One hurdle for young students who are beginning to read is learning letter names, shapes, and sounds. To help students master these arbitrary pairings between letter shape and letter sound, using letter-embedded mnemonics has been found to be more effective than using letters on their own or letters accompanied by a picture. Try out this sample set of embedded mnemonics with your early learners!

This paper describes high quality teaching practices in two schools that produce exceptional growth for all kinds of students. These practices focus on making the most of instructional time and exposing students to high quality content in a variety of contexts. They prove teachers don’t need to choose between differentiating to meet students’ needs and giving them access to grade-level learning.

This brief is a response to Paul Zavitkovsky’s paper titled “Data Rich/Information Poor,” and includes NWEA’s high-level comments and concerns regarding Mr. Zavitkovsky’s claims. The brief highlights five areas that challenge the strength, validity, and quality of some of Mr. Zavitkosky’s “findings,” and as such, provide context for interpreting his results with caution and scrutiny.

Like the students they serve, every educator enters the classroom in varying states of readiness. Education leaders must ensure each teacher has the tools, professional learning, and guidance they need to be successful. This detailed guide examines how the components of an NWEA Solution can provide the support teachers demand and deserve.

This was a fun one… because we got to talk to you, our listeners! In this episode: We see how Mr. Potato head can motivate students, one additional limb at a time. We open a big box of costumes in the middle of class. We learn about a teacher who calls students’ parents to share good news, and how one student wanted to return the favor. And finally, we get to hear some incredibly touching stories of students and families letting their teachers know how awesome they are. (Jacob and Kailey get a little misty-eyed.)

As a teacher, Misty Hodge wondered: Who makes these assessments I give my students? Are these companies listening to the teachers who use them, or are they just throwing darts in the dark? So she came to NWEA to make sure that teachers like her had a seat at the table. Misty shares her work leading NWEA’s partner advisory board and building something teachers can actually use. Then, Kailey and Misty nerd out about MAP Accelerator and how much it helps math teachers. Misty also shares stories from her time as an educator, including a creative use of a ropes course and a challenging first day as a substitute teacher. Thanks for listening — don’t forget to share, subscribe, and rate us five stars!

The Early Word Recognition Lesson Plan tool provides a framework for sequencing efficient and explicit strategies to create new lessons or to organize and expand upon existing lessons from standards-aligned materials.