EdTech Today

Don't call it COVID loss. For Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates, a better phrase would be "unrealized learning," something that was happening even before the pandemic, especially in underserved communities. In this episode of EdTech Today, he breaks down the data his CA has processed and offers some solutions for students going forward.

Curriculum Associates, developer of the i-Ready Assessment suite used by one-quarter of K–8 students across the US, released an analysis of 2020–2021 Diagnostic assessment data in Reading and Mathematics. The data set, which included more than one million students nationwide in Grades K–8, offers the first large-scale look at the impact of the pandemic on grade-level proficiency relative to historical trends, a critical indicator of the impact of the pandemic on the lives and learning of American students. It also provides unprecedented insight into the disparate impact of school closures on Black and Latino students.

“In the fall, we released preliminary data suggesting that school shutdowns had exacerbated inequities for students of color and those enrolled in higher-poverty schools,” noted Kristen Huff, vice president of assessment and research at Curriculum Associates and a former senior fellow at the New York Regents Research Fund. “This analysis quantifies the enormity of the challenge by explaining the breadth of unfinished learning in our schools. It sheds light on the troubling reality that students in schools serving low-income and majority–minority student populations have been disproportionately impacted by the lost in-person instructional time.”

Key findings from the report include:

This school year, students of color are more likely to be remote than their White peers.

Majority Black and Latino schools saw the greatest increases in the number of students who are not prepared for the work of their grade in math and reading. For example, in math, the number of underprepared third graders in majority Black and Latino schools saw an increase of 14 percent and 10 percent, respectively, whereas White majority schools saw a comparatively smaller increase of five percent.

Declines in reading and math proficiency rates are steepest for students in schools in zip codes where the median household income is below $50,000 annually.

Winter reading proficiency rates are down when compared to historical averages, with especially acute declines in early elementary grades (i.e., Grades 1–3). For example, the percentage of first grade students who were prepared to do grade-level work was 36 percent—a decrease of 10 percent when compared to the historical average.

Winter math proficiency rates saw even greater declines when compared to historical averages, with losses greater in elementary grades. For example, the number of fourth grade students who were prepared to do grade-level work was 36 percent—a decrease of 16 percent compared to the historical average.

“Educators and learners are doing heroic work to address unfinished teaching and learning, but the pandemic’s impact on existing inequities is very concerning,” said Tyrone Holmes, executive director of content and implementation at Curriculum Associates. “We’re sharing this data to create transparency around student learning during the pandemic and provide educators with a clear view of student needs. With the truest-yet picture of the current state of learning, our team is focused on supporting educators with instructional supports to help students access grade-level content and reach grade-level outcomes immediately and equitably.”

To read the research report, visit CurriculumAssociates.com/UnfinishedLearning.

The company recently released an updated version of their C.O.P.E. mental health planning framework to help districts implement mental health supports students need due to the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had (and continues to have) on student social-emotional health.

C.O.P.E. 2.0 incorporates over six months of national mental health data as well as the hands-on experience gleaned from ESS' partnerships with school districts during the fall 2020 semester. The framework includes a re-thinking of the key areas of focus for districts, and a refreshed checklist of actionable items to support student and staff mental health.

"Children have lost so much to COVID, beloved family members have died, school has been disrupted, and normal and needed activities with friends have been on hold for months and months," said Linda Rosenberg, Executive Director of External Relations, Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, and co-author of the C.O.P.E. framework. "It's imperative that as schools re-open, attention be paid to students' social-emotional needs and ESS' C.O.P.E. 2.0 offers a roadmap to do just that."

The C.O.P.E. 2.0 framework is organized around four key domains:

Centering school re-openings around mental health services.

Organizing support to re-acclimate to the structure of the school environment.

Preparing schools to serve a significantly higher number of students with mental health challenges.

Equity focused approaches to care.

Duncan Young, CEO of ESS, stated, "A growing body of research is highlighting the negative effects of the pandemic on student mental health. These challenges will be even more apparent once schools move to more regular physical schooling, and it's vital that every district build a mental health safety net to support all students. We hope this framework assists districts with this effort."

