AMERICAN FORK, UTAH (PRWEB) — YouScience®, the leading technology provider dedicated to closing the growing skills gap between students and employers, is proud to announce that it has administered over 1 million certification exams to high school students across the U.S., during the 2022-23 academic year. With  industry-recognized certifications, students can demonstrate and quantify their skills to share with future employers. This significant milestone illustrates the company’s commitment to bridging the skill and labor gap in the United States and equipping the future workforce with essential industry skills.

The nation faces a  critical challenge in matching available jobs with skilled workers. As industries evolve and technology advances at a rapid pace, traditional education systems struggle to keep up with the changing demands of the labor market. Recognizing this pressing issue, YouScience has developed a  comprehensive solution to empower high school students and ensure they possess the necessary skills for success in the workforce.

With its innovative platform,  YouScience® Brightpath, the company offers students an opportunity to explore their aptitudes, interests, and strengths, providing them with valuable insights into potential career paths. The platform utilizes a unique combination of aptitude testing and career discovery tools, enabling students to identify and align their natural abilities with the skills required in various industries.

To address the skill and labor gap further, YouScience collaborates with industry experts to develop rigorous certification programs that validate students’ competencies in specific fields using the  YouScience® Industry Certifications. These certifications provide a tangible demonstration of proficiency and equip students with a competitive advantage in the job market. They also cover various industries, including technology, healthcare, manufacturing, finance, and more, ensuring students have access to diverse career opportunities.

Key takeaways of YouScience® Industry Certifications:

• Over 1 million industry-recognized exams have been administered to high school students during the 2022-23 academic year.
• 43 states, 848 districts, and 1,635 schools across the United States participated in these exams.
• YouScience® Industry Certifications are the nation’s most extensive library of industry-recognized exams with over 200 entry- to mid-level certifications available. Exams are available for all  16 National Career Clusters including 21st Century Skills.

“Administering 1 million industry-recognized exams is a great achievement,” said Edson Barton, CEO of YouScience. “This is a testament to our commitment to equipping the next generation with the skills they need to thrive in the workforce. We believe that by bridging the gap between education and industry, we can create a brighter future for both students and employers.”

YouScience’s impact extends beyond individual students, as it plays a vital role in building a stronger economy by addressing the skill shortage across various industries. By fostering partnerships with educational institutions, employers, and policymakers, YouScience aims to amplify its efforts and scale its impact, ultimately driving economic growth and prosperity.

About YouScience

YouScience® is the leading technology provider dedicated to solving the skills and exposure gap crisis for students and employers. Its end-to-end platform, YouScience® Brightpath, connects education with career applications designed to help students unlock their potential for future pathways. YouScience leverages proven research, artificial intelligence, and industry input to help individuals identify their aptitudes, validate their skills and knowledge, and get matched with real-world educational and career pathways in high-demand occupations. YouScience is the preferred choice of individuals, parents, educators, and counselors to guide and support educational and career pathways, currently serving more than 7,000 educational institutions and millions of users nationwide.

Charlotte, NC ) — To keep students engaged in learning while on summer break, Discovery Education and select partners have created free dynamic digital resources for students and caregivers to use at home. Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. 

The following selection of family activities that connect families to engaging learning experiences anywhere learning is taking place:  

Build the Change: Take the power of play beyond the classroom with collaborative activities that inspire students and families to learn through play by solving creative challenges as a team while exploring their own local environments with these activities from Build the Change, a program by the LEGO Group’s sustainability team. 

Conservation Station: Explore the unexpected connections at the heart of the energy-water nexus and discover how to conserve water and energy with engaging at home activities from Conservation Station: Creating a More Resourceful World—an educational initiative with Itron.  

Pathway to Financial Success in Schools: Nationally recognized with the Jump$tart Coalition’s 2021 Innovation Award, Pathway to Financial Success in Schools is a personal finance education resource with Discover Financial Services. These family resources are easy-to-use resources to help families conduct very important conversations with your teens. Students can take the learning further with 40 self-paced modules that turn what they learn into practice.  

Science at Home: 3M’s Science at Home video series is a collection of simple, watch-then-do science experiments that feature 3M scientists and special guests using common household items to reinforce core scientific principles and make STEM learning more accessible. Through these at home activities, STEM solution seekers can experience scientific phenomenon through creative and fun projects that range from engineering with marshmallows, to chemistry with baking soda. 

STEM Forward with Olympic Swimmer Katie Ledecky: Join Katie Ledecky, 3-time Olympian, 7-time Olympic Gold medal swimmer, proud STEM advocate and Team Panasonic athlete, for an immersive deep dive into game-changing technology that powers society and enhances our lives. The Winning with STEM Virtual Field Trip created in partnership with Panasonic transports students to five Innovation Centers across America with the accompanying family activity that connects STEM principles to everyday life.  

Working in Harmony: Inspire collaborative learning experiences through Country Music. Celebrate the power of STEAM with easy-to-use activities designed to bring the whole family together by creating a backyard light show and music production. These activities are from Working in Harmony, a partnership with the Country Music Association. 

“At Discovery Education, we’re committed to preparing learners for tomorrow by creating innovative learning experiences connected to today’s world. That means keeping learning alive, and exciting, during the summer,” said Amy Nakamoto, Executive Vice President of Social Impact at Discovery Education. “These partners have stepped up to ensure all students can continue learning.” 

For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources—which can be purchased with federal stimulus funds—and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Twitter and LinkedIn. 

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About Discovery Education 
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, and innovative classroom tools, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading edtech solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com. 

FREEPORT, Maine – Wayside Publishing^®, the fastest-growing, U.S.-based K–12 world languages publisher, announces the acquisition of Lit^®, a leading creator of comprehensible input animated video stories. 

Wayside Publishing has been in business since 1988 and creates proficiency-based print and digital world language programs and Comprehension-based Readers. With a focus on innovation, Wayside continues to expand their range of creative and time-saving technologies for educators—ones that also provide students with engaging and supportive learning-enhancement tools. 

“We will immediately begin using the Lit library of videos to enhance new and future products, and the in-house video production will allow us to create content faster and at a lower cost,” said Wayside President Greg Greuel. “The combination of Lit content with our products will enhance our offerings and add to what our customers have been asking from us.” 

“I am grateful to the Wayside team for recognizing the value of our language learning approach,” said Founder and CEO of Lit, Mati Amin. “This acquisition brings significant benefits to Wayside’s customers, as they will now have access to Lit’s engaging animated stories and activities that foster contextualized language learning. With Wayside empowering teachers and learners and fostering a love of languages and cultures, the future of world language education is bright.” 

About Wayside Publishing^®: Wayside creates innovative teaching and learning products to meet the needs of world language classrooms today and in the future. Their suite of print resources is complemented by leading-edge classroom technology solutions that bring together the written word and flexible digital tools. Wayside is positioned to continue rapid growth as more and more teachers, district leaders, and state review committees choose their proficiency-based products. 

About Mati Amin: Educator and entrepreneur Mati Amin has chosen to sell Lit, in part, to focus on creating applications that help girls in Afghanistan receive an education. Mati is on the board of SOLA, the School of Leadership, Afghanistan, founded by his wife, Shabana Basij-Rasikh. 

FOLSOM, CALIF. – PowerSchool (NYSE: PWSC), the leading provider of cloud-based software for K-12 education in North America, today announced the release of My PowerSchool, a cohesive user experience that consolidates all relevant information and applications into a single, streamlined platform. My PowerSchool simplifies how families interact with their children’s school and how school technology leaders manage their PowerSchool solutions by providing a central point of access based on if the user is an educator, student, or family member. My PowerSchool Family, the first release of the My PowerSchool experiences, will be available in the fall, allowing families and educators to share one source of information, including grades, attendance, assignments, calendar, completed and in-progress forms, behavior, and fees, in a seamless experience.

