Learning Assistance
Lexia
Lexia is a computer program that helps children develop their literacy skills independently and at their own pace. It has been used in education for 30 years and is one of the most researched and respected reading programmes in the world. All of Lexia’s products are designed according to the latest scientific findings in education and are centered on empowering children by helping them to learn independently. Lexia has a personalized approach to learning for each child: it tracks each child’s progress, targets strengths and weaknesses, and even has printable certificates for when a child has passed a milestone achievement.
All of Lexia’s products are designed according to the latest scientific findings in education. According to The National Reading Panel of the United States government, there are five critical skills that students must master in order to become proficient readers: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Lexia helps children develop in all these areas in a fun, engaging and interactive way.
Using Lexia, students work independently at their own pace through individualized learning paths to develop fundamental reading skills in a structured, sequential manner. Teachers are notified when students require support or intervention and are provided with the resources for face-to-face instruction. Orchardside School has many members of staff trained to use Lexia and to help develop our students’ literacy.
Lexia Core 5 for younger students
Lexia Core5® Reading supports educators in providing differentiated literacy instruction for students of all abilities, particularly at Key Stage 3. Lexia’s research-proven program provides systematic, personalized learning in the five areas of reading instruction, targeting skill gaps as they emerge, and providing feedback to the student and to the school.
- Engages and motivates students in a game-like environment
- Provides progress-monitoring student data without a test
- Accessible via iPad, Chromebook, or browser
Lexia Power Up for older students
Lexia PowerUp Literacy is designed to help students in Key Stage 4 become proficient readers and confident learners. PowerUp helps educators simultaneously address gaps in fundamental literacy skills while helping students build the higher-order skills they need to comprehend, analyze, evaluate, and compare increasingly complex literary and informational texts.
- Address the instructional needs of a wide range of reader profiles
- Engage, challenge, and motivate adolescent students to take ownership of their learning
- Help students develop the skills they need to succeed in content-area classes
Website Link
Student Website Links
Google Classroom
User guide videos
- Lexia Core 5: Click here for user guide
- Lexia PowerUp: Click here for user guide
How-to guides
- Lexia Core 5: Lexia Core 5
Mathletics
Mathletics is a web-based learning program which can be used by pupils aged 5 – 18. Mathletics can be used to consolidate learning, practice skills and assess pupil progress. Pupils have the opportunity to earn credits and points by completing Maths activities and competing against pupils from around the world.
Each pupil has a unique user name and the Class Teacher can set specific challenges and activities for individuals and groups.
Mathletics also provides step by step animated support for all mathematical concepts – these can be used on an interactive whiteboard to introduce a topic or by pupils to reinforce learning.
Mathletics links to an impressive range of international curriculums including Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Videos:
Accelerated Reader
WHAT IS ACCELERATED READER?
Accelerated Reader (AR) is a self paced reading practice program designed to encourage students to read books within their tested reading level and provide measurable feedback on the student's progress. This is a voluntary program which MIS highly encourages.
DEVELOP LIFELONG READERS AND LEARNERS
All learning starts with reading. It’s a skill and, as with every skill, it requires not just instruction but practice. AR enables powerful practice by providing data to monitor and manage substantial amounts of personalized practice, and reinforce the understanding of content-area topics. It is designed to serve as the practice component of a comprehensive reading program.
With AR, teachers can:
- Excite students. Students will be motivated to read constantly—in class, during study hall, at lunch, at home, anywhere.
- Excite students. Students will be motivated to read constantly—in class, during study hall, at lunch, at home, anywhere.
- Utilize reliable, objective data. The data cover reading comprehension, vocabulary development, literacy skills development, and much more.
- Help every student master standards. Students receive a large amount of reading practice with immediate feedback. As a result, students become capable of reading increasingly complex texts at high levels of understanding – and scores improve on state tests.Improve students’ attitudes for learning. Success spurs enthusiasm, higher attendance, fewer discipline problems, and better attitudes.
- Challenge all students. Students are guided to books where the level of difficulty is neither too hard nor too easy—and the level at which optimal learning takes place.
IXL
Welcome to IXL!
Minnesota Math and Science Academy has partnered with IXL Learning to provide students with personalized support in math and language arts. IXL Learning is an online program where students can gain fluency and confidence with essential math and language arts skills through fun and interactive questions and built-in support. The implementation of this program is another way that Mayfield Central School District is committed to meeting the differentiated needs of our students.
IXL Learning engages students in an authentic way, encouraging them to own their learning, embrace new challenges, and build skills and confidence that last.
The program offers personalized skills recommendations based on what each student has been practicing and what they are ready to learn next. With thousands of skills that match what we’re learning, as well as insights into student progress, IXL is a great resource to help your child excel.
Frequently asked questions about IXL
What is IXL Learning?
The primary focus of IXL Learning is to enrich, extend, and remediate grade-level math and language arts with a fun,
hands-on, technology-based experience. IXL Learning is here to help your child grow, with immersive learning, insights into progress, and targeted recommendations for next steps.
How will IXL Learning support my child?
This program is not geared towards students moving ahead or going faster. It is about students learning more and going deeper into their current curriculum. With IXL, students can:
- Find unlimited practice problems specifically tailored to the standards and build mastery of specific standards and skills.
- Record the amount of time they spend practicing so that teachers and parents can examine student progress and time spent on each skill.
- Encounter enrichment activities that are engaging.
How does my child access IXL?
- Your child can access IXL Learning at: https://www.ixl.com/signin/mcsd
- Students can use their school issued computer or iPad or a personal device (home computer, smartphone,
tablet). - Once the IXL Sign In window appears, your child will access their IXL Learning Account by clicking on the “Sign in with Clever” link. Once in, students begin by clicking on the Diagnostic option and then choose Math or Language Arts.
What is the Real-Time Diagnostic?
- The Real-Time Diagnostic pinpoints students’ levels of understanding in math and language arts, and it can be accessed anytime.
- Teachers receive up-to-the-minute insights, and students are offered tailored recommendations.
- After students reveal their levels, answering 10–15 questions a week will keep the Diagnostic up to date!
How can I support my child at home?
IXL’s Real-Time Diagnostic is an easy and effective way to assess your child’s learning. To make the assessment a success, and the recommended practice that will follow, it’s important to get you involved!
How you can help:
- Set up a quiet space for your child to work. As with any assessment, it’s important for them to have a distraction-free environment.
- Make sure your child has scratch paper and a pencil handy to work through questions as needed. Only advance high school students who commonly use a calculator in class should use one when working in the diagnostic.
- Encourage your child to try their best. They will not get every question correct, but the diagnostic will tell us what they know and what they are ready to learn next. If they’re unsure about a question, they can click “I don’t know this yet” and move on.
- Do not assist your child with any questions from the diagnostic. For their scores to be accurate, they must answer every question independently.
