Digital Apps to Support Student

Achievement

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

• In SAVSD, we have significant access to technology for teachers and students.

Rather than limit digital use to analysis of diagnostic assessment data and
implementation of independent practice for students, teachers can become well-
versed in personalizing these digital programs to their classrooms to maximize the
positive influence they can have on student achievement.

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

• iReady and Kahoot are both programs that can be used across content areas.
iReady provides diagnostic data and adaptive, independent practice for students in
math and reading, while Kahoot allows teachers to assess students across content
areas using one-to-one devices.
• iReady allows teachers to track students’ progress and observe particular skills
students may be struggling with, providing support tools as needed.
• Kahoot is a highly engaging app that allows teachers to browse a bank of premade
quizzes that can be used as they come or duplicated and customized. Teachers can
also create their own quizzes.
• XtraMath allows students to practice basic math facts within each operation- this
app is great for students struggling to memorize multiplication facts in fourth
grade.
• ThinkCentral is a direct extension of SAVSD’s curriculum, allowing teachers to
assign lesson-specific practice.
• For the purpose of this presentation, we are focusing on iReady and ThinkCentral.

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

Why should we use these digital programs?

• Student Achievement: These programs increase student achievement by provided
practice within targeted areas, as well as adaptive practice allowing students
revisit and practice skills they struggle with.
• Data: Both teachers and students can monitor performance and progress. Teachers
and students can work together to set goals. Parents have access to these
programs to view their child’s performance and progress.
• Engaging and Accessible: Technology-based practice proves time and again to be
highly engaging for students, thus it is a great tool to motivate practice. These
programs are easily accessible both inside and outside of the classroom.

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

• iReady provides adaptive instruction, providing students with instruction and

practice on skills they struggle with in both math and reading.
• Teachers’ accounts allow monitoring of both minutes active on lessons and
performance within the lessons.
• Teachers are notified when students are struggling. When students need additional
support, iReady provides teachers with tools to implement RTI.

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

• This slide, along with the following two, will focus on using the program from a
teacher’s account.
• On the screen above, you will see a snapshot of whole class data for a week of use.

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

• Pictured above, you will see a breakdown for individual students.

• The left shows overall minutes and lessons completed.
• The top right outlines specific domains within math, showing students’ starting
point and progress through the grade level they are working on.
• After clicking on a specific domain, the bottom right shows a specific lesson that
the student did not pass.

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Digital Apps to Support Student
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• Because the aforementioned student did not pass a particular lesson, the teacher
has access to an RTI lesson that focuses on the skill in the lesson not passed. This
lesson can be implemented one-on-one or in small group.

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

• On the form pictured, students can track their diagnostic results and set goals for
future diagnostics.
• In the lesson log, students can track specific lessons completed and their
percentage earned. Students are required to get a teacher initial after each lesson.
This holds both teachers and students accountable for completing lessons and
staying aware of any struggles.

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

• ThinkCentral is specific to math.

• It is a direct extension of the GoMath curriculum, which is used in SAVSD.

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• The above slide, and following three slides, outline how to assign lessons on the
ThinkCentral platform.
• From the home page, teachers can select “Assignments”

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• At the top of the page, teachers select “Add à Activity”

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

• Teachers can then search (top right) the lesson they are wanting to assign
• It is suggested that teachers filter the results by grade level (left side)
• Once the correct task is located, teachers click “Assign”

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Digital Apps to Support Student
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• After clicking “Assign” – teachers can MODIFY (make changes to) or ADD the
assignment
• On the following screen, teachers can modify who the assignment is pushed out
to, assign and due dates, as well as levels of mastery
• There is also an option to select “Adaptive Workflow”- this signals lessons to adapt
to students’ performance levels

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

• Under each lesson, students note their score (percentage) and collect teacher’s
initials upon completing each task.
• Providing a “tracker” to students allows both teacher and students to monitor
performance on each follow-up lesson.
• Completing the “tracker” holds students accountable for completing their review.
• The “tracker” provides an update for parents on students’ progress through a unit
and requires acknowledgement when a struggle is evident.

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

• GoMath’s curriculum dedicates one lesson per unit to solving word problems. The
rest of lessons focus heavily on computation.
• In addition to the curriculum-provided chapter assessment, I implemented a self-
created assessment to more accurately assess students’ understanding of the skills
taught in this chapter and their ability to solve equations using those
computational skills.
• The self-created assessment is directly aligned with the Common Core State
Standards covered in this chapter.

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

• Mid Chapter- 60% of students were demonstrating at adequate understanding,

scoring at least a 70% on a quiz check.
• 81% of students scored 82% or higher on the summative assessment for Chapter 9

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

• At this time, my teammates and I will discuss implementation of these programs

into our rooms.

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

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Digital Apps to Support Student
Achievement

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