“My PowerSchool marks a significant milestone in empowering the education community,” said Marcy Daniel, Chief Product Officer, PowerSchool. “This new release will provide an upgraded experience to families using the current family portal in PowerSchool SIS and showcases our commitment to providing user-centric solutions that streamline processes, enhance communication, and foster collaboration among families, staff, and administrators.”

My PowerSchool Family will provide users with multiple benefits including:

• An enhanced family experience: Families will now have a comprehensive view of their child’s educational journey, eliminating the need to switch between different systems. From assignments and grades to attendance and fee payments, all information will be consolidated into a single, intuitive interface. My PowerSchool is designed to help foster increased family engagement and accountability, and support student success through collaborative efforts between families and teachers.
• Streamlined administrative account management: Administrators will save valuable time by eliminating the hassle of managing multiple accounts for separate systems. System administrators will have a unified user management system, reducing the complexity of managing individual users and providing staff with a modern authentication system.
• Empowering students: My PowerSchool puts students at the center of their educational journey. By logging in with a single account, students gain easy access to all relevant school information. They can stay organized, prioritize tasks, and plan their studies effectively. With visibility into assignments, grades, test dates, and project deadlines, students can take charge of their learning, supported by engaged families and teachers.

Additional My PowerSchool experiences, including the educator and administrator experiences, will be available in the coming months.

About PowerSchool

PowerSchool (NYSE: PWSC) is the leading provider of cloud-based software for K-12 education in North America. Its mission is to power the education ecosystem with unified technology that helps educators and students realize their full potential, in their way. PowerSchool connects students, teachers, administrators, and parents, with the shared goal of improving student outcomes. From the office to the classroom to the home, it helps schools and districts efficiently manage state reporting and related compliance, special education, finance, human resources, talent, registration, attendance, funding, learning, instruction, grading, assessments and analytics in one unified platform. PowerSchool supports over 50 million students globally and more than 15,000 customers, including over 90 of the top 100 districts by student enrollment in the United States, and sells solutions in over 90 countries. Visit  www.powerschool.com to learn more.

© PowerSchool. PowerSchool and other PowerSchool marks are trademarks of PowerSchool Holdings, Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

Santa Barbara, CA — The summer break gives district and school administrators time to evaluate the efficacy of the approaches they used in the previous academic year and create new strategies as needed. To help educators increase the support that both students and teachers receive from family engagement, ParentSquare, the award-winning unified school-home engagement platform for K12 education, has compiled resources for improving school-home communications in the upcoming school year.

The primary resource is the company’s updated “Back-to-School Checklist For Successful School-Home Communications,” a comprehensive list for organizing and implementing critical tasks. Based on ParentSquare’s experience of working with thousands of schools and districts for more than a decade, the checklist includes:

• 4 steps to help readers take stock of what’s working and where to improve
• 5 ways to benchmark your processes and plans against K12 best practices
• 6 items to include in your annual communications plan
• 6 set-up or administrative tasks
• 7 key launch activities to start your year off right

The checklist also includes a “Other Back-to-School Tasks” section where users can add items that are specific to their school or district.

“We’ve made the checklist available as both a PDF and an interactive Google Sheet,” ParentSquare President and Founder Anupama Vaid said. “We’ve also added relevant resources and tools to the checklist items that includes our own tools and resources as well as external ones where relevant. For example, beside the checklist item for completing a retrospective on what did and didn’t work, we added a link to ConceptBoard retrospective templates.”

ParentSquare has created a second checklist that focuses on family engagement. Titled “7 Ways to Maximize Family Engagement When K12 Goes Back-to-School,” this checklist is organized into seven categories, each containing three or four task items:

1. Treating families as partners at every level

2. Consolidating tools and reducing time-consuming tasks

3. Reaching families where they already are (e.g., preferred languages and channels)

4. Creating a welcoming environment for families

5. Collaborating with the community

6. Training families, staff and students before school starts

7. Supporting families through non-school-related challenges

In addition, ParentSquare has compiled a comprehensive selection blog posts that provide back-to-school communications advice and guidance for educators at specific school and district levels:

• 8 Tips for School Technology Leaders Preparing for a Successful New School Year
• Back-to-School Communication Tips and Strategies for Principals: Building Strong Connections for a Successful Year
• Effective Back-to-School Communication: Tips and Strategies for Teachers
• School Communications Leaders: Tips for Managing Time and Mental Health During Back-to-School Season
• Welcoming Staff Back to School: 6 Strategies for Superintendents

“Education leaders can use the tips from the relevant blog posts and items from the family engagement checklist to round out the ‘Other Back-to-School Tasks’ section in the comprehensive ‘Back-to-School Checklist’ offering,” added Vaid. “But they could also opt to keep the two checklists separate or use the resources in some other way that works for them. Our goal is to help educators feel assured that nothing is falling through the cracks and that they’ll be starting the new school year with their best foot forward.”

About ParentSquare

ParentSquare is the leading provider of modern family and community engagement solutions for K-12 schools. Millions of educators and families in 49 states rely on the multipurpose unified platform that includes mass notifications, classroom communications, school websites, and other communication-based services, all supported by visual dashboards. ParentSquare’s technology platform features comprehensive integrations with school administrative systems, translation to more than 100 languages, and app, email, text, voice, and web portal access for equitable communication. Founded in 2011, the company is headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA. Learn more at https://www.parentsquare.com.

WOBURN, Mass. – The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) has selected FEV Tutor as an approved tutoring service in the state’s new Connecticut High-Dosage Tutoring (HDT) Program. The HDT program is a new state initiative that aims to accelerate mathematics recovery for priority students in grades six through nine during the 2023-24 academic year. School districts that successfully apply to the program will receive a brief list of vetted and approved tutor providers, including FEV Tutor, as well as grant funds for implementing tutoring services.

The HDT program’s classification of “priority students” includes:

– Students with disabilities

– Students receiving free- or reduced-priced meals

– English learners

– Students performing below proficiency

– Students experiencing homelessness

– Students who have been chronically absent

“Connecticut’s 2022 Smarter Balanced assessment scores indicated that students in grades six through eight may be a year or more behind in math. Students classified as ‘priority’ are the ones most likely to be struggling to get back on track,” said CEO of FEV Tutor, Jim Tormey. “CSDE has selected a well-researched strategy to address those students’ needs. We are honored to have been chosen to be part of the state’s commitment to learning recovery.”

Since 2010, FEV Tutor’s targeted high-impact tutoring intervention has focused on accelerating learning outcomes for the hardest to reach low-performing students.

Today it offers a proven model for integrating with the academic ecosystem of partner districts and driving growth based on results that matter to educators. It takes a consultative and collaborative approach to designing personalized tutoring initiatives while grounding plans in districts’ core academic goals and initiatives, student demographic data, and pre-existing assessment results along with research pillars for effective tutoring from the Annenberg Institute. FEV Tutor’s offering also meets the Level Two Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the national education law that helps ensure success for students and schools. In addition, FEV Tutor earned the Research-Based Design Product Certification from Digital Promise and continues to pursue industry-leading product certifications and accolades.

The quality of FEV Tutor’s services has garnered broad industry recognition; in 2022 the company won a Tech & Learning “Back to School” Award of Excellence and an Educators Pick Best of STEM Award. It has also been recognized as EdTech Digest’s 2021 Cool Tool for Best Tutoring Solution and as the 2021 Best Tutoring/Test Prep App or Tool by Tech Edvocate.

