The Atlanta Constitution cites comments from former Massachusetts Education Commissioner David Driscoll, who is on the National Assessment Governing Board.

Driscoll notes that twenty years ago reading scores were higher than math scores.  Now a “flip” has occurred, and math scores are higher.

…the flip reflects the success of math instruction, which is almost exclusively taught in math classes in schools. It is different for reading proficiency, which is a product of how much students read outside school and how much reading they do across curriculum, not just in reading and English/Language Arts classes, he said.

The Christian Science Monitor reported:

At the announcement of the results, Doris Hicks, a member of the governing board and principal of a New Orleans charter school, spoke about the reading results, saying that she saw the flat performance as “losing ground.”

“We need to emphasize higher-order thinking skills when it comes to reading,” Ms. Hicks said, pushing comprehension over simple regurgitation.

In the past year, we here at Merit Software have made great strides toward improving reading instruction. We are optimistic about the future.

Less than one year ago, our first web-based reading program was launched.  The program, Reading Skill Builder, is a comprehension and assessment tool for students reading at a 3rd through 8th grade level.  It is, along with other Merit web-based language arts programs, routinely used in schools every day.

Our new web-based products incorporate the latest in educational pedagogy, including the use of context-clues, textural evidence support, plus academic vocabulary exercises.

In addition, teacher-training offerings have been greatly expanded.  We encourage educators to let us help them set up their learners’ accounts and show them, quickly, how to get the most out of their Merit online products.

“It was NOT the case that the young low performers got better and the young high performers averaged out,” study co-author Cathy Price says.

Price cannot say with certainty what accounts for such changes.  Brain development may be influenced by what students focus on in their studies. If they neglect verbal-oriented learning, for instance, their scores may reflect that.

It has been our experience that teens need to “use it or lose it” when it comes to developing and sustaining their verbal skills.

Merit Software’s reading, vocabulary, grammar, and writing programs have a long track record of success with teens.  The format is straightforward, adaptive, and gives immediate feedback when students encounter areas of difficulty.

Learn more about the study here.

Published by the Alliance for Excellent Education, the report examines whether formative assessment can improve students’ writing skills and what techniques are best to help them improve.

Student writing skills can be improved by having teachers provide students regular feedback, track their progress, and encourage them to evaluate their own skills, finds a new report, “Informing Writing: The Benefits of Formative Assessment.”

Merit web-based writing programs can help teachers accomplish the three tasks outlined in the report.

The screen shot below shows how teachers can:

• View student writing within an online portfolio to give feedback. (See “View Student’s Work” in blue box.)
• Determine if students have viewed editing sections for self-assessment purposes. (See “Section Progress” in green box at left in the screen shot.)
• Monitor the writing progress of entire classes as they work. (All student records can be accessed by using the double arrows shown at top of screen shot.)

Click here to enlarge image.

Here is a link to the report:
http://www.all4ed.org/files/InformingWriting.pdf

Click here to learn more about Merit web-based writing programs.

It is well known that middle and high school students are reading less at home and rarely write letters anymore.  Could greater use of technology strengthen reading and writing instruction in schools and raise SAT scores? We think so.

Merit Software is successfully used in many schools at the late elementary, secondary, and college prep levels. Rigorous research has been conducted on Merit as a supplement to everyday instruction.  The evidence shows it increases standardized test scores without directly teaching to the test.

Merit reading and writing software prepares students for post-high-school work and provides personal remedial activities for students who need extra help.

Teachers have observed that students who write a well-considered persuasive essay with Merit’s Essay Punch and ace eighth-grade-level comprehension and academic vocabulary questions in Merit’s Reading Skill Builder are well on the way to being able to handle college material.

Plus, as Merit has expanded its web-based offerings, teachers are able to benefit from even greater levels of reliability and support from our staff.  Application hosting and student enrollments are now handled by Merit.  Schools no longer need an IT person to set up their use of the software. They can also gradually phase in use of the programs with just a few students or classes at a time.