Please click here to read C.O.P.E. 2.0: A Blueprint for Addressing 2021's Mental Health Challenges.

The past 18 months have been one long experiment for Catherine Cahn, CEO of Twig Education. Shifting history courses to a remote platform in a matter of weeks is one thing, but hands-on chemistry labs? In this episode of EdTech Today, Catherine details how they have effectively reinvented the way their curricula and creation tools are produced and delivered as well as what these pivots will mean post-pandemic when it comes to student agency and inclusion.

Just this spring, the company announced the launch of Twig Create, a multimedia makerspace for English Language Arts knowledge building and language development. Twig Create gives students in Grades 3-8 the opportunity to use their voices and creativity in reading, writing, listening, and speaking to produce multimedia projects using video, text, audio, and source documents.

Through inclusive topic- and standards-aligned tasks, Twig Create’s digital features empower students to build knowledge and develop language proficiencies through film and voiceover editing using music, visual and video sources, and text. The Twig Create makerspace encourages students’ creative agency in a number of ways:

Film allows students who struggle with paper/pen-based reading and writing to access information more readily and communicate ideas in a sequenced manner.

English language learners in particular benefit from developing context through film: their comprehension is aided by imagery and visual sentence frames, and their pronunciation by aural guides.

Students who lack confidence in sharing ideas with the class can rehearse, record, and re-record their ideas, bolstering their confidence.

Through multimedia projects, students assemble language and general knowledge that helps them to become stronger readers, writers, listeners, and speakers.

Twig Create includes hundreds of hours of academically produced bite-sized film footage, audio clips, and primary sources that students can edit, clip together, and combine with their own footage, voiceovers, and sources to produce multisource, high-quality film.

Students’ filmmaking projects are structured around 50-minute lessons included with Twig Create. These lessons are mapped to ELA and ELD/WIDA standards, as well as NGSS, Social Studies, and ISTE standards as appropriate.

With Twig Create, students become authors as they actively construct meaning through contextual storytelling that encompasses discussion, presentation, critical thinking, and teamwork.

Cahn concluded, “At a time when plans to eradicate learning loss are of utmost priority, Twig Create motivates and encourages students to engage with challenging texts and literacy for life.”

Educators can access their invitation to trial Twig Create here.

Microsoft last month announced a new five-year commitment to help bridge the “Disability Divide” the gap in societal inclusion for people with disabilities. Given the impact of the pandemic on people with disabilities, the commitments focus on talent development (employment and education), workplace culture (hiring), and accessible technology. On this episode of EdTech Today, Mike Tholfsen details Microsoft's efforts and speculates the effects post-pandemic.

Some of these efforts include:

Artificial intelligence (AI) in Microsoft Word will detect and convert to heading styles crucial for blind and low vision readers; new AI for Accessibility Low-Cost Assistive Technology Fund to help those who can’t currently afford it, use assistive technology.

A new Excel navigation pane designed for screen readers will help people easily discover and navigate objects in a spreadsheet.

Expanding Immersive Reader, used by 35 million people every month, to help with the comprehension of PowerPoint slides and notes.

In Teams, high-contrast mode can be used to access shared content using PowerPoint Live  and live closed captioning for people in the U.S. who are deaf or hard of hearing will reduce eye strain and accommodate light sensitivity with dark mode in Word.

New LinkedIn features that include auto-captioning for LinkedIn Live broadcasts, captions for enterprise content, and dark mode later this year.

A new background accessibility checker will provide a prompt to fix accessibility issues in content across the core Office apps and Outlook will nudge users to correct accessibility issues.

Based on a pilot at the University of Illinois, we’re expanding our work to additional colleges and universities to increase graduation rates of students with disabilities in STEM education, reaching universities such as the University of Texas Austin, Georgia Tech, and Florida A&M.