“FEV Tutor has a track record of closing equity and achievement gaps for priority and high needs students,” added Tormey. “Every single student deserves access to learning opportunities, especially those that address learning recovery. This problem needs urgent and ongoing support, and we’re thrilled to partner with Connecticut districts to deliver best-in-class, live 1:1 high impact tutoring for their students.”

About FEV Tutor

Based in Boston, FEV Tutor is the leading research and evidence-based online tutoring platform working nationally to effect change in K-12 education. Its ESSA-approved programs are strategically designed in close collaboration with each partner school, district, charter school, and other organizations to accelerate learning for every student. FEV Tutor leverages technology to deliver 1:1 high-impact and transformative personalized learning pathways through live, virtual tutoring sessions. For more information on FEV Tutor, visit fevtutor.com or follow on Twitter

CARMEL, Ind. – Ellipsis Education, a leader in computer science curriculum for K-12 education, has launched the Curriculum Delivery Platform (CDP) that will provide everything educators need to teach computer science in one place.

The CDP is an online portal where teachers access and navigate Ellipsis courses. Designed to be mobile-responsive, the CDP makes the curriculum teachers know and love easier to use. Features of the CDP include:

• Streamlined organization; 
• Increased access to resources; 
• Improved look and feel;
• Access to a standards map on the lesson-level page; and 
• Easier movement between courses.

“We hope that teachers will find this delivery tool efficient to use and attractive to view,” said Dr. Whitney Dove, CEO at Ellipsis Education. “Our goal is to put the curriculum at teachers’ fingertips, so they spend less time gathering their materials and more time doing what they do best—teaching!”

With the new CDP, teachers will only see the courses they have access to, color-coded by grade band, on their home screen. Tiles on the homescreen will also provide important information about course structure, such as number of days, along with quick access to course-level resources. A “Course Details” page provides days of instruction to make it easier to group lessons. It also offers important lesson-level information such as lesson title, type, length and sequence, with easy access to information such as activity descriptions, standards addressed, and materials and additional lesson-level resources. The “Lesson Detail” page offers the full lesson plan on the left of the screen along with all materials and resources needed to teach it linked on the right.

“As someone who has used the curriculum for the past three years, I was so excited to try out the new Ellipsis Education platform,” said Crystal Kistler, middle school teacher and Ellipsis Education customer. “I just LOVE the new platform for instructional materials. The new format for each lesson is much more user-friendly than the previous format. In addition to the Syllabus, Pacing Guide, and Standards Map located in the header of the home page for my course, lesson materials are easily accessed right at your fingertips and a click away, without looking for links within the lesson plan. Bravo on the new format!”

Users new to Ellipsis Education will automatically be set up and ready to use the new CDP. Current users have the option to use the new CDP as of June 1, 2023. Administrators who wish to switch their teachers over to the platform can email support@ellipsiseducation.com to request the transition. All teachers will have access to the new platform as of January 1, 2024.

For more information, interested educators can visit EllipsisEducation.com.

About Ellipsis Education
Ellipsis Education is removing barriers to teaching computer science. In every K-12 course, Ellipsis delivers all the curriculum, resources, and support needed for teachers to build confidence and capacity. The curriculum includes detailed lesson plans (beyond just coding), pacing guides, standards maps, and training. With school and district partners, Ellipsis Education is imagining a world where all learners have equitable access to high-quality computer science education. For more information visit EllipsisEducation.com.

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (PRWEB) — TouchMath announces the release of  DySc, the comprehensive dyscalculia screener and individualized intervention guide aligned to American Pschiatric Associations The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) and available at no cost. TouchMath, a multisensory math program that makes learning foundational math concepts accessible and clear for students who struggle to understand grade-level content, designed the DySc to identify students as young as three who may be at risk for dyscalculia, a specific learning disability in mathematics.

Widely underdiagnosed,  dyscalculia is a neurodevelopmental learning disorder estimated to affect  3-7% of the worldwide population. Early screening for dyscalculia and evidence-based interventions are critical to addressing the learning disorder’s short- and long-term educational, personal, and social impacts. The DySc offers educators and parents a valid assessment to detect early math difficulties and provide targeted interventions.

“We’ve developed the DySc, a free screener, as a powerful tool to recognize the critical role of early identification and intervention in addressing learning difficulties, paving the way for academic success and beyond,” stated Dr. Sandra Elliott, Chief Academic Officer at TouchMath. “Similar to the effectiveness of routine screenings for hearing, vision, and dyslexia, we firmly believe that schools should prioritize early math screening to unleash the potential of every child. With the DySc, we’re equipping educators and parents with a comprehensive screening solution that not only identifies dyscalculia but also provides evidence-based interventions to foster students’ mathematical development.”

The DySc aims to address the need for an accessible and efficient dyscalculia screener that can be used as early as age three and throughout adulthood. By accurately assessing individuals struggling with mathematical concepts and skills, the DySc enables timely intervention and support, minimizing academic struggles in later years. When compared to other available screening tools, the DySc goes beyond identifying math difficulties and skill by grade level and instead assesses critical areas of mathematical performance outlined in the DSM-5-TR. Skills assessed include number sense, math facts memorization, calculations, reasoning, and problem-solving.

TouchMath built the DySc screening tool to be easily administered by school-based professionals, early childhood educators, and parents for learners in the following age bands: 3-4, 5-7, 8 and up. Standardization of delivery enabled by the web-based tool ensures the most accurate results. Upon completion of the screener and the survey, DySc will generate a report that consists of four key outputs, including:

• Results of the DySc screener
• Copy of the DySc educator/guardian survey
• Recommended action plan
• Recommended intervention plan based on the learner’s results

“With an estimated three million students in the United States alone living with dyscalculia, the DySc is a vital tool to support these individuals in reaching their full potential,” said Sean Lockwood, CEO of TouchMath. “There is still much more work to do, but this paves the way for us to better understand this learning disability and how students can benefit from early screening and intervention. Together, we can cultivate success and ensure that individuals of all abilities and learning styles thrive in their mathematical journey.”

The DySc screening tool takes up to 15 minutes to complete. The free, web-based screening tool will also be available in Spanish during the fall of 2023. Visit  https://dysctest.com/ to access the free tool today.

To learn more about supporting learners with dyscalculia, visit  touchmath.com/dyscalculia-101.

About TouchMath
TouchMath provides a wide range of curriculum and tools for educators and their students who struggle to understand grade-level content. TouchMath is committed to maximizing student potential through its worldwide delivery of hands-more, visit  https://touchmath.com/.

Dundee, Scotland — GameMaker, the fast and friendly cross-platform game development engine, has introduced Space Rocks – a comprehensive new game design tutorial and lesson program for teachers and educators. 

“Space Rocks makes it easier than ever for schools and educators to introduce game design lessons to help boost student engagement and support STEM learning,” said Frank Moody, education liaison lead at GameMaker, adding: “Not only are the CSTA standards-based lesson plans and materials absolutely free to use, but so is the latest version of GameMaker for Educators. Game on!”

Space Rocks has been developed in line with CSTA (Computer Science Teachers Association) standards, providing the perfect introduction to computational thinking concepts and game design principles. The tutorial provides all the written and video-based learning materials required to help students learn how to use GameMaker and create their own asteroid shooter game, in just three lessons. 

The lesson plans can also be arranged and tailored to cater for multiple learning ages, styles and abilities. Educators can also choose whether students learn using GameMaker’s intuitive visual programming method, GML Video, or the more traditional text-based language, GML Code. 

