When the early reports post COVID sounded the alarm on the lack of student progress, The Los Angeles Times highlighted that the disparity was greatest among disadvantaged populations. And while the recent news is less promising than hoped for, there are shining examples of learning tools that are making a difference—Nearpod being one of them.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Research reveals Nearpod’s positive impact on math and ELA performance

LearnPlatform by Instructure, a third-party edtech efficacy research company, first partnered with Nearpod in 2023 to successfully conduct an ESSA Level III study. LearnPlatform just released a second independent study highlighting that Nearpod has earned an ESSA Evidence Level II rating designating “Moderate Evidence” for impacting student outcomes as shown in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) spring tests. The team looked at a sample of 6,087 students from 25 schools in one California K-12 district during the 2022-2023 school year to determine the impact of Nearpod on student performance. 89% of the students were from low-income backgrounds, 20% were English language learners (ELLs), and 13% had Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).

What is ESSA Level II Evidence?

ESSA, the Every Student Succeeds Act signed by President Obama in 2015, is a commitment to equal opportunity for all students. It emphasizes the importance of evidenced-based investment in products proven to make a difference by publishing rigorous research on their efficacy.

The study performed by LearnPlatform satisfied all of the ESSA evidence requirements for Level II: Proper design and implementation, including: 

• Valid and reliable outcome measure that is not overaligned with the intervention 
• Baseline equivalence for treatment and comparison groups 
• Statistical controls through covariates 
• At least 350 students in the analysis sample 
• Representative, multi-site study
• At least one statistically significant, positive finding

Nearpod’s designation as meeting Level II requirements means that the researchers were confident that the increased scores observed during the study were due to an intervention using Nearpod.

The research questions focused on the following:

• What was the impact of Nearpod on students’ ELA and math 2022-2023 summative outcomes? 
• What was the impact of Nearpod on ELA and math 2022-2023 summative outcomes for English language learners? 
• What was the impact of Nearpod on ELA and math 2022-2023 summative outcomes for students on an IEP?

Nearpod’s ESSA Level II Evidence

Zeroing in on grades 4-8, the quasi-experimental study aimed to better understand the impact of Nearpod on the students’ learning outcomes. Worth noting is that this sample of students was 85% Hispanic and 14% Black or African American—representative of student populations most at risk. The study found that with 83% of the students interacting with Nearpod-created content for an average of just 7.2 weeks (which amounted to an average of 16 sessions launched), there was a statistically significant impact on student learning overall and for those with IEPS.

Key Results: English Language Arts (ELA)

Looking at adjusted CAASPP scale scores for English language arts (ELA) achievement, those who used Nearpod compared to students in similar grades who did not use Nearpod had higher scores in the following grades:

• 8th graders had higher scores: 2558 v. 2534
• 8th graders with IEPs had higher scores: 2469 v 2430
• 5th graders with IEPs had higher scores: 2428 v 2404

Key Results: Math

Looking at adjusted CAASPP scores for math achievement, those who used Nearpod compared to students in similar grades who did not use Nearpod had higher scores in the following grades:

• 8th graders had higher scores: 2516 v. 2486
• 6th graders had higher scores: 2501 v. 2483
• 6th graders with IEPs had higher scores: 2424 v 2393

Impact student learning with Nearpod

Nearpod continues to be a “fan favorite” since its introduction more than 10 years ago, due to its rigorous approach to engaging students in active learning. Classroom teachers and school administrators rely on Nearpod’s vast library of expert-created content, intuitive interactive learning activities, and real-time data reports, which have a proven track record of leading to better instructional strategies and better student outcomes.

Educators can tailor their approach to engage students in high-quality, research-backed interactive lessons, whether for the whole class, small groups, or 1:1 instruction. At a time when math and reading scores continue to sound alarms, this impact study and ESSA Level II recognition will continue to bolster educators’ confidence in leveraging Nearpod across the curriculum. Nearpod is dedicated to improving the instructional experience for all kids by making sure that they can make real-world, relevant connections through culturally responsive pedagogy. And these outcomes don’t just address short-term needs—they also enable schools to build positive cultures by looking long-term when it comes to leaning on data-driven methodology to increase motivation, engagement, and retention. Along with better outcomes, such efforts can promote a deeper sense of belonging and dedication to 21st-century skills for students, plus progression growth and job satisfaction for teachers.