Investments in the Urban Airband Initiative to provide affordable broadband, hardware, and software to people with disabilities starting in Los Angeles and New York.

New ASL video call capability through Microsoft Stores to enable deaf customers to explore Microsoft products and receive shopping support with a member of our deaf support staff.

As with many aspects of edTech, gaming technologies have been utilized and applied at an incredibly accelerating rate. In this episode, David supplies a state-of-play for gaming and education from the k-12 level through professional learning and handicaps the progress of everything from AR and VR to artificial intelligence.

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many schools to shift to remote or hybrid learning environments, the ability to provide an engaging experience for students of all ages has become critical—especially as students, teachers and parents alike continue to report suffering from Zoom fatigue. By partnering with ReadSpeaker last year, Muzzy Lane can leverage ReadSpeaker’s industry-leading text-to-speech capabilities to augment their existing simulation and roleplaying activities, improving both accessibility and immersion.

“By coupling ReadSpeaker’s text-to-speech capabilities with Muzzy Lane’s simulation solutions, students across the country will have access to top-of-the-line remote educational experiences at a time when they are needed most" - David McCool

“As a leading provider of remote learning solutions, our focus is always on creating the best possible learning experience for students,” said David McCool, president and CEO of Muzzy Lane. “This partnership with ReadSpeaker enables us to bring our solutions to the next level, as well as improve accessibility—important enhancements as we work to make experiences more lifelike in the age of remote learning.”

“Voice-enabled solutions are a key part of remote learning success,” said Kelly McGrath, Chief Academic & Product Development Officer, McGraw Hill. “As a longstanding customer and partner of ReadSpeaker and Muzzy Lane, we are thrilled to see these two companies team up to deliver fully accessible, immersive experiences in a time when they are critically needed.”

“By coupling ReadSpeaker’s text-to-speech capabilities with Muzzy Lane’s simulation solutions, students across the country will have access to top-of-the-line remote educational experiences at a time when they are needed most,” said Matt Muldoon, president, North America of ReadSpeaker. “ReadSpeaker’s mission has always been to improve the accessibility of digital solutions, and we are proud to be partnering with an organization that will help us achieve this goal.”

Like it or not, change is inevitable. So why not use it to your advantage? In this episode, Dustin explains how educators can continue to pivot like they have the past 14 months but

FranklinCovey, a global company specializing in organizational performance improvement, recently announced the acquisition of Strive, a San Francisco-based EdTech startup, which has developed and markets an innovative, state-of-the-art learning deployment platform.

The acquisition accelerates FranklinCovey’s ability to help clients predictably achieve employee behavior change at scale through its All Access Pass. Strive’s intuitive, social learning platform will enable seamless integration and deployment of FranklinCovey’s best-in-class content, services, technology, and metrics to provide highly engaging and impactful learning experiences for maximum impact.

"We are thrilled to have the Strive team join FranklinCovey, bringing with them their expertise in social learning and platform development,” said Paul Walker, FranklinCovey President and COO. “This acquisition enhances our ability to help our clients address challenges which require a change in human behavior at scale. The combination of our best-in-class content and services in our All Access Pass and the extensive capabilities Strive’s platform offers will allow for a seamless, engaging, and impactful user experience. And, additional diagnostics, analytics, and benchmarks will drive learning engagement, completion, and retention, for optimized learner and business outcomes.”

"Our mission at Strive is to help people and organizations achieve their potential,” said Will Houghteling, CEO of Strive and now Vice President of Product & Platform at FranklinCovey. “We're thrilled to combine Strive's learning platform with FranklinCovey's unequaled content, solutions, distribution, thought leadership, and reputation to help millions of learners and tens of thousands of teams and organizations realize their potential.”