GameMaker for Educators is absolutely free for schools to use, regardless of class sizes. The free version allows students to share their games online via the GX.games platform. However, should schools require students to be able to share their games to mobile, console and PC platforms, then they will need to purchase a site license. 

GameMaker is a fast and friendly cross-platform game engine. With GameMaker it’s easy for students to learn the fundamentals of coding through its intuitive and powerful visual code system GML Visual. Originally designed as a platform for teaching children how to design games, GameMaker has been downloaded by millions of students and indie games creators and has been used to create hugely popular games, such as Undertale, Hyper Light Drifter and Chicory: A Colorful Tale. 

To start teaching game design to your students, visit gamemaker.io/en/education.

About GameMaker 

GameMaker is the fastest and friendliest cross-platform game engine.

GameMaker allows artists and creators to make games within a single code base and publish natively across multiple platforms, including Android, iOS, HTML5, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Windows Desktop, macOS, and Ubuntu.

GameMaker has been downloaded more than 12 million times. The team behind it is based in Dundee, Scotland. GameMaker was acquired by Opera in January 2021.

About Opera

Opera is a web innovator building on more than 25 years of innovation that started with the Opera web browser. While Opera is leveraging its brand and engaged user base in order to grow and develop new products and services for people who seek a better internet experience, Opera’s PC and mobile web browsers, content discovery platform Opera News, and apps dedicated to gaming, Web3 and e-commerce are already the trusted choices of hundreds of millions of active and engaged users. Opera is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange under the OPRA ticker symbol. 

Download and access Opera’s products and services from www.opera.com.

MENLO PARK, Calif. (Newswire.com) – According to Gloria Mark, Ph.D., attention spans are declining,  averaging just 47 seconds on any screen. This is making it harder than ever for educators to develop their students’ interests in learning. Now AI is about to make that even harder by putting the cognitive challenges that used to require sustained attention a click away.  Swivl, a future-ready edtech company with a suite of reflective tools, is addressing this challenge with its latest offering,  Engageable, a real-time attention management tool with embedded mindfulness.

“AI’s impact on education will be 10x larger and faster than the internet,” said Brian Lamb, CEO and co-founder of Swivl. “We believe that creating an intentional process for how students manage their attention is a necessary part of the education community’s response to AI.”

Engageable helps users take on the attentional resistance of developing new interests in a more mindful and measured way. In the classroom, when a user starts the Pulse timer, they are prompted to take a deep breath and constructively recommit their attention in short intervals, tracking the ensuing time spent by activity. This helps build awareness of attention and how they are developing interests. Then, Engageable provides options to Recharge whenever stress or anxiety gets in the way, or to Record actions and reflections when it makes sense.

“With Engageable, my eighth-grade students are able to take a much-needed break while doing deeper work. In merely two minutes, the Recharge exercises melt away their stress and anxiety, and boost their mood and productivity,” said Andrea Trudeau, Middle School Librarian & Ph.D. Candidate.

“AI has the potential to lift us to new heights if we manage this transition well,” continued Lamb. “We know from our work observing thousands of classrooms that human capacity depends on how you manage attention before natural interest develops instead of just after. It’s teaching the ability to engage, not just be engaged; that makes the difference.” 

Signing up for and using Engageable is free with affordable plans for power users and institutions. For more information, visit  https://getengageable.com/. 

ABOUT SWIVL 

Swivl is a future-ready edtech company with a suite of reflective tools. Started by two technologists, the company built its foundation in education with tools to support the development of classroom management skills. From our work observing thousands of classrooms, we have learned an important lesson: engageability is essential to developing human capacity. Our aim is to help schools and the greater education community make this lesson live on. 

Source: Swivl

Orlando, Florida – Certiport, a Pearson VUE business and the leading provider of performance-based IT certification exams that accelerate academic and career opportunities for learners, announced the winners of their 2023 Adobe Certified Professional US National Championship.

The Certiport Adobe Certified Professional US National Champions are as follows:

1. Andrew Jarnac, North Carolina
2. Kayla Crossen-Zawila, Oklahoma
3. Lena Sedlmayer, Georgia

Across the US, more than 31,000 students ages 13 to 22 qualified for Certiport’s Adobe Certified Professional US National Championship by earning an Adobe Certified Professional certification in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign. Certified students entered original design creations and 40 were selected to compete at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista – Disney Springs® area hotel from June 26-28, 2023.

Finalists were given six hours to create a design project for the Cook Center for Human Connection, who also served as judges for the competition. First-place winners receive an $3,000 USD cash prize, second place $2,000 USD, and third place $1,000 USD.

“At the Cook Center for Human Connection, our current focus is on providing mental health resources for schools, students, and families through programs like ParentGuidance.org,” said Mark Welling, CMO, Cook Center for Human Connection. “We’re so pleased serve as the non-profit client for Certiport’s Adobe Certified Professional U.S. National Championship this year. The competitors’ impressive, professional-level designs will help us further our mission and vision.”

“The talent demonstrated by the winners of the Adobe Certified Professional US National Championship is simply wonderful and in keeping with the high standards set by previous winners of the Adobe Certified Professional World Championship,” said Craig Bushman, General Manager of Certiport. “We have no doubt that by attending the world championship, the US’s entrants will have an exceptional experience in meeting and competing against other entrants from other countries. A competition such as this gives us a chance to see what these students can do with the Adobe Creative Cloud applications under pressure, with a time limit, and for a real client. Their Adobe certifications and success in this competitive event will be the first step to a successful career.”

The winners will now advance to Certiport’s Adobe Certified Professional World Championship from July 31 August 2, in Orlando, Florida, USA. Finalists are expected to come from more than 36 countries to demonstrate their proficiency using Adobe Creative Cloud.

“The Adobe Certified Professional National and World Championships give students the incredible opportunity to showcase their creative talent and technical knowledge in a real-world design scenario,” said Liana Maharaj-Parrish, Head of Student Learning and Certification, Adobe. “We have no doubt that their professional level skills and certifications will take them far.”

You can learn more about the Adobe Certified Professional US National Championship here.

About Certiport

Certiport, a Pearson VUE business, is the leading provider of certification exam development, delivery and program management services delivered through an expansive network of over 15,000 Certiport Authorized Testing Centers worldwide. Certiport manages a sophisticated portfolio of leading certification programs including: the official Microsoft Office Specialist certification program, the Microsoft Certified Fundamentals certification program, the Microsoft Certified Educator program, the Adobe® Certified Professional certification program, the Autodesk Certified User certification program, the Intuit certification program, the App Development with Swift certification program, the Unity Certified User certification program, the Communication Skills for Business certification program, the IC3 Digital Literacy certification, and the Entrepreneurship and Small Business certification program. Certiport reliably delivers millions of tests each year throughout the secondary, post-secondary, workforce, and corporate technology markets in 148 countries and 26 languages worldwide. For more information, certiport.com or follow Certiport on Twitter at www.twitter.com/certiport.

“Certiport” is a registered trademark of NCS Pearson, Inc. in the United States and other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

CHARLOTTE, NC – Aperture Education, the leading provider of research-based social and emotional learning (SEL) assessments for K-12 schools, honored 19 New York City schools as SEL Champions for successful integrating high-quality SEL programs into the fabric of their school communities. 

“New York City doubled down on their investment in SEL to enrich students’ lives and prepare them for success throughout life by adding support staff, partnering with Urban Assembly to measure success, and closely integrating SEL into the academic curriculum,” said Jessica Adamson, Chief Strategy Officer, Aperture Education. “The schools honored as our SEL Champions show what can be accomplished when using SEL data to create safe and positive environments for learning, and emphasize a holistic approach to student success and career readiness.”

