of Measured Progress to provide formative assessment resources for the city’s K–12 schools. Customized assessments, paced to their curriculum, will be constructed for grades 3–12 in English language arts and mathematics. District leaders and teachers plan to administer the tests in the beginning, middle, and end of the 2016–2017 school year, in order to support student instruction while learning is happening, and to evaluate student progress against expected curriculum outcomes.

“High-quality formative assessment resources comprise an absolutely critical and non-negotiable tool to inform educator practice and next steps with individual students. In order to ensure that educators in the Boston Public Schools have access to high-quality assessments, we selected Measured Progress,” explained Nicole Wagner Lam, Executive Director, Office of Data and Accountability, one of the district leaders on the RFP Review Panel for Boston Public Schools.

Measured Progress products and services to be provided to Boston Public Schools include:

• Customized test-construction services for district-wide assessments
• The Measured Progress Formative Content Bank
• Optional STEM Gauge formative assessment resources for science

“We’re pleased to partner with Boston Public Schools and help educators gather meaningful evidence of student learning. The assessment development process will be a collaborative effort between our organizations to ensure the assessments meet the unique formative needs of the district. The customized assessments will align with the district’s rigorous curriculum and the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Data from the assessments will provide insights about student understanding, based on what was recently taught, and will be used to inform ongoing instruction,” said Deborah Farrington, Senior Product Manager for Assessment Services at Measured Progress.

Boston leaders have already started using Measured Progress content, as the initial test administrations commenced in late October. Future 2017 test dates are being determined now. Boston education officials will be able to use the insights gained from these assessments to inform curriculum decisions and support continued formative assessment feedback for teachers and students.

Measured Progress will deliver the assessments through Illuminate Education, Boston Public Schools’ selected platform provider.

About Measured Progress

Measured Progress connects the K–12 educational community with innovative and flexible assessment solutions. Our goal is to provide meaningful information about student progress to improve teaching and learning. It’s all about student learning. Period.

JourneyEd.com has officially announced the availability of Dropbox Education to help K-12 and higher education schools to more easily and securely share and collaborate data across the organization.

When files get spread across multiple devices and solutions, and teams find themselves working across offices, collaboration suffers. Dropbox Education unites devices, apps, and offices, letting employees easily work with each other and external partners. And advanced features like commenting and the Dropbox badge bring collaboration into the files users work with every day. You can transport data without tight security. To protect file data in transit, Dropbox Education uses SSL/TLS for file transfer, creating a secure tunnel protected by 128-bit or higher AES encryption. Dropbox file data is stored in discrete file blocks that are fragmented and encrypted using 256-bit AES. Additionally, perfect forward secrecy is supported and all authentication cookies are flagged as secure, with HSTS enabled.

“Collaborating and sharing information across an institution is a major use case we find across the country,” explains Greg Lamkin, CEO of JourneyEd.com, Inc. “Dropbox has a proven and secure solution that is already in use by millions of account users.”

Employees want the tools that help them stay productive. But too many solutions can make controlling company data difficult for IT. Dropbox Education gives both end users and IT what they need: one centrally managed solution that works with all the apps and devices employees already use.

Managing an education institution takes IT time and resources. Dropbox Education makes scaling easier by giving a school’s IT administrator control over all of the institution’s accounts. And with a flexible solution in place that helps teams stay both productive and secure, they can retire outdated technologies — which means more efficient operations.

“Dropbox allows schools to utilize a proven and secure sharing and collaboration platform that has the nod of approval from their IT team and that ensures its long-term availability. ”Lamkin stated. “We feel that offering this type of technology fits into what schools need today and that aligns with our company’s long-term strategic vision.”

To learn more about Dropbox Education, how it works and to get a free demo of this solution, contact JourneyEd.com.

About JourneyEd.com, Inc.: JourneyEd.com Inc. is the leading software and technology reseller solely servicing the K-12 and higher education markets, which include millions of students, faculty, staff, educational institutions and public school districts nationwide. More information is available at http://www.JourneyEd.com or by contacting us at 1-800-876-3507.

