Adaptive Learning

New Adaptive Curriculum Helps Prep Pre-K Students for Kindergarten

• By Michael Hart
• 02/05/15

A new set of digital tools and offline materials is designed to help pre-kindergarten teachers prepare their students for school.

The Waterford Institute introduced its SmartStart preK program with multiple resources to teach age-appropriate reading, math and science concepts. A computer-based adaptive early-learning curriculum for individualized instruction is combined with digital tools and offline materials to facilitate group and whole-class instruction.

"Preschool teachers are under tremendous pressure to close the gaps in academics and social skills, but often lack the time to provide the individual attention the task requires," Waterford President and COO Benjamin Heuston said. "SmartStart brings individualized instruction to the preschool level and blends it with research-based center learning."

A process for producing detailed progress reports, for an entire class or an individual student, can help teachers quickly identify weak spots early on and adjust lesson planning. The reports can easily be shared with parents as well.

Along with the SmartStart software and curriculum, teachers will get Classroom Advantage, an interactive whiteboard program, a classroom Chromebook set, activities and worksheets, DVDs that students can take home and a professional development package for teachers.

"Teachers are our most valuable asset," Heuston said. "We want to make sure they feel prepared and successful using Waterford."

According to Heuston, SmartStart can provide readiness skills such as letter recognition and sounds, comprehension and vocabulary.