Superintendents awarded for exemplary use of the DESSA in their districts are:

• Dr. Crystal Bonds, District 29
• David Cintron, District 14
• Dr. Tamera S. Collins, District 19
• Dr. Philip Composto, District 30
• Sean Davenport, District 5
• Danielle DiMango, District 25
• Danielle Giunta, District 26
• Khalek Kirkland, District 23
• Roberto Padilla, District 7
• Renee Peart, Districts 7, 9 & 12
• Dr. David Pretto, District 20
• Manuel Ramirez, District 6
• Dr. Jacqueline Rosado, District 12
• Celeste Terry, District 18
• Maribel Torres–Hulla, District 10

The schools awarded are: 

• The Walter Crowley Intermediate School
• The Ronald McNair School
• The Henry Longfellow School
• Intermediate School 230
• Norwood Heights School
• High School of World Cultures
• P.S. 173 Fresh Meadows
• P.S. 189M Magnet School of Inquiry and Expression
• Art and Design High School
• P.S. 247 Brooklyn
• P.S. 066 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
• The Urban Assembly Unison School
• P.S. 193 Gil Hodges
• P.S. 069 Daniel D. Tompkins
• P.S. 149 Danny Kaye
• Riverdale Avenue Middle School
• Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School
• P.S. 183 Robert L. Stevenson
• P.S. 130 Hernando De Soto

The NYC based districts and schools were selected based on their highly effective SEL programs that were incorporated through every phase of the school day and prioritized by administration and teachers.  

Underpinning the SEL success at these schools is a data-driven approach, which leverages the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA). This strength-based social and emotional learning screener objectively measures students’ social-emotional competencies, including self awareness, self management, personal responsibility, decision making, social awareness, relationship skills, goal-directed behavior and optimistic thinking. DESSA provides insights into students’  strengths in order to build on those and think more strategically about ways to support students when interventions are needed.

Leadership from these districts and schools were honored at the“SEL State of Mind Awards Ceremony” on June 27, 2023 at the Manhattan Penthouse, hosted by Aperture Education and Urban Assembly. 

About Aperture Education

Aperture Education has empowered nearly 8,500 schools and out-of-school time programs across North America to measure, strengthen, and support social and emotional competence in K-12 youth and educators. The Aperture System includes the DESSA suite of strength-based assessments, CASEL-aligned intervention strategies, and robust reporting, all in one easy-to-use digital platform. This system enables education leaders to make strategic, data-based decisions about SEL within their organizations. Aperture has supported more than one million students in their social and emotional growth and continues to develop innovative solutions to bring the whole child into focus. To learn more, visit www.ApertureEd.com. 

Durham, N.C.– The Social Institute announced that it has expanded its pioneering peer-to-peer learning technology to meet the needs of third-grade students, available starting Fall of 2023. This gamified approach to supporting student well-being, called #WinAtSocial, empowers students to navigate their social world positively — including social media and technology — to fuel their health, happiness, and future success.

The developmentally appropriate lessons come in response to demand from elementary schools nationwide and the U.S. Surgeon General’s recent advisory on the effects of social media on youth mental health, calling for policymakers to support digital and media literacy. Lessons have been created with valuable insights and ideas from third-grade students and teachers across the country. The lessons are interactive and will challenge students to explore the impact of their everyday choices in a choose-your-own-adventure experience.

By the time students reach the 4th grade, more than half of them are already using popular apps like YouTube, Google Classroom, Video Streaming, FaceTime, and Mobile Gaming on a weekly basis, according to data by The Social Institute. 

“Elementary school students have more information at their fingertips than ever before,” said Laura Tierney, Founder and CEO of The Social Institute. “Based on our data, we know third grade is the ideal time to start proactively equipping students with the skills they need to make smart choices, both online and offline.”

According to The Social Institute’s nationwide survey of nearly 23,000 students, the most common age for getting their first smartphone is 10 years old, but some students are getting smartphones as early as 6 years old. Educators across the country are experiencing the need to support their students in new ways as they face the ever-evolving world of technology and social media. One of the many educators working with The Social Institute, Melissa Edwards, Director of Educational Technology at The Montessori School of Raleigh, agrees with that proactive approach. “We are noticing our students interacting with their peers online at earlier and earlier ages and want to make sure they have the necessary tools to communicate positively,” she said. “The Social Institute has created developmentally-appropriate lessons that give us the language and real-life examples to engage our students in intentional conversations. By beginning with third graders, we hope to equip our students before they encounter difficult situations and prepare them for their world in positive and proactive ways,” she continued. 

In each #WinAtSocial Lesson, 3rd graders will:

• Embark on a choose-your-own-adventure experience that tests their decision-making skills.
• Navigate real-life situations related to technology, vote on how the situation should end, and then have a discussion about the impact of their choices. 
• Have the power to shape their everyday lives through the choices they make.

“The world is changing, and so are our students. They are fully immersed in the world of technology and social media, more so than ever before,” said Shiloh Blasdel, Social-Emotional Learning Teacher at South Hutchison Elementary, located in South Hutchison, Kansas. 

“Our district chose The Social Institute because we see the need for teaching our students how to navigate that world intentionally and responsibly. The Social Institute fills that need with its innovative and timely lessons and commitment to involving student leaders in the ideas and planning of those lessons,” Blasdel continued.

The #WinAtSocial curriculum is available for students in grades 3 – 12, and the online platform includes a save and exit feature so that teachers can facilitate a lesson over multiple sessions as needed. For more information on how to empower your students to navigate social media and technology in high-character ways, visit www.TheSocialInstitute.com.

ABOUT THE SOCIAL INSTITUTE

The Social Institute is the leader in understanding student experiences and the creator of #WinAtSocial, a gamified, online learning platform that equips students, educators, and families to navigate social experiences — online and offline — in healthy ways. Our unique, student-respected approach incorporates topics like social media, technology use, and current events that significantly impact student well-being. Lessons teach life skills for the modern day to inspire high-character decisions that support students’ health, happiness, and future success while capturing data that provides insights to school leaders to inform school policy and communications and enable high-impact teaching and a healthy learning environment. For schools, our turnkey technology allows for easy implementation and a comprehensive game plan to support the well-being of school communities.

Charlotte, NC — Students and teachers in grades K-8 across Maryland’s Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) will return to their classrooms this Fall to find new resources in their high-tech pencil cases thanks to a deepened collaboration with worldwide edtech leader Discovery Education. In the latest phase of this more than 20-year partnership, Discovery Education will provide district elementary and middle school students exciting new digital science textbooks that will help them explore their curiosity about the natural world. In addition, Discovery Education will provide teachers with stimulating professional learning experiences that will help create engaging lessons that prepare students for success beyond the classroom. 

PGCPS is one of the nation’s 20th largest school districts and has 198 schools and centers, more than 131,000 students, and nearly 20,000 employees. The school system serves a diverse student population from urban, suburban, and rural communities located in the Washington, DC suburbs. PGCPS is nationally recognized for college and career-readiness programs that provide all learners with unique learning opportunities, including dual enrollment and language immersion. 

PGCPS seeks to provide all PreK-12 students equitable access to exemplary teachers, science curriculum programming, instructional practices, and standards-based assessments that are reflective of research and best practices. To support this effort, the district’s science curriculum team sought a digital K-8 science resource aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and supportive of improved student achievement and heightened career and college readiness. Following a thorough review of available digital resources, PGCPS selected the  Discovery Education Science Techbooks for use in elementary and middle school classrooms. 