OnHand Schools, Inc. (OHS) announced the Kandoolu Learning Navigator at the Three Rivers Educational Technology Conference (TRETC) in Pittsburgh. Kandoolu is a new personalized digital learning application for K-12 education designed to empower teachers and engage students. It's a fun and easy to use app that works on all of the devices typically used in schools today. The solution initially supports Common Core and PA Core aligned content for Math Grades 3-8. Additional Math and English Language Arts (ELA) modules will be released in 2017.

Personalized learning is a key facet in the strategy for high performing schools to meet the college and career readiness needs of today's students. Recent studies show that classroom implementation of personalized learning directly correlates with higher levels of student performance. Pushing achievement to new heights is easier said than done but with Kandoolu, it's now possible.

Kandoolu provides prebuilt standards-aligned questions to simplify the creation of quick check-for-understanding quizzes. It allows teachers to view student progress in real-time so they can tackle common misconceptions or put students in small groups for further differentiation. Kandoolu then assigns a variety of practice activities to reinforce key concepts for struggling students and enrichment resources to challenge high performing kids. No more "one size fits all" homework.

A group of organizations including OnHand Schools, Elizabeth Forward School District, Allegheny Intermediate Unit, Intermediate Unit 1 and South Fayette School District led a regional collaboration called the Targeted Learning Moments (TLM) initiative. The project team was comprised of educators from over twenty school districts in southwestern PA and leaders from research and policy institutions. The solution was tested in numerous classrooms last spring with extensive pilots underway this fall. Support for the initiative was established through generous funding from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation, The Grable Foundation and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.

Dr. Bart Rocco, Superintendent of Schools at the Elizabeth Forward School District and recipient of the Tri-State's Distinguished Educator Award for 2015, has been an advisor since the idea was conceived.

"Kandoolu is a game-changing new tool that gives teachers immediate information on student learning," said Dr. Rocco. "Students are directed to personalized skill-based resources that are geared towards their individual areas of strength or deficiency. Kandoolu lets students control their own learning and have fun while reaching academic success."

Elizabeth Forward and South Fayette have been recognized as Digital Promise School Districts by the League of Innovative Schools, and Elizabeth Forward received an Apple Distinguished Program Award.

"Kandoolu represents a huge step forward in the evolution of our solutions for K-12 educators," said Chris Sweeney, OHS President. "While EdInsight provides essential information to guide planning and analysis, Kandoolu takes us in a whole new direction – where teachers have real-time, actionable data on student progress and students get to use engaging mobile technology, which they love, to complete follow-up activities tailored to their individual needs."

About OnHand Schools, Inc.

OnHand Schools, Inc. (OHS) is a mission-driven, Education Technology company based in Pittsburgh, PA. OHS delivers transformational solutions that personalize and accelerate student learning. We partner with progressive educators to pursue a vision for high performing 21st century schools where every student has the opportunity to reach their full academic potential. Our goals are to simplify and organize data so schools have a more holistic view of student performance and harness that clarity for new insights that drive curriculum enhancements, differentiated instruction, assessment processes, and intervention strategies.

On the heels of the 2016 presidential election, iCivics, the civic education nonprofit founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (U.S. Supreme Court, ret.), has just released an updated and expanded version of the game Executive Command, that teaches students what it means to be president by giving them control of the Oval Office. Teachers can now challenge their students: will they be good stewards of our highest office?

The new Executive Command is being released just after an election season that saw iCivics’ Win the White House game become the most used digital game for teaching the electoral process in schools. In the leadup to the election, Win the White House was played more than 3 million times -- a 315 percent increase in usage from the 2012 election.

Executive Command gives teachers and students the perfect next step for civics classes.

The game, designed for grades 4-12, shows students the many roles and responsibilities of the presidency. Students become the President of the United States in charge of the Oval Office where they make decisions about both foreign and domestic policy. It helps them think through how the executive branch works with the other branches of government, as well as with domestic stakeholders and foreign nations.

Unlike the traditional textbook, lecture and testing model, Executive Commandgives giving students a first-person point of view as the President of the United States. It challenges them to set an agenda, promote that agenda to Congress, juggle the review of bills and delegation of laws, manage foreign policy as Head Diplomat, and take on the responsibility of leading a nation in war time.

“Voting is not the culmination of our duties as citizens, it is the start.” Justice O’Connor said. “We must teach students about the processes and challenges involved in governing our country. Executive Command is a powerful tool that shows students what the president does, and how hard the job is.”

