Academics and Student Life

We're a Superkids school!

Superkids, from the Rowland Reading Foundation, is a comprehensive core reading program for students in kindergarten through second grade. The effectiveness of the Superkids program is backed by well-documented independent studies and research.

Superkids provides a clear sequential path of instruction that leads to reading mastery while it simultaneously teaches students to write and spell. At all grade levels the program includes a wealth of online tools for teachers, students and parents, for use at home and in the classroom.

• Aligned to Common Core state standards
• Built on systematic phonics
• Balances all five essential elements of reading
• Integrates reading, writing, spelling, and grammar
• Combines rigor with fun

Exclusively online, Moby's adaptive curriculum for reading, writing and language allows for fully differentiated instruction. Five distinct Moby units provide individualized lessons in reading, writing, language, vocabulary, and critical ELA skills, such as how to identify the main idea of a passage.

MobyMax allows accelerated students to progress as quickly as they like, while simultaneously providing extra instruction to those who need it.

Published by Sadlier-Oxford, the Grammar Workshop provides students with lessons and practice to help students communicate their written ideas with clarity and correctness. An online component features interactive quizzes for each lesson that are automatically scored.

Vocabulary is the foundation for reading, and Sadlier's Vocabulary Workshop instructs with high-leverage words that are portable across subject areas. Word study skills are developed through reading, writing, speaking and listening activities–both digital and in print.

Words Their Way from Pearson Education supplements fiction and non-fiction reading instruction for junior high students. A comprehensive program for phonics, spelling and vocabulary, students learn to make sense of words on their own terms, by identifying patterns in spelling and sound.

Our school participates in the Accelerated Reader program published by Renaissance Learning Inc (RLI). Students are asked to make reading selections from the Accelerated Reader (AR) list and take quizzes on those books to earn points during each marking period. Your child's teacher will communicate the quarterly point goal.

The AR program is web-based, which allows for frequent updates. The full AR list of over 100,000 books/quizzes is regularly updated at arbookfind.com. Parents can login through the Renaissance Home Connect portal using login credentials provided by teachers.

Special Note to Parents: Students are guided to the appropriate interest level when making their selections but parents are encouraged to be involved in deciding what is acceptable for their child(ren) to read. Students may be asked to obtain parental permission for certain books beyond their interest level.

With research-based CERCA (claim, evidence, reasoning, counter-argument and audience) students learn critical thinking through the practice of argumentative writing. ThinkCERCA engages students in collaborative discussions through personalized lessons across a wide variety of subjects.

Controlled studies show that ThinkCERCA has helped students gain an extra year's worth of academic growth, on average, in a single school year.

A suite of digital learning games and instructional programs that build literacy and leadership skills in middle-school students.

By fostering critical thinking, collaboration and social skills in real-world scenarios, Classroom, Inc. helps prepare students for high school and begins to make the connection between school and the world of work.

Several white papers from McGraw-Hill outline the research that went into the development of My Math™ to ensure it provides the key elements of focus, coherence and rigor.

• Focus: students learn fewer concepts but focus on key concepts in greater depth and detail
• Coherence: making math make sense and build learning connections within and across grade levels
• Rigor: so students meet and exceed the expectations of Common Core
• Digital assets and resources round out the textbook lessons

Moby Math was built from the ground-up to align with Common Core standards. The program provides for continuous progress monitoring to give teachers and parents a current view of each student's progress. IEP goals based on the standards can be quickly set, and achievement easily recorded.

Moby Math is just one of the platforms created by MobyMax, recognized experts in integrated, differentiated and proven solutions for education.

The skills are aligned with Common Core standards, and Mathletics is trusted and used by more than 10,000 schools and 3.5 million students worldwide. Available 24/7, from school and home, there is always another student challenger waiting to play real-time math games of speed and skill. Weekly activity reports are available to help parents take an active role in their children's mathematics progress; there's even a support center for each math activity, that parents can use to help guide their child through solving a particular problem. Printable certificates help families celebrate their student's successes.

Students are given unique usernames and passwords and the Mathletics subscription fee is included as part of our instructional curriculum; there is no additional cost for at-home use of Mathletics.

