AcademicMerit Pilot Study
Published:February 3, 2011
As you know, Maine is joining 43 other states in adopting the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the first step in a nationwide effort to raise America’s educational performance by providing all stakeholders with a clear and consistent set of expectations for what students should know and learn in order to be ready for college and career. The CCSS will be followed in 2014 by a Comprehensive Assessment System, currently being developed by two consortia of states, which will measure student performance on these standards.
Here in Maine, as elsewhere, the challenge now becomes aligning teachers’ curriculum with the CCSS—and finding ways to track student performance relative to them. To that end, MLTI has been exploring opportunities to help, particularly since the use of technology is woven into both the standards and the planned implementation of the Comprehensive Assessment System.
We’re pleased to report that we’ve found one such opportunity—without even leaving the state—and we’d like to invite you and some (or all) of your English teachers in grades 7-12 to participate.
During the second semester of this school year, AcademicMerit, the Portland-based developer of Literary Companion and Assessments21, will be working with Dr. David Silvernail to conduct a state-wide study examining the potential for the company’s suite of online tools to help English teachers in grades 7-12 align their curriculum with the reading and writing portions of the CCSS, while also providing teachers and administrators with a system for assessing and analyzing student performance in these areas on an ongoing basis. It will also provide the State with insight into the development of modern assessment systems as it continues to work with the national assessment consortia.
We are excited about this opportunity. AcademicMerit received rave reviews from participants in a smaller study last year, Dr. Silvernail is a nationally recognized researcher, and at a time when the rest of U.S. is looking for “tangible” ways that states can embrace the CCSS, this study will be a first-in-the-country endeavor—putting Maine out front on this issue and, in the process, reinforcing our reputation as a leader in education and the use of educational technology to improve learning and instruction.
Please visit the AcademicMerit Pilot Study Page to download a .pdf overview of the program.
There is no cost for participation, and participating teachers will receive a $250 stipend from AcademicMerit. To learn more, we invite you to join us for a webinar on February 9th at 3:15pm. To participate in the webinar, please visit the AcademicMerit Pilot Study Page to register.
Given the second semester has begun, interested schools are asked to submit a response by February 15, 2011. Please visit the AcademicMerit Pilot Study Registration Form
to submit your contact information. Once your contact information is received, AcademicMerit will contact you with more information.
Thank you for your consideration of this opportunity.
Sincerely,
Jeff Mao