CORPORATE EDUCATION AND TRAINING
StrongMind | March 21, 2023
StrongMind recently earned the 1EdTech™ certification for OneRoster® 1.1 for its StrongMind Rostering product.
With OneRoster, schools can securely and reliably exchange roster information, course resources, and grades between learning tools, platforms and systems, saving educators time in their already busy days. Using OneRoster to reduce the administrative burdens of ensuring the technology works, gives educators the space and time to leverage their tools to create more impactful and personalized learning experiences.
StrongMind is invested in the mission of 1EdTech, as a Contributing Member of the member-led, non-profit ed tech organization that is accelerating the digital transformation of learning. As such, StrongMind prioritizes privacy and security for student data and interoperability among systems, leading to ease of use for StrongMind products by schools.
StrongMind Rostering helps teachers and administrators easily share student information between different education programs, such as class rosters, grades and enrollment data. With StrongMind Rostering, districts and schools can save time and reduce errors because it utilizes the 1EdTech One Roster specification, making it easy to use and ensuring security of student information. Schools can say goodbye to manually transferring data between systems and hello to seamless information exchange with StrongMind Rostering.
"We are excited to announce the adoption of the OneRoster specification for our StrongMind Rostering product, which will enhance our product's interoperability and streamline data management for educators, ultimately improving student outcomes," said Derek Neighbors, Senior Vice President Technology, StrongMind.
"To earn this certification, StrongMind had to put in the work and not only say they complied with the OneRoster standards but prove they made it work," said 1EdTech Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Rob Abel. "With this certification, it will be easier for StrongMind's customers to get the data they need when and where they need it."
About StrongMind
StrongMind partners with schools for forward-thinking solutions to address unique challenges. With engaging digital curriculum and SEL, a suite of edtech tools, services, and clear insights, we maximize student achievement and help schools thrive. With multiple Digital Promise Research-Design certifications and more than 60 awards, we innovate into the future.
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ONLINE EDUCATION
PRnewswire | May 03, 2023
Teachstone, a leader in the field of classroom observation and professional development, is proud to announce a new partnership with Teach For America (TFA) to enhance coaching supports and educator-child interactions. TFA will be using Teachstone's Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS®) tool to prepare coaching staff to reliably and accurately observe and collect data across diverse classroom settings. As part of this partnership, 120 coaches will be trained, who collectively support 4,000 teachers who work in high-need schools.
Teachstone's mission is to help every child reach their full potential by measuring and improving the interactions that matter most, with the vision of ensuring that everyone experiences life-changing teaching.
For over 30 years, TFA has worked to recruit and develop teachers and leaders across the country. TFA is committed to pursuing their goal that by 2030, twice as many children in communities where they work will reach key educational milestones indicating that they are on a path to economic mobility and a future filled with possibility.
By using CLASS, TFA will have a new, research based tool to help them as they work to improve outcomes for children and communities. CLASS allows educators to focus on, measure and improve the classroom interactions that have been proven to support children developing in literacy, math, and social-emotional learning. The tool works across diverse settings and populations and helps teachers be more intentional in how they interact with students, enabling them to build stronger relationships and respond appropriately to each student, closing gaps in learning outcomes.
TFA will use CLASS data as steering metrics to: (1) Support corps members in their instructional development and provide customized supports based on rigorous data, identify corps members who are struggling and need intensive supports or interventions, (2) drive continuous improvement of program, policy, and/or practices, and (3) inform strategic decisions at the local and national levels.
And, finally, as a result of this partnership, TFA will have year-over-year data from thousands of classrooms enrolling historically marginalized students across the country. This is an unprecedented amount of data that will be used to improve practice and inform the broader field.
"We are excited to expand our impact by partnering with Teach For America," said Bridget Hamre, CEO of Teachstone. "Our organizations share a commitment to ensuring that each and every child has a meaningful and equitable education. We are excited to learn alongside TFA as we seek to understand how to create meaningful change in children's daily classroom experiences at a very large scale."
"Teach For America's partnership with Teachstone puts us on a path to train our teachers to use rigorous data to improve the quality of interactions students are having in classrooms. " said Noemi Wierwille, Teach For America's Chief Learning Officer. "By making meaning of the data, identifying areas for improvement, and building the skills to continuously evolve their practice, our teachers can maximize student learning and development. With thousands of classrooms in our network using CLASS, we can contribute important insights to the field and ensure more educators can foster dynamic and inclusive learning environments, especially early in their careers."
About Teachstone
Teachstone is a leader in the field of education from birth to 12th grade. Its CLASS tool measures and improves interactions between teachers and students, with the vision of ensuring that everyone experiences life-changing teaching.
About Teach For America
Teach For America is a national nonprofit organization that recruits and develops a diverse network of leaders committed to expanding educational opportunity. Its goal is that one day, all children in the United States will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.
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CORPORATE LEARNING SYSTEMS
PRnewswire | April 25, 2023
The State of South Carolina has once again selected WIN Learning as its career readiness assessment partner, proactively responding to business and industry demand for work-ready talent.
In collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE), WIN will lead delivery of research-based assessments measuring the foundational employability skills and soft skills each year of all 11th-grade students, spanning more than 80 school districts and 250 high schools statewide as required by state policy (SC Code § 59-18-325). Twelfth-grade students also have the opportunity to take or retake the assessments. The results benchmark district and school advancement toward ensuring all students are career-ready upon graduation. This year, school testing was conducted March 27-April 14.
"South Carolina Department of Education is a longtime partner of WIN," said Teresa Chasteen-Dunn, CEO of WIN Learning. "We are excited to continue our partnership to ensure that all South Carolina students graduate high school with the skills they need to succeed in their future careers."
Students who pass the assessments earn the South Carolina Work Ready Credential, demonstrating mastery of foundational math, reading and data analysis skills, and the South Carolina Work Ready Essential Soft Skills Credential, validating mastery of professional skills including communicating effectively, conveying professionalism, promoting teamwork and collaboration, and thinking critically and solving problems. The credentials are endorsed by the National Work Readiness Council as tools for educators, workforce development professionals, and employers to determine students' readiness for post-secondary education and technical training, apprenticeship, on-the-job training, and ultimately employment.
The WIN-powered assessments used by South Carolina have been developed in direct response to education, workforce, economic development, and business and industry demand for a common measure of students' career readiness. WIN's solutions are based on the U.S. Department of Labor O*NET Content Model Framework, which is widely recognized as the nation's primary source of occupational data. The Work Ready assessments target the transferable career readiness skills that employers in South Carolina and nationwide commonly define as essential to gain and maintain employment across industries, in occupations from entry level to professional. The assessment learning objectives correlate to the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate, a set of standards for the career and life skills high school students should master by the time they graduate.
WIN was chosen as the state's foundational career readiness partner through competitive bid, ranking as the preferred provider based on expertise and experience, technical approach, and value. "South Carolina Department of Education is a longtime partner of WIN," said Teresa Chasteen, CEO of WIN Learning. "We are excited to continue our partnership to ensure that all South Carolina students graduate high school with the skills they need to succeed in their future careers."
About WIN Learning
Since 1996, WIN has become the leading provider of career readiness solutions to help business, industry, workforce and districts prepare pathways for students' and job seekers' futures, whether they are college, trade school, military or workplace bound. WIN's e-learning solutions include academic and employability skills courseware, assessments, and nationally recognized credentials endorsed by the National Work Readiness Council (www.nwrc.org). To date, more than 10 million students worldwide have participated in the specialized career-driven courseware and education intervention initiatives as well as career readiness certification programs.
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