More students took the SAT in 2011 than ever before.  Bob Wise, the president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and a former governor of West Virginia, says the increase in the number of students taking the SAT is a positive sign.

However, the results clearly show the need for a lot more work in K-12 schools. “The workforce needs and skill needs in our society are rising, unfortunately, much faster than our SAT or ACT scores,” Wise said.

By using Merit Software’s reading and writing instructional products in schools, along with Merit’s top-notch training and professional development support, educators can help students improve their college readiness.

Johns, a mentor of young people in Peckham, a district of London, states further that educational opportunities and job prospects are all directly affected by correct use of language.

He deplores the recent tendency of many young people of all races and backgrounds across London and other UK cities to squander their rich English language inheritance by speaking in a popular street slang.

Here at Merit Software, we design learning tools to help students’ master core academic skills.  Educators can easily use the online editions of Grammar Fitness, Paragraph Punch and Essay Punch programs to help students stay focused and interested in gaining the skills they need for academic and career success.

The web-based versions measure progress and tracks time-on-task for teachers and students.  Personal, expert support ensures that all users experience success.

For information, pricing, tours, and implementation ideas go to:

• English Basic Web Suite
• English Intermediate Web Suite
• English Advanced Web Suite

This analysis was published in a recent New York Times article about how many graduates of top rated New York City high schools need remedial help when they go to college. Education officials plan to change the way high schools are ranked to reflect their students future college remediation needs.

The combined remediation rate for the 50 high schools serving the highest-achieving students, based on middle-school test scores, was 21 percent. For the 50 schools serving the lowest-achieving students, the City University of New York (CUNY) remediation rate was 77 percent.

With the cost of college high, and public expenses under greater scrutiny, it makes sense to diagnose, assess and remediate college ready skills while students are still in middle and high school.

Merit’s language arts software is used at upper elementary, secondary and college levels.  Although Merit is primarily an interactive learning tool, the assessment sections are accurate gauges of college readiness.

If students work through the Merit language arts activities, and gain mastery and demonstrate proficiency, they are more likely to be able to tackle college level work.

For example, if students master Grammar Fitness Online Levels 4 and 5 and Reading Skill Builder Level 3, they will be well on their way to being ready for college level work.

Read “In Data, A-Rated Schools Leave Many Not Ready for CUNY”

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said the program would offer incentives to states and schools for reforms aimed at achieving the administration’s goal of adding eight million college graduates by 2020. ”

We all know that the best jobs and fastest-growing firms will gravitate to countries, communities, and states with a highly qualified work force,” Mr. Duncan said.

Both English and mathematics teachers are more likely to rate the ability to write clearly and persuasively higher than mathematical ability as absolutely essential for college readiness, according to a new MetLife Foundation survey.

Merit’s College Prep Software can help students benefit from the new initiatives planned by the administration. Merit has a long track record of working with colleges to help improve students’ writing skills.

Read the full news story here

I found your website and used it to practice and sharpen my writing skills. It worked. Yesterday, on the spur of the moment, I challenged my essay test, and needed a 5 to pass it.

Well, I got a 7, because of Essay Punch. I am now exempt from 2 English classes and only have to take English I to be done with that commitment.

I am a 42-year-old LPN, about to pursue my RN degree, and this foray back into school after so long has not been an easy one. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I couldn’t have done it without you.

Find a full-working sample, pricing, and a screen shot tour of Essay Punch on the Merit Software web site.

This is one of the key findings in a report ”MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Preparing Students for College and Careers” that was released earlier this month.

Seventy-five percent of middle and high school students now say it’s very likely that they’ll attend college, and teachers predict that 37 percent of their students will need remedial coursework to prepare for college, according to the authors.

The survey is further evidence of the need to help strengthen students’ writing skills.

Merit’s College Prep Software has a long track record of working with secondary schools and colleges to help improve students’ writing skills.

Follow this link to read the full MetLife report