First launched in 2010, Executive Command has been played more than 4.5 million times and is one of the most popular of iCivics’ nineteen civics games.

iCivics has made several major upgrades and expansions to make the game more relevant for both students and teachers following the 2016 election:

• It is now playable on tablets and mobile devices across iOS and Android platforms.
• Design updates allow players to select from two speed levels for play, adding a new fast challenge mode.
• The game takes a closer look at diplomacy, adding the position of Secretary of State to assist with the deluge of diplomatic requests.
• New content and art pulls the player into the game with exciting and updated challenges and beautiful design.

As the country recovers from one of our most controversial elections, educators must work harder than ever to keep their students engaged with our democracy, and build more confidence in our civic institutions.

Executive Command helps teachers engage their students with executive branch-focused learning opportunities in a non-partisan, digital environment. By focusing on the roles and responsibilities of the job, interactions with the Cabinet, Congress and foreign countries, Executive Command helps students stay above the political fray while they learn about the job.

“This past election showed just how hungry teachers are for non-partisan high-quality materials given the growing political polarization in the country.” iCivics Executive Director Louise Dubé said. “As we prepare for the inauguration, Executive Command prepares students for the challenges of governing the country with a game designed for classroom hours that students will want to play at home.”

In use by more than half of American middle school social studies teachers, iCivics is a 2015 recipient of the MacArthur Foundation’s prestigious MACEI Award, and has created 19 games that teach every aspect of civic responsibility. Justice Sonia Sotomayor is now a board member. The game was developed with the support of the Hearst Foundations and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

For more information and to try the game, visit www.iCivics.org

About iCivics

iCivics is a non-profit organization committed to transforming civic learning through effective and inventive resources. iCivics was founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to develop free educational video games and lessons that teach young Americans to be knowledgeable, curious, and engaged in civic life. iCivics’ game-centered curriculum provides 4-12 students with the tools they need for active participation and democratic action. Today iCivics’ innovative resources are used by over 130,000 educators and more than 4 million students nationwide, making iCivics the largest classroom-based digital civics educational resources in the country. For more information, visit www.icivics.org.

SunGard K-12 , the Bethlehem, PA leader in software solutions for K-12 school districts throughout the country, recently announced the launch of IntegratePLUS, a time, money and resource saving solution for school districts to integrate with third-party applications. Described as a breakthrough technology, IntegratePLUS brings to market an integration application historically absent from the K-12 market, but very prevalent in other industries. In a prepared statement, the company announced that IntegratePLUS was available to school districts of all sizes immediately.

“For a long time, school districts have struggled to bring disparate third-party software applications into a unified suite,” said Dave Rice, Chief Operating Officer of SunGard K-12. “Integration was frequently a barrier to success; regrettably, factors like inflated costs, complex customization, even extended times for completion, moved to the forefront when, in fact, integration with other software solutions should be seamless, rapid, and far-reaching in regard to integration with any type of technology stack.”

IntegratePLUS is the first-of-its-kind platform for seamless integration and rapid connectivity in the K-12 industry. After extensive research, development, and testing, SunGard K-12 provides school districts with the ability to integrate their vast network of software applications ranging from transportation, facilities management, library services, learning management systems, and payment processing, cafeteria programs, and document management, and everything in between including ERPs and Student Information Systems.

Taking a cue from other industries where integration engines and platforms are commonplace, SunGard K-12 began the development process for IntegratePLUS by announcing major advancements to their eSchoolPLUS API, adding increased functionality and point-to-point integration and data exchange to their industry leading SIS. IntegratePLUS was developed to provide everyday system users with the ability to easily connect applications so that the exchange of data can commence quickly. IntegratePLUS all but eliminates the limitations placed on school districts that made interfacing from traditional software applications to other third-party systems time consuming and expensive, and because IntegratePLUS brings together all solutions into a unified enterprise, data collection and analysis, and therefore better decision making, could be the most distinctive attribute of IntegratePLUS.

With a focus on product longevity, SunGard K-12 will also deploy IntegratePLUS to the company’s next generation of connectivity. Whether it’s current, in-development, or prospective applications, IntegratePLUS is the future of connectivity between ERP, SIS and other systems. In addition, IntegratePLUS is also the future of providing quality and deeper insights into new forms of analytics, reporting, and data science and management.

