Drive Better Student Outcome On State Assessments
We support 20 state assessments
State Test Prep and Standards Mastery Online Program
Powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) advances, StepUp provides students with realistic state assessment rehearsal and path-breaking remedial practice.
Standards-aligned Printed Workbook for State Assessment Practice
Lumos tedBook are printed workbooks with online access that provide students with standards-aligned practice and online summative assessments that mirror your actual state assessment blueprints.
My name is Tony Johnson . I’m the curriculum and assessment director for Connecting Waters charter schools . We have three schools in our network . They’re pretty much cookie cutters in Central Valley and northern Cali or yeah , Central California and northern California . So two in Central California , one in northern California . Um They are non classroom based independent study charters . Um We’ve got all combined um roughly 4200 K OS um K 12 , 2 K 12 . Um And we are kind of a hybrid even though we’re non class based . We do also have resource centers . So we have some online classes that we offer some in person classes . Um So our students can kind of pick and choose um and build their program um that works for them and their parents . And um but the parent educators are a big part of our program um and do a lot of the day to day instruction um and support for our students . So it’s really a parent student teacher um triangle that we , we lean on heavily . So that’s kind of who we are . So we , um so our philosophy and mission statement is really focused around personalized learning . So we’re um really open to building programs that work for ST individual students and no two programs really look alike . But obviously being a public school , um we have certain stand , you know , we have our , our content standards , we have state testing and so we have like certain criteria that students um that have to meet . Um So because they’re a lot of students are customizing curriculum , um We , we really used those workbooks last year to ensure that we aren’t , we don’t have any gaps . So we’re using them if they’re building their own , let’s say , um , for example , in language arts , they’re using , um , uh , novel based approach and they’re building their program through , um , various novels . We want to make sure that they’re hitting all the standards still . Um , so we really use those to kind of align and do like concepts and skills review and make sure that , you know , there are no gaps . So , um , same with math , you know , they might have , um , a math program that maybe has more manipulatives or is more not necessarily like state adopted , um , that might have some gaps because it was really developed for a different state . And so maybe it’s missing a few pieces . And so we use the Luis workbooks to make sure that we are , you know , hitting all of the areas that might be missing in , um , some of the curriculum that they have . So we used it kind of as a spine and then , um , made sure that like here’s your spine , make sure that you have all this and , and use these lessons to build on if your curriculum that you’ve built is missing that con content . So that’s , that’s how we use them . So , we did a , we did a very unusual purchase probably than , than what you’ve seen . We did a 1 to 1 purchase . I think both times I asked for a quote , they’re like , are you sure you want that many teacher guides ? But um we asked for sort of the parent guide or teacher guide to , to uh as a 1 to 1 ratio so that we could send the whole kit back home so that the parents are engaging daily with those students and not having to wait for their certificated teacher . Uh you know , our , our employee to meet with them each week and grade everything . And we just wanted to have that extra support for the parents so that they could have that guide um every day with the , with the students and give that instantaneous feedback . So , um if I recall correctly that , um you know , we added our vision and mission statement and our logo and then we had a letter that was included , um and it’s been over a year . So forgive me . But I if I recall correctly , what I wrote up was basically just really introducing the curriculum to them as a concepts and skills review and letting them know that , you know , this is um a great guide for the parents to understand what they’re student will be learning throughout the year . Um And a resource for them to , you know , use if anything that they’re doing is , is missing um you know , uh exposure in that content area . So it was just really important for us to understand for us to make sure the parents understood how to use this and that it’s kind of their go to resource throughout the year um to be alongside their , their core um program . Well , they usually work um with our certificated teachers . So our certificated teachers also had copies of them um of the , the scope and sequence of the workbooks and as they’re going through and helping the parents um with the assignments in their core curriculum , our certificated teacher is saying , hey , this is where I feel the content may be lacking in your program . So you can complete these lessons in to kind of make up for that . And then let’s see how the student does and if they need more , we can get some additional resources for you . So they kind of worked , you know , in conjunction and it wasn’t like a start at page one and go through it . Although some students may , some families may have done that . Um but it was more of a alignment to what they were working on and they might have been bouncing around quite a bit too . And yeah , the teachers loved it . The parents loved it . We got feedback even from the students . So I was getting lots of emails and phone calls . We’re ordering the loomus again . Right . But my students love that and that was so helpful and it was such a great resource and we wanna make sure that we can pick those up again in August . So , yeah , lots of great feedback . We , it’s , it’s difficult in our setting because we’re personalized . So we have so many variables . Um you know , people using different core programs , um people using different even methodologies or pedagogy from direct instruction to , you know , fully , you know , fully independent study , you know , partial classes . So , I mean , there’s just so many variables , it’s , it’s difficult to , to really measure the impact of any one particular program . Um But what we did do is we sent out a survey um um early spring , I believe it was kind of late winter , early spring . And we asked um for our teachers to indicate how many are using the Lummi workbooks and how many are and how often they’re using them , like how they’re using them ? Are they using them at , you know , daily or are they using them , like I had mentioned before , kind of to fill in gaps or , you know , out of order . So we kind of got , we gathered some anecdotal feedback and we can really take a look at those studentss and zero in on the students that , you know , use them versus didn’t use them and what kind of growth they had and , and make some sort of predictions about , you know , how students were impacted . Um But again , there are still lots of other variables that we’re aware of , but we are sort of collecting that data to see if we can see any trends . Yeah , the team has been great um when we ordered the materials , um like every step of the way lots of um support and just , you know , very transparent about the process and the quotes and um getting us proofs of the customization and it’s been great . Um We were able to get um very early on when we were first sort of introduced to Luis and to be honest , I can’t remember how we found you . I’m not sure it can , how it came across my desk . But so very early on when I first heard about it , just digging in that initial like , let’s dig in and see what this is . And can we use this ? We got lots of demos . Um Just again , lots of transparency about what the product was . So we knew exactly what we were purchasing . So that was awesome . They mailed us both print copies and we have digital access and we could really dig in and see it . It’s just been a great team , you know , go at 10 11 if I could . Um Yeah , again , I mean , a lot of positive feedback about how um they were able to use the program , um the ease of , of use . Um students really engaged with the materials and liked it . So , I mean , that all that feedback was good . Um I think in our setting , it just really provided kind of that constant that we needed just , you know , something uh like again , that spine that we could go back to and say , you know , here’s the standards and here’s what they look like . Um providing parents , especially non , you know , non certificated educators . Um just a framework or a standard doesn’t always translate into what that looks like . So having that workbook and that standards aligned and truly kind of covers everything that’s needed to , to be successful on the test was really helpful like , oh , that’s what this looks like . Oh yeah , my student is struggling with this and we need a little bit more help with that . So that constant was really important to us .
From 00:02: Introduction From 01:20: Lumos Workbooks From 03:10: Strategy From 03:55: Book Customization From 05:33: Stakeholder’s Feedback From 05:55: Measuring Impact From 07:13: Overall Experience From 08:17: Renewal Decision
