i-Ready Updated for Tighter Assessment of Learning Needs
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/24/21
Education technology company Curriculum
Associates
has updated its digital learning platform. The latest version of i-Ready includes updates to help teachers more closely calibrate students'
instructional needs, show more diversity in lessons and support
Spanish-speaking students.
i-Ready
combines formative assessments with curriculum in reading and math,
to support individualized instruction for learners. Although i-Ready
is a digital platform, it also incorporates printed content where
that's appropriate.
Among
the new tools in i-Ready, some are designed to help teachers gain a
more precise understanding of students' instructional needs. I-Ready
placement tables are now available by learning domain; and
demographic data filters have been improved to help administrators
better understand the impact of potential learning loss on different
student groups.
Updates
to Tools for Scaffolding and the Prerequisites report include
resources to help students build up to doing grade-level work in
reading and math. Adaptive phonics lessons for Grades K-2 and new
reading comprehension lessons for Grades 3-8 are intended to help
students build their skills and engage in "productive struggle."
Content
has expanded representation, so students can see people who resemble
them reflected in what they're learning. Also, i-Ready includes a new
way for students to engage in learning fractions with the ability for
teachers and students to create their own puzzles in the program's
Cloud Machine Learning Game.
The
latest edition features more than 200 new literacy tasks. Among them
are a set of expanded benchmark assessments and new Oral Reading
Fluency progress monitoring for Grades 1-6 and new Early Reading
Tasks to assess phonological awareness, phonics, and other concepts
to support teaching and help address state screening requirements.
i-Ready
will also include a new Spanish reading assessment for grades K-6 for
students in dual-language or transitional Spanish-English bilingual
programs. Authentic Spanish reading lessons for grades K-2 covering
phonics, phonological awareness, and reading comprehension will help
students build Spanish literacy. New Spanish versions of many
mathematics Personalized Instruction lessons for grades K-6 will
offer equitable learning experiences.
Additional
enhancements include:
-
The
ability to assign Teacher Toolbox resources to Google Classroom in
fewer steps;
-
Batch
printing capabilities;
-
Targeted
professional development options; and
-
Updates
to the Online Educator Learning platform.
"Over
the last 10 years, i-Ready has supported the teaching and learning
process in schools nationwide," said Rob Waldron, CEO of
Curriculum Associates, in a press release. "Throughout this
time, we have continually worked to enhance the program to meet the
needs of teachers and students alike. Now, at this critical time as
teachers are tasked with addressing unfinished learning caused by the
pandemic, these latest updates will go a long way in helping students
achieve grade-level expectations and make real gains."
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.