Strive’s capabilities will be integrated into FranklinCovey’s All Access Pass, which is an annually renewable pass providing passholders with unlimited access to FranklinCovey’s entire collection of best-in-class content and solutions. Its core content offerings are now available in 20 plus languages, in more than 160 countries. Passholders can assemble, integrate, and deliver content from 26 areas, in an almost limitless combination through various delivery channels — On Demand, Live-Online, Live-in-Person, and microlearning. Passholders also have exclusive access to an implementation specialist and additional add-on services, such as coaching, to ensure they are unleashing the full scope and power of the All Access Pass to achieve their key business objectives.

Since FranklinCovey launched the All Access Pass five years ago, annual subscription and related revenue has grown to nearly $100 million, making it one of the largest and fastest-growing subscription services focused on helping organizations successfully address their most important challenges which require behavioral change at scale. The acquisition of Strive brings new, cutting-edge capabilities that further enhance the value of the All Access Pass and drive increased impact and behavior change for clients.

Based in San Francisco, Strive was founded in 2017 by Will Houghteling and joined by co-founders Troy Cosey and Shane Chin in 2018. The company currently works with leading growth-stage and established tech companies to help them develop their emerging leaders. Strive's social learning platform is like Noom or Omada Health for learning — combining content, coaching, community, and analytics to drive lasting behavior change. This expertly designed approach generates substantial results for clients: learning completion rates are dramatically higher than industry averages, and 91 percent of Strive's learners and 100 percent of Strive's customers say they would be disappointed if they could no longer use Strive.

"FranklinCovey is the world’s leader in helping companies address the people problems that matter most. We're excited to add our solution and technology to build on that foundation," said Troy Cosey, co-founder and Vice President, Sales & Customer Success at Strive, now Managing Director at FranklinCovey.

AT&T announced last month it will invest $2 billion over the next 3 years to help address the digital divide. This renewed commitment to the communities they serve combines AT&T's low-cost broadband service offerings with community investment. And it builds on the company's contribution of $1 billion over the last 3 years toward helping the nation's most vulnerable communities.

"We tip our hat to Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel for her leadership in making the Emergency Broadband Benefit available to more than 30 million households" - John Stankey

"We believe that broadband connectivity is essential for all Americans," said John Stankey, CEO, AT&T. "Our broadband networks rose to the challenge of the pandemic in part due to policies that promoted private sector investment in multiple technologies and networks. AT&T is investing in and expanding the reach of our broadband networks while also advocating for effective and sustainable public policies that help close this country's digital divide."

In a release, the company explains the details:

How will we do this?

Expanding affordable broadband through AT&T's low-cost offers and the Emergency Broadband Benefit program administered by the FCC

Education Offers: We continue to offer discounted wireless solutions to more than 135,000 public and private K-12 schools, colleges, and universities. These offers help keep students and teachers connected in a 1:1 learning model to assist in transforming education beyond when schools reopen. High-speed internet should enable new learning opportunities, not be the barrier to them. That's why we've stepped up our support over the last year to address education inequality for the almost 17 million students, predominately children of color in low-income and rural households, who don't have internet connectivity.

Access from AT&T: Introduced 5 years ago, this AT&T-funded program makes the internet more affordable for customers by providing qualifying households with wireline internet service at $10 or less per month. This voluntary offer from AT&T has no contract or installation fee. Plus, it includes in-home Wi-Fi at no additional cost. We are continuing to waive data overages for these customers, and we're keeping the expanded eligibility to qualifying households and those participating in the National School Lunch Program and Head Start. Hundreds of thousands of Americans enjoy Access from AT&T, and we aim to build upon this voluntary program, partnering with government policymakers to ensure sustainable funding to keep broadband options affordable for qualifying households.

Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB): In another move to make the internet more affordable for more people, eligible customers will be able to temporarily reduce their monthly broadband costs by taking advantage of the Federal Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB). This government program administered by the FCC will allow more than 30 million eligible1 households to receive an additional subsidy of up to $50 a month. Those on Tribal lands are eligible for up to $75 per month. The monthly cost of broadband – after applying the Emergency Broadband Benefit – can fall to as low as $0 a month.