Joel Hames, Vice President, Product for SunGard K-12 and a critical member of the IntegratePLUS research and development team, reiterated the importance of the data attribute. “Certainly, IntegratePLUS has expansive benefits to any school district including enhancing student achievement and district wide operational success. But if we dive even deeper, knowing that all of a district’s data can now reside in one place, and that exchange of data between systems is now seamless, we have the tremendous advantage of being able to collect the right data, foster it into the K-12 Success Ecosystem, and use that data to make meaningful decisions starting with student success.”

IntegratePLUS from SunGard K-12 is one of many technological advancements in a long tradition of providing school districts with software solutions and consultative services that drive student achievement and operational success. With a singular, 46 year focus on K-12 products and services, SunGard K-12, along with the company’s partners, nationally supports one out of every six students in nearly 1,400 school districts across the country.

About SunGard K-12

SunGard K-12 offers software solutions designed to help teachers, administrators, and parents support student achievement. PLUS 360 is a single integrated suite of software solutions for the management of student information, assessment and curriculum, special education, and financial and human resources. The suite—which provides district staff with anytime, anywhere access to important district information—can be deployed to work together or implemented as stand-alone systems to help meet educational goals and requirements. SunGard K-12 was acquired by FIS in November of 2015. For more information, visitsungardk12.com.

About FIS

FIS is a global leader in financial services technology, with a focus on retail and institutional banking, payments, asset and wealth management, risk & compliance, consulting and outsourcing solutions. Through the depth and breadth of our solutions portfolio, global capabilities and domain expertise, FIS serves more than 20,000 clients in over 130 countries. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., FIS employs more than 55,000 people worldwide and holds leadership positions in payment processing, financial software and banking solutions. Providing software, services and outsourcing of the technology that empowers the financial world, FIS is a Fortune 500 company and is a member of Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. For more information about FIS, visit http://www.fisglobal.com.

Traditional continuing education and certification efforts often have culminated with a printed certificate of completion, but online learners can now showcase their successes with a digital badge.

Thanks to a partnership with Northbrook, Ill.-based BadgeCert and the American Academy for Preceptor Advancement, OnCourse Learning is launching an initiative to make educational accomplishments clearly understandable and quickly verifiable via digital badges.

The effort is beginning with badges for OnCourse Learning's Nursing Preceptor Specialty Practice Focused CE Series. The next session runs from Nov. 28, 2016 to Jan. 16, 2017.

Completing the Nursing Preceptor Specialty Practice Focused CE Series qualifies nurses for a digital badge from OnCourse Learning. It also counts as 28 hours toward any one of three AAPA certification levels.

"There is an emerging ecosystem of badging in a number of professions," said David Shoemaker, chief learning officer for OnCourse Learning, a leading provider of workforce solutions and education for the healthcare, financial services and real estate industries. "This effort helps us support lifelong learners by leading them through their career advancement efforts and rewarding them with a digital credential that verifies and validates their accomplishment."

Once earned, digital badges can be shared on social networking sites, email signatures, digital resumes and internal corporate profiles or websites.

"For individuals, it gives them the opportunity to show that they're committed to moving their careers forward," said Ginger Malin, founder and executive vice president of business development at BadgeCert. "It may thrust them into an opportunity to make more money and get higher-level types of positions."

The metadata underlying the digital credential provides much more robust, secure and credible evidence of what has been achieved and when it was achieved, Malin said.

Digital badges, according to Shoemaker, also can position recipients to be seen as leaders, encourage others to seek advanced learning opportunities, and spark curiosity among colleagues about badges.

"Now via a digital badge, you can show what you have completed, and with a click, see the description of the activity," said Maria Morales, MSN, RN, CPAN, OnCourse Learning's director of CNE programs, healthcare. "Badging provides a way for a supervisor, colleague, prospective employer or anyone with whom you want to share a badge, to discover what you have earned and what it took to earn it."

Healthcare organizations, associations and certifying agencies, such as AAPA, can use badges as recognition of a higher level of educational achievement and certification by their employees and members.

"Certification is a mark of excellence that benefits the nurses, healthcare providers, patients and employers," said Solimar Figueroa, who oversees clinical collaborations for AAPA. "It is very important to healthcare professionals because it shows their credibility as an expert in that particular field or specialty."

