The Renaissance Learning Program which was initiated in 2011-2012, has helped St. Theresa School "individualize instruction and personalize practice to accelerate learning".  This program has helped to identify and support students who perform both in the lower and upper quartiles in Reading and Math. This program has helped teachers enhance the content and application of one-on-one instruction especially for struggling students who are considered "at risk". St. Theresa has shown steady growth in Reading and Math since the initiation of the Renaissance Program in 2011. St. Theresa School has implemented Math Facts in a Flash, Accelerated Reading, Accelerated Math, and STAR Testing in Math and Reading to support the curriculum. STAR assessment tests in Reading and Math are for students in grades 1-8.

 

MATH FACTS IN A FLASH

Students are learning through meaningful purpose and are not particularly bound to a textbook. Student practice their automaticity of Math Facts by practicing them on their Chromebook through the Renaissance Website. Each grade level completes a certain amount of levels to earn certification. Students are required to complete levels in 1 minute and 40 seconds. They can practice with their Chromebook at home offline and can also practice online through the Renaissance Website Homeconnect. When students are at school, their progress is immediately recorded into the Renaissance software and teachers have access to the data. Students are rewarded based on their progress and continue to practice and challenge their times throughout the year.

 

ACCELERATED READER

Accelerated Reader is a program that correlates with the STAR reading assessments. Students receive a Z.P.D. or a Zone of Proximal Development reading level. Students choose books in their reading level based on their STAR reading scores. Teacher and students set point goals and work towards earning their goals throughout the quarter. Students are given goals and expectations based on the test scores as well as teachers’ observation in conduct, effort, and study skills. Students earn points towards their goal by reading books and completing comprehension tests with accuracy. Students must average 85% or above on comprehension test.

 

ACCELERATED MATH

Another program that St. Theresa School has implemented to support the Math curriculum is Accelerated Math. The Accelerated Math program offers individualized worksheets that students complete and they score these tests on their Chromebook. Students are given immediate feedback as a TOPS reports prints automatically from the computer. TOPS stands for the Teacher’s opportunity to Praise Students. This report gives the student his or her score on the assignment and also indicates which question the student missed. Teacher can choose if they want the correct responses to show. They can intervene when students are consistently missing a certain concept. Teachers can assign practice assignments, exercises, and diagnostic tests. Students can access all of the information online through Home Connect. Students can print assignments and enter work from home also. Accelerated Math allows teachers to individualize the curriculum. This has been a resource for teachers to use with students who are performing in the lower and upper quartiles.

 

STAR TESTS

STAR tests have provided St. Theresa School with insurmountable data and immediate results that becomes a resource to teachers to help students who are performing both at low and high grade levels. The STAR assessment results include in-depth reports for screening, instructional planning, progress monitoring, standards benchmarking, as well as Core Progress learning progressions and Student Growth Percentile measurements. St. Theresa School teachers are able to use the assessment data results to guide the design of their curriculum and instruction. Teachers also use the data to develop individual student intervention strategies. Through these assessment results teachers are able to identify and trace prerequisite skills to further students’ conceptual understanding. Teachers are able to verify student’s current achievement level and design interventions. Teachers are able to group students and provide instruction to meet the needs of the group. Tests could be given more frequently if teachers would like to monitor a student’s progress and to see if an intervention strategy is making a difference in the student’s performance and advancement. Real time data allows for immediate action in bridging assessment and instruction.

 

HOME CONNECT

Home Connect is used by students to check their progress in the Renaissance applications such as Math Facts in a Flash, Accelerated Math, and Accelerated Reader. Students can practice their Math Facts, score and print assignments in Accelerated Math, and see list of books they have read on their "bookshelf". Students are also able to view the grades they received on Accelerated Math assignments and Accelerated Reading test. They are also vocabulary lists for students to reference.