The EBB can be applied to eligible home internet services like Access from AT&T or AT&T Internet, available within our 21-state wireline footprint. Or it can be applied toward eligible postpaid or prepaid wireless plans at AT&T, AT&T PREPAID and Cricket Wireless, which are available in all 50 states.

Once customers verify that they are eligible, we'll apply the benefit to their service until the EBB ends. The uniform program start date is pending an FCC announcement.

"We tip our hat to Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel for her leadership in making the Emergency Broadband Benefit available to more than 30 million households," Stankey said. "The EBB is a great first step in addressing affordability in the short term. We continue to encourage Congress to work on more permanent solutions with sustainable funding so that all Americans can have access to affordable broadband."

Last week, AT&T joined nearly 50 advocacy organizations, companies, and non-profit groups setting out the guiding principles for Congress and the Biden Administration as it debates the specifics for the American Jobs Plan. We urged policy makers to enact sustainable, effective broadband policies that have proven to build the most resilient broadband networks, create jobs and empower opportunities for all Americans.

Will the recent worst of times for US students bring about the best of times in the near future? That is the expectation John Harrington, CEO of Funds for Learning, holds. In this episode, John lays out clear short-term strategies for distributing the FCC’s $7 billion fund to help school districts pay for at-home devices and internet connectivity and long-term hopes for digital equity solutions.

The Federal Communications Commission last week unanimously adopted final rules to implement the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program. This $7.17 billion program, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, will enable schools and libraries to purchase laptop and tablet computers, Wi-Fi hotspots, and broadband connectivity for students, school staff, and library patrons in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Far too often, students, teachers, and library patrons lack the access they need to broadband and connected devices. This need has become even more apparent during these unprecedented times,” said Jessica Rosenworcel, Acting Chairwoman of the FCC. “Between this Emergency Connectivity Fund Program and the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, we are investing more than $10 billion in American students and households.

“Far too often, students, teachers, and library patrons lack the access they need to broadband and connected devices. This need has become even more apparent during these unprecedented times" -Jessica Rosenworcel

These investments will help more Americans access online education, healthcare, and employment resources. They will help close the Homework Gap for students nationwide and give so many more households the ability to connect, communicate, and more fully participate in modern life.” The Report and Order adopted today establishes the rules and policies governing the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program. The new rules define eligible equipment and services, service locations, eligible uses, and reasonable support amounts for funding provided. It designates the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) as the program administrator with FCC oversight, and leverages the processes and structures used in the ERate program for the benefit of schools and libraries already familiar with the E-Rate program. It also adopts procedures to protect the limited funding from waste, fraud, and abuse. Recent estimates suggest there may be as many as 17 million children struggling without the broadband access they need for remote learning. The Acting Chairwoman has long made closing the Homework Gap a priority during her tenure at the Commission.

If there is one thing that is certain amidst all this uncertainty, physical classrooms will never be the same. In this episode, Grant Woods, VP of Marketing for Aver Information, discusses some of the innovative ways educators and students used their tech during the early days of the pandemic and how the company has developed new tools to improve the new dynamics of anytime, anywhere learning.

AVer Information Inc., a provider of video collaboration solutions and education technology solutions, recently announced the launch of the innovative and ground-breaking DL30 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Auto Tracking Distance Learning Camera. Designed specifically for the evolving K-12 distance learning classroom and ever-changing teaching and learning environments, the DL30 boasts advanced AI to automatically detect the teacher’s movement in the classroom, allowing them to focus on delivering their curriculum instead of worrying about staying within the camera’s view.

The AI technology of the DL30 drives two auto tracking modes including Presenter Tracking or Zone Tracking with no need for a camera operator. Presenter Tracking allows the camera to automatically follow the presenter with either full body or half body, or manually track any other specific presenter with a simple click. Since the AI technology focuses on the body rather than the face, the camera recognizes and follows the presenter even if he or she is wearing a PPE mask. Since the DL30 does not rely on voice tracking or the need to wear a lanyard, the teacher is always kept in camera view regardless of any other noise interference or loss of contact with a sensor. Zone Tracking allows automatic and seamless tracking between multiple preset zones to support different learning stations in the classroom. Completely hands-free, the DL30 provides the flexibility for the teacher or presenter to move freely about the room and let the camera do the work.