The badges enable patients and their family members to quickly inform themselves about the credentials of their caregivers.

"This also allows certifying agencies, employers, supervisors, managers and educators to immediately see what a credential means," Figueroa said. "We provide a real-time validation of our credentials to anyone who would like to see."

Once a certification expires, according to BadgeCert's Malin, the metadata attesting to its authenticity disappears and the badge is no longer valid.

"As an innovative company, OnCourse Learning is looking for the most innovative solution," Malin said. "It was an obvious partnership because we both find rich meaning in the badging system."

About OnCourse Learning

OnCourse Learning delivers licensure, regulatory and compliance education solutions throughout the nation's leading industries including financial services, healthcare and real estate. Through trusted industry expertise, compliance management and technology solutions, OnCourse Learning focuses on advancing the e-learning environment for individuals and businesses to help to build new careers, empower employees through knowledge and identify efficiencies in corporate training management. OnCourse Learning offers a full suite of educational products including state and federally approved prelicensing and continuing education programs, accredited course content, exam prep tools, publications, e-books, events and a sophisticated and customizable learning management system and course-authoring tool. To learn more, visit OnCourseLearning.com.

To help Texas teachers and administrators quickly and effectively implement the state’s new appraisal tool, the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS), national K-12 publisher Mentoring Minds introduced the T-TESS Flip Chart. This dynamic resource empowers educators with an engaging device to develop student-centered classrooms that incorporate the best practices of each T-TESS domain and dimension.

In its first year of widespread adoption across the state, T-TESS is designed to promote professional development for teachers regarding four domains: Planning, Instruction, Learning Environment and Professional Practices and Responsibilities. In support of these domains, the T-TESS Flip Chart offers guiding questions that address actions taken before, during and after the lesson in order to help educators intentionally think about their instructional practices. The flip chart can also serve as a powerful tool to help administrators engage in deeper conversations with their teaching staff, guide the evolution from teacher-oriented classrooms toward student-centric learning environments, and create a school-wide culture of ongoing growth and improvement.

The T-TESS Flip Chart was developed by Dr. Sandra Love, a former national distinguished principal, and Tim Persall, assistant superintendent of Elementary Schools in Hays Consolidated Independent School District, both seasoned experts in school leadership.

“As Texas teachers and principals put T-TESS into place, it’s important they have tools to guide them with actionable, incremental steps toward success,” said Robert Bush, CEO of Mentoring Minds. “The more successful our teachers are, the more successful our students are. Dynamic classroom resources such as the T-TESS Flip Chart provide a powerful aid to help them excel.”

Teachers can utilize the T-TESS Flip Chart to set improvement goals and gain specific guidance for how the T-TESS domains and dimensions contribute to continuous improvement and growth. The questions suggested in the flip chart can be used to target areas for self-growth and to engage in focused conversations with colleagues and the school leader about effective instructional strategies aligned to each domain. The “Before the Lesson” questions maximize learning and expectations for achievement, while the “During the Lesson” indicators describe evidence of effective instruction. The “After the Lesson” questions stimulate reflection on strategies and practices used and not used during the lesson. High-quality evidence allows teachers to adjust and improve classroom practices for increased effectiveness.

Mentoring Minds also offers professional development sessions for educators covering a wide range of topics including Differentiated Instruction, Behavior Management in the Classroom, and Critical Thinking. Each training offers a multitude of practical strategies from seasoned educators that can be quickly implemented to effectively teach any student, regardless of subject matter.

For more information on the T-TESS Flip Chart and other award-winning resources from Mentoring Minds, visit mentoringminds.com.

About Mentoring Minds, the Critical Thinking for Life company

Mentoring Minds is a national K-12 publisher with a mission to put critical thinking at the center of the classroom in order to support student achievement and empower educators to teach to higher standards. Mentoring Minds’ award-winning, research-based resources are designed to be flexible for classroom needs, supporting technology integration and standards mastery for Math, ELA and Science. Mentoring Minds’ commitment to education extends beyond the classroom, as well; the company proudly sponsors groundbreaking administrators across the nation and supports community-based education initiatives through MindShare, an employee-driven grant program. For more information, call 800-585-5258 or visit mentoringminds.com.