Start using Nearpod

Despite the dismal data about reading and math achievement scores nationwide following the COVID shutdown, we are beginning to see a few glimmering examples of schools helping students make strides forward. Early on, Nearpod doubled down on its commitment to help schools modify their instructional plans in order to reengage students into hybrid and in-person instruction. And this most recent recognition of earning the second-highest ranking, ESSA Level II, showcases how Nearpod can be part of a school’s comprehensive solution to helping all students reach higher and achieve more.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Darri Stephens

Darri Stephens is a dedicated LX (learning experience) designer, passionate about creating quality content and programs for kids, families, and educators. With MAs in Education from both Harvard and Stanford, and work experience at best-in-class ed tech organizations including Wonder Workshop, Nickelodeon, and Common Sense Education, she is steeped in the design thinking process and committed to agile and iterative project management, which has resulted in multi-award-winning programs and products.

The post Research reveals Nearpod’s positive impact on Math and ELA performance appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

A significant step for students is a giant leap for educators. Determined to support and not swamp teachers, the Adirondack Central School District in upstate New York is leveraging its long-term partnership with Nearpod to prepare its staff for the standards—and the assessments that will inevitably follow. Together, the district, educators, and Nearpod specialists devised a pioneering plan to align ready-to-teach lessons from Nearpod’s 21st Century Readiness Program with these standards so that by the time they come into force, everyone knows what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, and why.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod’s 21st Century Readiness Program for schools and districts.

Main challenge: Navigating digital literacy standards with purpose

How could an ambitious rural public school district prepare all its teachers and students for incoming digital literacy standards without ramping up the pressure and workloads? 

Determined teachers across the Adirondack Central School District were aware of the criteria set out by the New York State Education Department. For Michael Faustino, the district’s director of curriculum, instruction, and technology, the only way to successfully implement the standards was to transform educators’ apprehension into intention and purpose. 

“The easy way out would be to explain the standards and ask teachers to just do their best. That’s not our philosophy. When you have new standards, there’s going to be an assessment of some sort and there must be an accountability measure,” he explains.

Michael knew the district needed to support all teachers with a solid, structured plan so they didn’t feel overwhelmed or underequipped.

“Anytime you have mandates come down, the tendency is to put more on teachers’ plates without taking anything away. We realized that we can’t put students first if we put teachers last,” he adds.

For Nick Palczak, the district’s STEAM coordinator, it would be crucial to support teachers in leveraging the existing lessons and resources their students enjoyed and engaged with.

“Our educators are already meeting many of the standards—sometimes without even knowing it. So, the question was simple: How do we incorporate these lessons into their classes?” he asks.

The answer was Nearpod. The Adirondack Central School District has been an active Nearpod partner since January 2019. The incoming standards present a prime opportunity to take the partnership to the next level and use Nearpod to align what is being done with what needs to be done. As Michael asserts:

“Our goal for this academic year is to familiarize all our teachers with the alignment documents we are creating. If we roll out the alignment by September 2024, we won’t need implementation. We will just be fine-tuning.”

Nearpod’s 21st Century Readiness Program sets path to meet NYS Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards

Nearpod’s 21st Century Readiness Program is a powerful tool that equips teachers with a singular solution to infuse 21st-century learning into their daily lessons. This program is designed to bridge the gap, ensuring that students not only excel academically but also develop vital life skills.

Adirondack recognized the transformative potential of this program for educators who aspire to ready their students for the complexities of the 21st century while meeting the stringent requirements of the New York State Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards.

To support the district in the demanding task of aligning its curriculum with the new standards, the Nearpod team helped build alignment documents using lessons from the 21st Century Readiness Program, specifically customized for these incoming standards. These documents encompass comprehensive, user-friendly, and adaptable resources.

The district’s forward-thinking approach to education is evident in creating curriculum maps that meticulously identify Nearpod lessons aligning with the New York State Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards across various grade levels. Significantly, most of these curriculum resources are sourced from the 21st Century Readiness Program. This strategic integration ensures that students are exposed to high-quality, standards-aligned content and underscores the district’s commitment to nurturing digital fluency and 21st-century skills among its learners. By leveraging these curriculum maps, educators can effectively use them to pinpoint which of their lessons fulfill the criteria of any given standard and track their progress toward ticking all the boxes.

So that’s what Adirondack did, and the results were rewarding—and relieving—as Michael explains: 

“We knew we didn’t want a system that provided standard-aligned lessons but was complex to navigate. Nearpod is so easy to use and works so well. Kids love it. Our students’ mental health is one of our primary concerns, so the platform was a win-win.” 

Nick concurs: “It’s not hard to introduce Nearpod to a set of students by day two. They can run lessons at their own pace. Teachers, even those who are tech-wary, lose their fear because they still use tools they’re familiar with, like Google Docs, with Nearpod.”

Teaching with, not at

In anticipation of the 2024 deadline, Michael and Nick are collaborating closely with Nearpod to plan and execute a comprehensive districtwide rollout meticulously. The first step will be training administrators to become instructional leaders who build capacity through workshops and ongoing support from turnkey trainers. They aim to help teachers explore the standards and connect the dots to what they’re already teaching.