The 12X optical zoom provides a clear and precise image of the teacher regardless of how far he or she is from the camera, allowing remote students to remain engaged with the instructor. When the camera is not in use, Privacy Mode automatically kicks in where the camera head rotates downward 90o into its cradle to ensure privacy in-between classes, conferences or other times privacy is necessary.

The included free software allows for video recording, image capture and live streaming, while administrative features allow for the easy maintenance, control, and management of hundreds of cameras from a single location. Compatible with all major video conferencing platforms used for distance learning such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangout, the DL30 will integrate with whichever solution the school is using. Connecting a document camera allows the teacher to display physical objects and material simultaneously during a lesson.

“K-12 classrooms have unique environments that typical conference-room type tracking cameras do not address. Since the DL30 was designed specifically for the classroom, it ensures remote students remain engaged as if they were still in school,” says And Teoh, Director of Product Management, K-12 and Pro AV. “The DL30 offers an immersive classroom experience to remote students for the long-term, no matter how the climate changes.”

After one of the most challenging years in the history of the U.S. education system, district leaders from across the country are cautiously optimistic about the future. This finding comes from a new report from Cambium Learning Group, which reveals results from a survey of more than 100 PreK-12 district leaders across the country. In partnership with research firm Hanover Research, the results show that although there were significant challenges, 75 percent of district leaders believe the COVID-19 pandemic has put them in a better position to solve problems than ever before, signaling that the acceleration of digital tools and need to confront equity issues head-on has made the industry more adaptable.

After mandated lockdowns caused school closures across the country in early 2020, education leaders were forced to accelerate the adoption of digital tools to keep learning going while students and teachers couldn’t physically be in the classroom. The report, “Education in 2021 + Beyond: How District Leaders Envision the New Normal” details how educators handled the pandemic, the challenges and opportunities presented by education technology and what their attitudes are about the future of education coming out of the pandemic.

“Education leaders stepped up in 2020 to make the transition to remote and hybrid learning as seamless as possible,” said John Campbell, CEO of Cambium Learning Group. “Although there were significant challenges — and more lie ahead — it’s clear that the response to the pandemic showed the world what is possible when it comes to education technology."

District leaders from across the country were surveyed about their process of adopting new education technology, their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and their feelings about equity issues and the future of education. Key findings include:

Beyond absenteeism, the main concern for district leaders throughout the pandemic is figuring out how to best use technology solutions (46 percent). Managing various technology tools was a challenge for 33% of district leaders. This is understandable, as pivoting from in-person learning to virtual learning requires an entirely new way of teaching—no matter how effective and easy-to-use the technology is.

When it comes to technology, issues of equity are at the forefront. District leaders cited student (49 percent) and teacher (38 percent) access to edtech as the biggest challenges of a remote learning environment.

District leaders were mostly pleased with their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly two-thirds (61 percent) gave themselves a “B.”

Learning loss will be a huge obstacle coming out of the pandemic, with 52 percent of district leaders stating it will take six months to a year to recover.

Despite the challenges, educators believe there is hope ahead— 75 percent believe that as a result of the pandemic, educators are in a better position to solve problems than ever before.

“The key finding that the majority of educators are hopeful about the road ahead was gratifying to see,” said James Wilcox, Senior Director at Hanover Research. “Based on experience working with hundreds of school districts across the nation, we know that they have had one of the most challenging years of their career. But the survey result underscores the resilience and forward-looking vision of educators across the nation.”

Additional findings from the survey are available in Cambium’s report, which can be downloaded here.

This report was commissioned by Cambium Learning Group and fielded by independent research firm Hanover Research in January 2021. The responses were generated from a survey of 103 people ages 18+ who live in the United States, working in the education field with job titles that qualified as district leaders or superintendent.