The Discovery Education Science Techbook series is a comprehensive, research-backed science solution for grades K-12. Used in classrooms across the United States, the Science Techbooks drive engagement with exclusive phenomena and interactive content.   

Virtual and hands-on investigations, STEM activities, and a variety of instructional supports enhance the delivery of impactful, blended instruction, in person or at a distance. Available with the Science Techbooks are coordinated digital and print teacher guides offering unit, concept, and lesson overviews, standards connections, and differentiation activities to inform instructional planning and guide three-dimensional learning. Teacher editions also provide flexible pacing options, embedded teacher notes, and pathways for understanding that support diverse learners.  

Discovery Education’s Science Techbook will be used alongside Discovery Education’s award-winning K-12 learning platform, which is currently accessible to teachers and students districtwide. Connecting educators to a vast collection of high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, intuitive quiz and activity creation tools, and professional learning resources, Discovery Education’s K-12 platform facilitates engaging, daily instruction in any learning environment.    

“Science is an essential tool for solving the greatest problems of our time and understanding the world around us, and ensuring every child receives a rich education in science should be a national priority. In Prince George’s County Public Schools we have made providing all our students an outstanding science education a priority and we are elevating the discipline by offering all learners engaging opportunities to explore their inherent curiosity about the natural world as they learn to think critically, solve real-world problems, and build pertinent skills that prepare them for an exciting future,” said Dr. Godfrey Rangasammy, PGCPS’s K-12 Science Supervisor. “Discovery Education’s Science Techbook has been proven to meet this mission in classrooms nationwide, and we are excited to begin to integrate it into teaching and learning in our elementary and middle school classrooms.” 

In addition to digital resources, all PGCPS educators using Discovery Education services will receive dedicated professional development from Discovery Education’s team of professional learning experts. These learning opportunities for teachers help school systems recognize the full return on their edtech investment. Through these interactive professional development sessions, participants will learn best practices for integrating their new digital resources into instruction. Effective professional development maximizes the power of these resources, increases student engagement in learning, and supports the continued academic development of all students.   

Also, all PGCPS educators enjoy access to the Discovery Education Network. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Education Network connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable idea sharing and inspiration. 

“Discovery Education is excited to launch this new phase of collaboration with our long-time partners in Prince George’s County Public Schools,” said Coni Rechner, Discovery Education’s Senior Vice President of State & Strategic Partnership. “In addition to creating a compelling science curriculum supporting the success of the youngest learners, the district is showing tremendous leadership by using our services to support efforts to engage K-8 students in STEM and career exploration. Prince George’s County Public Schools is creating a model that I believe will be replicated nationwide, and we are proud to support their efforts.” 

For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources—which can be purchased with federal stimulus funds—and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Twitter and LinkedIn.  

About Discovery Education 
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, and innovative classroom tools, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading edtech solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.  

Orlando, Florida – Certiport, a Pearson VUE business and the leading provider of performance-based IT certification exams that accelerate academic and career opportunities for learners, today announced the winners of the 2023 Microsoft Office Specialist US National Championship. The champions topped 185 finalists at the live competitive event in Orlando, Florida, and the first-place winners will head to the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship in Orlando, Florida, USA in August. This year marks 21 years since the competition began in 2002.

From across the US, more than 217,000 students ages 13 to 22 entered one of six competition tracks by submitting a qualified, passing score on the following certification exams: Microsoft Office Specialist Word, Microsoft Office Specialist Excel®, and Microsoft Office Specialist PowerPoint®. First-place winners receive an $3,000 USD cash prize, second place $2,000 USD, and third place $1,000 USD.

Finalists were given a printed copy of a document, spreadsheet, or presentation to recreate along with printed instructions and digital assets. They were then scored according to the accuracy of the recreation compared to the original. The champions in each program, along with a chaperone, have won a trip to participate in the 2023 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship in Orlando, Florida, USA July 31 – August 2, 2023, where they will compete against over a hundred other finalists from countries across the globe.

The Microsoft Office Specialist US National Champions are as follows:

Microsoft Word (Office 2019)

1. Joy Skaggs, Arkansas
2. Andrew Chuang Saladin, Florida
3. Brady Schultz, Utah

Microsoft Excel (Office 2019)

1. Mason Braithwaite, Utah
2. Benjamin Rands, Idaho
3. Kairi Kramer, Ohio

Microsoft PowerPoint (Office 2019)

1. Alexandra Occhiuto, New York
2. Cayden Aures, Wisconsin
3. John Reed, Ohio

Microsoft Word (Office 2016)

1. Nicholas Keller, Virginia
2. Jackson Sinclair, Iowa
3. Jonas Lee, Washington

Microsoft Excel (Office 2016)

1. Javier Hamilton, Virginia
2. Helen Chen, Florida
3. Keira Ammon, New Jersey

Microsoft PowerPoint (Office 2016)

1. Celia Cole, West Virginia
2. Hunter Liss, Nebraska
3. Samuel Latham, Tennessee

“We are exceptionally proud of these students from across the US that will be joining us at the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship later this year,” said Craig Bushman, General Manager, Certiport. “These students have demonstrated that through hard work, persistence, and dedication they’ve gained enough skills to confidently compete in a high-pressure environment. Their Microsoft Office Specialist certifications and participation in this competitive event will be the first step to a successful career.”

“The Microsoft Office Specialist National and World Championships have been giving students the incredible opportunity to test their technical skills and knowledge for 21 years,” said Rick Herrmann, Vice President of Worldwide Public Sector Education at Microsoft. “Every student in this competition is a winner because they’ve earned a globally recognized credential that will help propel them to brighter careers and educational opportunities. We look forward to seeing how these students leverage their Microsoft Office productivity skills in the future.”

You can learn more about the Microsoft Office Specialist US National Championship here.

About Certiport

Certiport, a Pearson VUE business, is the leading provider of certification exam development, delivery and program management services delivered through an expansive network of over 15,000 Certiport Authorized Testing Centers worldwide. Certiport manages a sophisticated portfolio of leading certification programs including: the official Microsoft Office Specialist certification program, the Microsoft Certified Fundamentals certification program, the Microsoft Certified Educator program, the Adobe® Certified Professional certification program, the Autodesk Certified User certification program, the Intuit certification program, the App Development with Swift certification program, the Unity Certified User certification program, the Communication Skills for Business certification program, the IC3 Digital Literacy certification, and the Entrepreneurship and Small Business certification program. Certiport reliably delivers millions of tests each year throughout the secondary, post-secondary, workforce, and corporate technology markets in 148 countries and 26 languages worldwide. For more information, certiport.com or follow Certiport on Twitter at www.twitter.com/certiport.

“Certiport” is a registered trademark of NCS Pearson, Inc. in the United States and other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Pittsburgh, PA – Carnegie Learning, a leader in AI-driven technology, curriculum, and professional learning solutions for K-12 education, today announced that 100% of the students in the Aldine Independent School District (ISD) – one of the largest districts in Houston, Texas – passed the Algebra 1 STAAR test on their first try in a pilot program using the Texas Math Solution.

The challenge Aldine ISD faced at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year was to prepare their students for the redesign of the math State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR), which added non-multiple-choice questions to align with the deep critical thinking and conceptual mathematics learning students should be doing in class.

“The STAAR redesign increases the level of rigor,” said Tiana Rodriguez, Program Director of Middle School Mathematics. “There’s no hack or trick to it, so we need our kids to be able to think for themselves, problem-solve and persevere. To do that on the test, they must do it in class. The Texas Math Solution gives them that opportunity.”

