All schools need creative ways to get lower-performing students and those needing extra help ready for the state assessment tests.
“I've been using StraightAce to help my students prepare for the NY ELA State Test. Now that the Common Core State Standards are involved in the test, I'm finding that the topics on Citing Evidence, Using Figurative Language, Determining how a Text Presents Evidence, and Determining Central Ideas of a Text have proven to be beneficial for my students to work towards higher understanding,” said Anthony Sinacore, Peer Instructional Coach and ELA teacher at Joseph Pulitzer Intermediate School 145 in New York City.
StraightAce is a free web based e-learning system from Benesse America which provides supplementary learning material for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math and ELA classes, along with 3rd, 4th and 5th grade content.
Since last year's test results showed that the integrated co-teaching (ICT) class outperformed Sinacore's “regular” class, he’s made it a routine part of his teaching, and doesn't hesitate to let his peers know about the program’s benefits. These include a library of state- and Common Core- aligned topics, the ability to manage homework and quiz assignments and create and implement a personalized flipped and blended environment.
In February, Benesse introduced WebTutor, a paid online tutoring service, directly to students and parents. Its professional tutors provide students with homework help, test preparation, concept review, and more.
