Supports


 * __What Supports are Available to Assist Teachers?__**



media type="custom" key="13279238" align="right" With RtI making a strong impact in the classrooms, there has been much development in technological resources to help intervene and make student achievement more accessible. One of these programs is “Read 180”, a movement supported by Scholastic Books. Read 180 is a “reading intervention program, a comprehensive system of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development proven to raise reading achievement for struggling readers in grades 4-12+” (Read 180, 2011). This program consists of three stages of interventions: stage A (grade 4-6), stage B (grades 6-8), and stage C (grades +9). Read 180 offers adaptive online software to for reading and writing support, and their focus is put on 5 zones for success, including reading, spelling, word, success, and writing. Scholastic offers leveled books to appeal to each student at their respective reading levels. The books are available in both audio and paperback formats to appeal to both visual and auditory learners.



ALEKS is a different program that offers support in the area of mathematics. ALEKS, Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces is“…artificially intelligent assessment and learning system. ALEKS uses adaptive questioning to quickly and accurately determine exactly what a student knows and doesn’t know in a course" (What is ALEKS?, 2010). This online program helps to identify gaps in student understanding by a system of constant reassessment. The program avoids multiple-choice questions to ensure that students possess an authentic understanding of a topic, and not just an ability to make correct guesses. ALEKS also offersexplanations and feedback for students, and tracks student growth for teacher reports (Overview of ALEKS, 2012) One of the largest advantages of this resource is it’s bilingual capabilities. As mentioned early, there is some unrest in regards to demanding a 100% proficiency level for students that are not fluent English speakers, especially when testing conditions do not take this key difference into account. The diversity of this program allows for the student’s actual potential to be measured as they are no longer limited by language barriers. You can find a virtual tour of the ALEKS system by clicking here.

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