Samuel Ramirez, Math Instructional Specialist at Aldine Ninth Grade School, agrees. “We needed rigor. Having the kids think, create, and look at math through a real-world lens is vital. The Texas Math Solution puts all of those things together and allows students to take ownership of their learning.”

Serving 61,633 students across 14 middle school and 15 high school campuses, 91.6% of students in Aldine ISD face economic disadvantages and 33.31% of students utilize bilingual education or ESL services—descriptors that many might think indicate lower levels of ability or achievement.

“I’m excited for our students to say, ‘Wow, I have an opportunity to do something amazing,” said Mr. Ramirez. I have an opportunity not just to pass the STAAR test, but I’m going to go to college. I’m going to be able to do things that I didn’t even know I was capable of.’ We’re giving them that confidence with Carnegie Learning.”

Designed to meet Texas Education standards, the Texas Math Solution leverages data and proven blended learning to improve student performance. In Levelland, TX, over 90% of students demonstrated growth in their first year with the high-quality curriculum and saw major gains among special education students as well as high-achieving students. Other districts have achieved similar results.

About Carnegie Learning, Inc.

Carnegie Learning is celebrating 25 years as a leader in AI-driven technology, curriculum, and professional learning solutions for K-12 education. Our award-winning math, literacy, world languages, professional learning, high-dosage tutoring, and MATHstream products deliver real and lasting results. Born from cognitive science research at Carnegie Mellon University, we are known for harnessing the power of data to improve student performance. Our range of products allows us to support more than 2 million students and educators in all 50 states and Canada. Named a Top Place to Work for six years in a row, our employees are passionate about partnering with educators in the classroom. For more information, visit carnegielearning.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

DENTON, Texas — In an effort to fill more than 3,500 teaching vacancies, the Virginia Department of Education has chosen iteach as the identified partner for alternative teachers certification in 24 divisions of the Commonwealth. Now, Virginians with bachelor’s degrees can use iteach’s innovative hybrid model to navigate the process of becoming certified K-12 educators.

“The program will help us build a larger applicant pool to include current teacher assistants and substitute teachers who possess a bachelor’s degree,” said Paige Tucker, director, talent acquisition and management-licensed staffing in the Department of Human Resources at Arlington Public Schools. “iteach can be utilized with our current provisional teachers as a more affordable and efficient alternative to obtaining their license. iteach will also help us recruit in our most high-need areas, which include special education and elementary.” 

For aspiring teachers who have completed a bachelor’s degree, the iteach program offers a 1-year path to teacher certification, making it both faster and less expensive than certification through a university. Teachers complete iteach coursework online on a flexible schedule, and earn full pay while they complete their in-classroom teaching requirements. While they’re enrolled, they have free access to the Teaching Channel professional development platform and test prep from Passage Preparation. Once they’re hired, the district will assign each new teacher a Classroom Supervisor to help them navigate the challenges of their first year in the classroom. 

“We’re excited to help districts across Virginia educate and certify the highly qualified K-12 teachers they need, while at the same time helping students, recent college graduates, or career-changers find their calling in the classroom,” said Andrew Rozell, the president of iteach. “This partnership will serve Virginia’s schools and families, and will help students learn the skills they need to thrive in today’s world.”

iteach currently works with more than 1,500 districts and Local Education Agencies (LEA) in 11 states and is the only non-university alternative teacher certification program that has earned accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. According to their most recent survey, 96% of school administrators and HR professionals would recommend iteach to their peers. 

For more information on how to become a teacher in Virginia and other states in which iteach is available, visit iteach.net. 

About iteach

iteach is a competency-based educator preparation program that combines the convenience of online learning with a full year of face-to-face mentorship from Classroom Supervisors during a teaching residency. The organization was founded in 2003 to help talented people become teachers while avoiding the high costs and time commitments of some traditional educator-preparation programs. To date, iteach has helped more than 20,000 teachers become certified. The iteach model, which includes free access to professional development resources from Teaching Channel and test prep from Passage Preparation, has been so successful at preparing great educators on a large scale that the program now offers state-approved certification programs in 11 states and counting. Learn more at iteach.net.

LANSING, Mich. — Edtech innovators from Spelling Safari have been chosen as the winners of the second annual Michigan EdTech Innovation Pitch Contest, sharing $22,000 in business startup grants and legal and creative startup assistance with four other finalists. The concepts developed from the final pitches will be used to improve Michigan classrooms through innovation, technology and firsthand educator experience. 

“All of our groups did a great job and this wasn’t easy. Five minutes isn’t a long time to present and this was a difficult choice for our judges,” explained Matthew Okoneski, a contest judge from Red Cedar Ventures. “Startups are hard and I want to commend our participants for their decision to focus in this space to solve some of our communities’ biggest problems.” 

The first-place prize went to Jonathan Marceau, a teacher at Monfort Elementary in the Utica Community School district, who will receive $10,000 in business startup grant funding, plus branding and logo design support, and legal consultation for Spelling Safari. Spelling Safari is a spelling curriculum reinvention and software solution providing elementary students with fun and adaptive learning. 

“Research shows mastery-based learning is linked with positive student attitudes and higher student achievement rates for all students,” said Marceau. “Data from the system in my classroom shows students at all levels more than tripled the number of words they were exposed to and more than doubled the number of new words learned.” 

The second-place winner was Jessie Feliz from Detroit who created Spanish S.W.A.G., an on-demand language learning program designed to make language acquisition fun, interactive, and accessible to all.  She will receive $6,000 in business startup grant funding, plus logo design support and legal consultation. 

“With Spanish S.W.A.G., we’re not just teaching Spanish, we’re igniting a passion for language, fostering cultural connections, and empowering students to become global citizens who can confidently communicate, connect and thrive in an ever-expanding world,” said Feliz.

The third-place winning team was Advait Paliwal and David Yu, students at Michigan State University, who presented YouLearn, an adaptive learning model that allows educators to upload curriculum for students to work with AI tutors. YouLearn will receive $4,000 in business startup grant funding, plus logo design support and legal consultation. 

“Students have told us how YouLearn has helped them to better understand lecture videos, and professors are interested in the transparency and the insight they can gain into students’ learning processes,” said Paliwal.

The finalist teams of eKinomy and BiPSE will each also receive start-up grants of $1,000 for their final round pitches. 

The Michigan EdTech Innovation Pitch Contest is the result of a partnership between   Michigan Virtual. Michigan State’s Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Spartan Innovations, a subsidiary of MSU Research Foundation, and Michigan SBDC to bring educators’ ideas to life on ways to solve common classroom problems. Sponsorship is generously provided by Michigan Creative, Foster Swift, Consumers Energy, Meemic, Michigan Education Association, Case Credit Union, and LearningMate. 

“For the second year in a row, the finalists in this contest continue to astound me. Michigan students and schools are incredibly fortunate to have innovative, forward-thinking leaders such as these winners in our classrooms,” said Jamey Fitzpatrick, President and CEO of Michigan Virtual and a pitch contest judge. “The winning pitches hold so much potential for education moving forward and I’m so hopeful for our future with their ideas leading the way.”

The 2023 contest was open from March 20 through May 14, and finalists were notified in late May. All contest participants and all other Michigan edtech innovators are eligible to attend a free Innovation Bootcamp the week of July 17. The Bootcamp is designed to help participants further explore and develop a business model around their idea while also introducing them to resources and supports that are available to entrepreneurs and innovators in Michigan, as well as opportunities to bring entrepreneurial and innovation lessons into schools and classrooms

To learn more about the contest, visit michiganvirtual.org/edtech-pitch-contest.  