Moby's Cognitive Skill Science uses thousands of cognitive skill manipulatives to teach students to be better problem solvers, critical thinkers, and creative geniuses. Students work through each science concept practicing with 26 different cognitive skill manipulatives. This approach makes science engaging and leads to deeper student mastery.

Moby Science is the newest program among the platforms created by MobyMax, recognized experts in integrated, differentiated and proven solutions for education.

WeatherBug Achieve is interactive educational software for classroom use, enabling teachers to apply real-world conditions to help teach skills and concepts in a variety of core subjects. Using current and historical weather data that is local to the school makes it a more meaningful learning experience for students working on science, technology and math exercises.

Our WeatherBug station is the first and only station of its kind in Edison Park, and it provides area residents with:

• Neighborhood-level weather conditions
• Instant weather alerts from the #1 Internet weather resource
• WeatherBug desktop application
• Local weather downloads for wireless devices
• Improved ability to track and respond to dangerous weather conditions
• Participation in Homeland Security WeatherBug Network, providing live local weather information for improved emergency response.

With research-based CERCA (claim, evidence, reasoning, counter-argument and audience) students learn critical thinking through the practice of argumentative writing. ThinkCERCA engages students in collaborative discussions through personalized lessons across a wide variety of subjects.

Controlled studies show that ThinkCERCA has helped students gain an extra year's worth of academic growth, on average, in a single school year.

A suite of digital learning games and instructional programs that build literacy and leadership skills in middle-school students.

By fostering critical thinking, collaboration and social skills in real-world scenarios, Classroom, Inc. helps prepare students for high school and begins to make the connection between school and the world of work.

Common Sense Media is the leading independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology. Parents, teachers, and policymakers are empowered with unbiased information, trusted advice, and innovative tools to help them harness the power of media and technology as a positive force in all kids’ lives.

• Common Sense Media helps families make smart media choices. Their Parent Blog helps families understand and navigate the problems and possibilities of raising children in the digital age.
• Common Sense Education provides high-quality digital literacy and citizenship programs to educators and school communities.

NetSmartz is an interactive, educational program of age-appropriate instruction that teaches children how to be both safe and smart as they develop their digital citizenship. Created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), NetSmartz provides resources and guidance for children ages 5-17, parents and guardians, educators and law enforcement.

Through videos, games, activities and presentations, NetSmartz is designed to entertain while it:

• Educates children on how to recognize potential Internet risks
• Engages children and adults in a two-way conversation about both online and offline risks
• Empowers children to help prevent themselves from being exploited and to report victimization to a trusted adult.

The NCMEC is a non-profit organization and NetSmartz is supported by sponsors ranging from Disney, Microsoft, Sprint, Viacom, Cox Communications, Walmart and Yahoo!

Ignition is a new-media learning platform that educates students on the risks and rewards that technology can bring to their lives. It was created by EverFi, the leading education technology company focused on teaching, assessing, badging, and certifying students in critical skills. Our junior high students participate in the Ignition™ program.

Students earn digital badges and certifications as they engage in real-world gaming simulations. An example: While working toward a goal of organizing a concert for their school, students must demonstrate their mastery of digital issues, including creating a blog, managing a social networking site, and working to resolve cyberbullying situations.

Ignition components include:

• Digital footprint
• Secure identity
• Cyberbullying
• Good texting practices
• Conducting online research
• Digital time management
• Creating multimedia products
• Careers in technology

Ignition is in alignment with the International Society for Technology in Education's (ISTE) National Educational Technology Standards (NETS). The Ignition program is included as a standard component of our instructional curriculum and there is no additional fee.

A component of the financial education platform created by EverFi, Vault provides our sixth grade students with a solid foundation on which to base sound financial decisions. In today's challenging economic climate and easy access to financial tools, teaching personal financial responsibility at a young age is more important than ever.

Vault's interactive platform incorporates multiple evidence-based learning theories to increase students' knowledge about money. Upon completing a learning group, students "unlock" a game and apply their learning in a variety of story-based activities and simulations that challenge them to practice good decision-making around budgeting and saving.

Each learning group contains assessments that measure student knowledge gains after completing the curriculum. This data can be shared with parents and the community to demonstrate how students have absorbed information about:

• Responsibility and decision-making
• Income and careers
• Planning and money management
• Credit and debt
• Insurance and risk management
• Savings and investing