- New Cohorts Feature in the Educator Center
- New Getting Started page in the Educator Center
- New Standards-Based Lesson Plans in the Educator Center
- New Account Management for School+ Top-Level Admins
- Optimized QR Code Generation
New Cohorts Feature Lets Top-Level Admins View and Compare Data for Student Groups
Cohorts is a new Educator Center feature that allows Top-Level Administrators to create custom student groups that break away from the standard nested organizational structure (District > School > Class). Admins can view and compare data for various custom groups to gain insights across traditional subgroup boundaries.
Note: This feature is only available for organizations that have been rostered through RosterStream, and only top-level admins can access cohort data. (If you don’t see Cohorts in the Accounts > Manage menu, it is because your organization is not connected to RosterStream.)
Cohorts are created automatically when rostering through RosterStream, using student metadata from your organization’s SIS (Student Information System). These groups can reflect students in specific programs (SPED, ELL, etc.) or those with shared demographic attributes (ethnicity, gender, economic status, etc.).
Top-level administrators can access cohort data in the Educator Center by clicking Accounts > Manage > Cohorts. Then click any "View Report" link to open the Cohort Dashboard.
New Getting Started Guide in the Educator Center
We now have a Getting Started page that all first-time Educator Center users will see if they have licenses but haven't yet rostered. It is designed primarily to help top-level Admins with our School+ accounts but will benefit anyone needing to set up their organization by themselves.
The Key Features section at the bottom of the page will be especially helpful for teachers.
If you don't see this Getting Started page when you log in, you can access it any time in the Welcome drop-down menu located in the upper-right corner of the Educator Center.
New Standards-Based Lesson Plans in the Educator Center
We recently added 71 new SBLPs (Standards-Based Lesson Plans) and offline materials to the Educator Center. These offline materials will cover critical gaps in MRA's reading standards coverage that are difficult to cover in a digital format due to the speaking/listening component.
These additional materials include 50 new fluency activities (grades 1-3) that align to the MRA scope and sequence and fill the critical need to provide students with opportunities to practice reading connected text multiple times. These activities also provide teachers with an instructional guide to implement the routine that supports students’ fluent reading:
- 17 Vocabulary SBLPs that address the need to show explicit teaching of new vocabulary words and provide opportunities for students to practice new vocabulary words in speaking and writing.
- 2 Phonological Awareness SBLPs that address specific requests in the Virginia RFP regarding segmenting blends.
- 2 Comprehension SBLPs that address the need to provide students with explicit instruction in retelling a story.
To explore all the Lesson Plans available to Teachers on the Educator Center, first make sure you have selected My Reading Academy if you are interested in lesson plans for reading. Then click the Resources menu. Then select Lesson Plans and click a grade and find the standards you are interested in (you can also use the search filed to search by standard).
New Account Management Section for School+ Top-Level Admins
If you are a Top-Level Admin for an organization with a School+ account, you have access to a special Account Management section in the Educator Center that’s designed to facilitate your management of the account. This article will let you know how to access the section and what it can help you accomplish.
All you need to do is click the Welcome menu (which includes your name) in the upper-right corner of the Educator Center screen and click Account Management in the drop-down menu.
If Account Management is not listed in the menu, your organization either does not have a School+ account or you are not listed as a Top-Level Admin.
Optimized QR Code Generation
In our quest to make classroom management easier for students and simplify logins for students, we've revamped the QR generation process within the educator center.
Previously, teachers needed to regenerate QR codes for students -- or a whole classroom -- if one of these three things happened:
- Student(s) were licensed a new product
- Student(s) moved to a new classroom
- Classroom was assigned a new teacher
With the new system, students can keep using the same QR codes even after these changes.
The process of generating QR codes has also been simplified. Now, when the teacher selects Generate QR for Login from the Bulk Actions drop-down menu, the QR codes instantly open in a new browser tab, where they can be easily printed or downloaded.