About Michigan Virtual

Michigan Virtual is a nonprofit educational organization that is leading and collaborating to build learning environments for tomorrow. Driven by student success, we have a strong record of supporting Michigan education that spans more than two decades. While many know us for our research-based, quality online learning options for students and professional development for educators, we also do a great deal of work behind the scenes to conduct original research, test innovations in learning, and provide consulting partnerships to promote effective practices. 

Education is changing faster than ever. Learn about new models and resources to move learning forward at michiganvirtual.org. For recent news and press releases, visit michiganvirtual.org/news. 

Salt Lake City — Certiport, a Pearson VUE business and the leading provider of performance-based IT certification exams that accelerate academic and career opportunities for learners, today announced that Karen Coulombe, career and technical education (CTE) teacher at Lake Stevens High School in Washington state, has been named Certiport’s Educator of the Year. The award was announced at Certiport’s 2023 CERTIFIED Educator Conference, where educators gather to explore the full promise and potential of business and technology certification in the classroom.

Karen teaches both computer applications and computer science to first-year high school students in Lake Stevens. She is also a robotics advisor for the largest VRC Robotics team in Washington. Before becoming a teacher, Karen worked for more than a decade as a licensed avionics technician and airframe and powerplant mechanic for the U.S. Air Force, DynCorp Aerospace, and the Boeing Company. She was also selected for special assignments involving Air Force One and the B2 stealth bomber.

Throughout her career, Karen has been a passionate believer in continuing education and giving back to her community. She has participated in the U.S. Naval Academy’s SET SAIL, Certiport’s National CERTIFIED Conference, STEM Guitars, Space Camp for Educators, the Washington Alliance for Better Schools STEM Externship, and multiple nanotechnology conferences. Karen also serves on the teacher advisory board for the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, and as a member of two technical advisory committees.

Known for her industry expertise and no-nonsense approach in the classroom, Karen adeptly helps her students develop skills to succeed in the workforce. She is beloved by her students both past and present. “I’ve learned so much from her, and I don’t think I would’ve learned this much anywhere else,” said former student Damian Frey. Current student Alexis Cheney agrees, “She’s always there next to us, whether we’re testing or studying. She’s supporting us, reminding us that we can accomplish anything.”

Karen’s dedication helped her connect with her administration and community professionals as well. Dr. Mike Snow, Executive Director of Secondary Teaching and Learning, Lake Stevens School District said, “Karen is never satisfied with what is presented to her. She’s always looking to make things better. She truly does things for her kids. Every school needs a bunch of Karen Coulombes.” Bill Hole, Lake Stevens resident and President, US Licensing Group, agrees. “I think the most important thing that Karen brings to the table is her passion. She genuinely has an interest in helping students make the most out of their time in her classroom, whether it’s developing a resumé or earning as many Microsoft certifications as possible.”

Ms. Coulombe delivered a workshop session at CERTIFIED 2023 titled, “Get MORE Value from Your Certification Investments.” In the workshop she explored ways educators and administrators can use certifications to meet a wider range of student needs and celebrate students’ learning and achievements.

“Our team was privileged to go to Washington and meet with Karen, her students, and the administrators from her school and state. Each person we talked to had been touched and empowered by Karen and her consistent dedication and mentorship,” said Craig Bushman, General Manager, Certiport. “She’s an experienced educator who is constantly working to improve her community. Karen absolutely deserves this award.”

Watch a video highlighting the 2023 Educator of the Year at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC1m9kLUgug. You can also hear about Karen’s passion for teaching and technology on the CERTIFIED Educator Podcast.

About Certiport

Certiport, a Pearson VUE business, is the leading provider of certification exam development, delivery and program management services delivered through an expansive network of over 15,000 Certiport Authorized Testing Centers worldwide. Certiport manages a sophisticated portfolio of leading certification programs including: the official Microsoft Office Specialist certification program, the Microsoft Certified Fundamentals certification program, the Microsoft Certified Educator program, the Adobe® Certified Professional certification program, the Autodesk Certified User certification program, the Intuit certification program, the App Development with Swift certification program, the Unity Certified User certification program, the Communication Skills for Business certification program, the IC3 Digital Literacy certification, and the Entrepreneurship and Small Business certification program. Certiport reliably delivers millions of tests each year throughout the secondary, post-secondary, workforce, and corporate technology markets in 148 countries and 26 languages worldwide. For more information, www.certiport.com or follow Certiport on Twitter at www.twitter.com/certiport.

Dallas, Texas (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Gaggle’s new ReachOut student crisis line has launched and is rolling out to K-12 districts nationwide, helping schools immediately support students with live, trained crisis counselors.

Today’s youth continue to struggle with their mental and emotional health. They often don’t have a trusted adult they can reach out to. The CDC released a harrowing report on February 13, 2023 noting the severity of the student mental health and safety crisis. Mental health among students overall continues to worsen, with more than 40% of high school students feeling so sad or hopeless that they could not engage in their regular activities for at least two weeks during the previous year. In 2021, 22% of high school students seriously considered attempting suicide, while 18% made a suicide plan during the past year.

To help fight our nation’s youth mental health crisis, Gaggle ReachOut, powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), provides in-the-moment support from crisis-trained counselors for students experiencing anxiety, depression, bullying, abuse, and suicide ideation. Gaggle ReachOut was built on AWS and utilizes Amazon Connect, an easy-to-use, cost-effective, omnichannel cloud contact center.

School districts are assigned their own dedicated “crisis line number”, which is set up to receive communication from students via text, web-based chat, or phone –  whichever the student prefers. Gaggle’s dedicated trained crisis counselors offer timely support for students – someone who listens, cares, and offers ways to de-escalate situations and impulsive behavior 24/7.

“During every step of our research and implementation phases, the ReachOut team was there to support in a variety of ways. Their entire team made sure our district team requirements and our students needs were at the forefront. Shortly after our launch date, the district found itself dealing with a tragedy. The entire ReachOut team was there for our entire school community, ready to provide as much support as possible. We are thankful to have ReachOut as another layer of SEL support for our students,” said Ryan MacKeller, Director of Technology at Pembroke School District.

“True to our mission of saving lives and keeping kids safe, we now provide students with access to a real person who can listen to them when they are struggling with a mental or emotional challenge,” said Jeff Patterson, CEO and Founder of Gaggle. “ReachOut offers immediate, around the clock support to students. At the end of the day, kids need to feel loved. ReachOut does just this by providing a human connection that is often missing in today’s highly digital and disconnected world.”

“We were proud to be working with Gaggle in their efforts to help schools expand access to mental health support for students. These additional support systems are needed, now more than ever, with the growing mental health challenges our youth are experiencing today,” said Annmarie Lehner, K-12 Business Development & Strategy Leader at AWS.

To learn more about ReachOut by Gaggle, visit gaggle.net/reachout . To learn more about how AWS is driving innovation in education, visit aws.amazon.com/education. 

About Gaggle
Since 1999, Gaggle has been the leader in helping K-12 districts manage student safety on school-provided technology. Using a powerful combination of artificial intelligence and trained safety experts, the safety solution proactively assists districts 24/7/365 in the prevention of student suicide, bullying, inappropriate behaviors, school violence, and other harmful situations. Most importantly, Gaggle continues to help hundreds of districts avoid tragedies and save lives. During the 2021-2022 academic year, Gaggle helped districts save the lives of 1,562 students who were planning or actively attempting suicide. For more information, visit www.gaggle.net and follow Gaggle on LinkedIn.