“We’re not going to teach at them,” Michael insists. “The beauty of the Nearpod alignment documents is that teachers can see the standards broken down into subjects and the timeline and then link to the lessons they can use in the classroom.”

New York State’s learning standards work by bands. Nick has taken each band and broken it down by grade for K-12. He is progressively feeding the alignment documents in which the standards are listed, with an explanation of the standard, examples of the standard that the state provided, and lessons that align with that standard to give to teachers, encouraging them to add their own lessons to the document.

The aim is for teachers to recognize what they’re doing in class and understand how the district and Nearpod can help them fill in the gaps or try something new. Nick gives an example:

“Part of the digital fluency standards is creating a digital artifact. Every teacher who creates a slide in Google Slides is creating digital artifacts. How can we make that more intentional? Why did you pick Google instead of something else? What are the features of it? How do you save it? Do you have folders? Is it stored in the Cloud? What does that mean? Great. Now you can deliver a lesson on digital citizenship.” 

Here are some examples of the lessons* Adirondack used for instruction: 

• Computer Vocabulary (Grades 2-3): In this 3-5 Nearpod Digital Citizenship and Literacy lesson, students investigate how technology can be used to make their lives simpler, more productive, and more expansive. Students learn the uses of different computer hardware devices.
• Visualizing Data (Grades 4-6): In this 3-5 Digital Citizenship and Technology Drag & Drop activity, students will demonstrate an understanding of how to read various simple data sets.

• Lesson 5: In the Loop (Grades 7-8): In this 3-8 Coding lesson, students will be able to define what a loop is and explain its importance as it relates to writing code. Students will practice their new skills by completing a selection of CodeMonkey challenges.
• Who’s Looking at Your Digital Footprint? (Grades 9-12): In this Common Sense Education lesson on Digital Citizenship, students learn how any information they post online can affect their future. They create a vignette that shows how a positive digital footprint can help take advantage of opportunities.

*These lessons are only available on Nearpod’s 21st Century Readiness Program.

From vision to action

For Adirondack, the key to successfully implementing the standards is to know which skills to teach and how. Even if students nor teachers know what the future holds in store, as Nick concludes: 

“We want our kids to leave Adirondack ready for high tech colleges and high tech jobs. I had a student who graduated last year. He’s now at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). He’s trying to decide which robotics club he is going to join so he can compete in robotics programs. He’s so excited to go to a technical college when he grew up in a town of 100 people. I want more and more students to be able to leave our school to do those kinds of things.”  

Michael believes that educators must understand what is being measured and the outcomes:

“It’s not enough for us to have a vision statement that says we want our students to be college and career ready. We’re preparing them for jobs that don’t even exist right now. We can’t just give them taglines; we need to give them avenues, and the only way is by building professional learning without overwhelming teachers. That’s where Nearpod makes all the difference.”

It seems like the difference is already being made in the district. Far from dreading the incoming standards, Nick is confident they will help Adirondack achieve its goals: 

“In 2024, we want to intentionally meet these standards because we know why they are in place. We want to ensure our staff knows why these standards are in place. What jobs are available in 20 years? I have no idea. What skills do you need to be ready for those jobs? Adirondack’s goal is to have kids college and career ready. These standards are really going to help us to meet that goal.”

To learn about the Adirondack Central School district’s actions, watch the webinar “Preparing for Digital Fluency with Nearpod” where they explain how they’ve been using Nearpod resources!

Take the digital fluency leap with Nearpod

Nearpod created New York State-centric alignment documents to demonstrate to teachers how their existing lessons correspond with incoming standards and help the district implement a strategic plan to meet them well before the 2024 deadline. Adirondack squared up to the challenge and developed curriculum maps, which clearly outlined the standards for each grade level and identified relevant Nearpod lessons that taught the necessary skills for students in each grade band.

By offering comprehensive, standards-aligned lesson plans, interactive activities, and assessment tools, the program simplified the process for educators and ensured that students receive a dynamic and engaging learning experience. It sets a blueprint to help schools across and beyond the state take bold strides and implement new educational standards with confidence, calm, and care.

Ready to learn more about how to prepare every student for success with Nearpod’s 21st Century Readiness Program? Schedule a call with one of our experts and learn how you can empower educators with unlimited access to everything they need to engage learners.

About the district

The Adirondack Central School District in Boonville, NY, is a rural public school district encompassing four schools—two elementary, a middle school, and a high school. The district strives to create a safe, respectful, and accepting environment, and to provide students with the mental and emotional support to thrive and excel. By prioritizing open and transparent communication, and fostering a positive school spirit, Adirondack is committed to uniting the community while nurturing academic growth and achievement. Firmly focused on developing STEAM capacity, the district has invested greatly in building facilities and capacity to prepare students for whatever might await them. Its administrators and educators work for and with students to raise graduation rates, enhance state exam performance, minimize the need for academic intervention services, and increase enrollment in advanced courses to prepare students for their chosen—and changing—life endeavors.

