A teen’s IQ is not set in stone, according to a study published this month in Nature. In fact, the standard measure of intelligence — often used to predict future success — can fluctuate dramatically.
“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.
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According to a new report, there are three effective strategies instructors can employ to improve student writing skills.
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.
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Laurie Treat, librarian at Aztec High School, Aztec, NM, wrote in to tell us exciting news.
She won a Conoco Phillips grant to purchase Merit reading comprehension software for remediation and RtI for students who are non-proficient in reading.
SAT reading scores in 2011 were the lowest on record. This is the second time in the past two decades that reading scores have fallen as much in a single year.
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.
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“Language is power. The ability for young people to communicate articulately and intelligently is of huge importance, not only for themselves but also for the way in which they are perceived by others,” writes Lindsay Johns in the August 16, 2011 London Evening Standard in the wake of the recent UK riots.
Recently, we conducted an informal survey about the greatest challenges teachers face for helping at-risk students. Their responses seemed to break out into various categories, which we present here.
Introducing 3 new suites of its online English language programs. The suites present several of Merit’s popular reading, vocabulary, writing, and grammar programs grouped by level of ability and offered at discounted prices.
For information, pricing, tours, and implementation ideas go to:
The recent discovery of vast numbers of teachers in Atlanta who faked students’ scores on high stakes tests is an astonishing twist in the use of tests in U.S. public schools.
To deal with this issue, some have called for the elimination of standardized tests. However, we feel that accountability data is too important to stakeholders to drop completely.
Hopelessness about how to improve student achievement is one of the reasons teachers felt compelled to cheat on these standardized tests.
If teachers had a better way to know where students stood academically, if they had a better idea about the areas where their students needed help, if the teachers felt they had a chance to help all their students, then perhaps there would be less incentive to cheat.
And it goes without saying that if students received the evaluation, support, and direction they needed, their scores improve.
Teachers need useful, formative assessments to help them determine each student’s strengths and weaknesses. Administrators need a way to know during the school year if their teachers are actually helping their students. Students deserve to learn and achieve.
All groups need a partner to show them how this can be done. This is where Merit Software fits in.
There is a clear link between college remediation needs and how well students performed before entering high school, according to data released by the New York City Department of Education.
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.
Merit Software is pleased to announce that Grammar Fitness Online has been named a finalist in the 2011 Association of Educational Publishers’ AEP Awards, the highest standard for quality in professional educational resources.
Grammar Fitness Online is a 100% web-based teaching tool. The program provides students with interactive grammar exercises to help them master difficult points in English grammar.
After an assessment, students advance through the program at their own pace. Students receive personal help and feedback while they work. Instructors can see gains, in real-time, through an easy-to-use tracking tool.
The Association of Educational Publishers’ annual awards program and its seal of excellence are widely recognized by educators, administrators, and parents as a mark of outstanding educational value.
Grammar Fitness Online is a finalist in the Distinguished Achievement Awards for Reading and Language Arts, Grades 9-12 Curriculum category.
The Distinguished Achievement Awards (DAAs) are judged according to category, subject area, and grade level.
Entries are evaluated on traits such as efficacy, usability, and overall educational value. The full list of finalists for this year’s DAAs is posted online at www.AEPweb.org/awards/finalists.htm.
Distinguished Achievement Award winners will be announced at the AEP Awards Banquet & Gala, June 8 at the Omni Shoreham in Washington, DC.