About the educators

Michael Faustino, with three decades of experience in education, including 17 years as a kindergarten teacher before becoming a principal, now serves as the director of curriculum, instruction, and technology for the Adirondack Central School District. He leads the district’s mission to prepare all students for college and career success by emphasizing the importance of curricula and data. Michael collaborates closely with educators throughout the district to ensure they are well prepared to implement the New York State Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards in 2024, guiding teachers and students through every step of the transition, aligning with and even surpassing the timeline.

Nick Palczak, a seasoned physics teacher at Adirondack Central School since 1996, also serves as the district’s STEAM coordinator. He collaborates closely with the tech director to oversee K-12 STEAM programs, while also teaching STEAM courses at middle and high schools. In 2021, Nick played a pivotal role in establishing the Adirondack STEAM program, including setting up a new laboratory post COVID-19. In the past two-plus years, the Adirondack STEAM program has won several robotics competitions and has received numerous recognitions for its work with students. Alongside district coordinator Michael Faustino, Nick readies students and educators for upcoming standards while integrating STEAM into the curriculum. With a family legacy in education, Nick is passionate about preparing students and their teachers for 21st-century careers.

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

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The post Taking the digital fluency leap with Nearpod: Adirondack Central School District’s story appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

About the study

Filipino students from Our Lady of Fatima University (OLFU) in Valenzuela City participated in a study highlighting Nearpod’s effectiveness. The study interviewed 224 students who had used Nearpod consistently for over four months. Their positive feedback emphasized how Nearpod significantly improved their learning journey across social motivation, creative expression, and personalization. This research aligns with David Havens’ framework, advocating for technology tools that encompass these crucial aspects in the classroom.

Empowering Filipino higher ed students: Nearpod’s role in transformative learning, motivation, and creativity

Several factors contribute to the effectiveness of a technological tool in education. First, it should facilitate a shift from traditional teaching methods to more progressive ones, fostering innovation and engagement in the learning process. Second, it should sustain student motivation, whether in the context of distance learning or face-to-face instruction, ensuring that learners remain eager and committed to their studies. Additionally, it should influence the development of 21st-century skills in students, preparing them for the demands of the modern world. Last, the use of technological tools, such as Nearpod, often reveals unforeseen benefits that enhance the overall educational experience, making it a valuable asset in contemporary classrooms.

New to Nearpod? Book a demo with one of our experts and learn how you can empower educators with unlimited access to everything they need to engage learners.

Key research questions

This research study aimed to explore the perspectives and experiences of college students who have incorporated Nearpod into their classroom activities. The exploration is guided by three key research questions:

• How do college students who used Nearpod in their classes feel about Nearpod in terms of social motivation, creativity, and personalization? This question aimed to uncover the students’ perceptions regarding Nearpod’s impact on aspects such as social interaction, creative engagement, and personalized learning experiences.
• How do students describe their experience with Nearpod? Here, the focus is on gathering in-depth descriptions of students’ personal encounters with Nearpod, providing valuable insights into their overall experiences and interactions with the platform.
• What are the students’ favorite things about working with Nearpod? This question aimed to pinpoint specific aspects or features of Nearpod that resonate most with students, shedding light on the elements that contribute to their positive perceptions and preferences within the platform.

Key findings

Boosted students’ social motivation

Social motivation is basically any motive that is acquired by interaction with others. Peer interaction is a big part of the learning journey, which is why most traditional and non-traditional learning cultures emphasize the importance of teamwork and group activity.

The study asked students if, during Nearpod activities like Collaborate Board, Quizzes, and responses shared on Time of Climb, students interacted with their peers in a way that helped them learn. An impressive 96% said that they often or sometimes did. When asked about their preferred aspect of using Nearpod, the three leading responses comprised engaging activities, chances for creativity and self-expression, and the user-friendly interface it offers.

When asked about their preferred aspect of using Nearpod, the three leading responses comprised engaging activities, chances for creativity and self-expression, and the user-friendly interface it offers.

• 99.5% of the students felt that their teacher knew how they were doing with the material or lesson some or most of the time while using Nearpod.
• 95% of the students said that someone (teacher/peers) would see the work they did during Nearpod activities.

Nearpod enables proactive tracking of teacher-student interaction, while also fostering social motivation through peer engagement. This social motivation, arising from interactions with others, is substantially important to the learning process, as evidenced by both traditional and non-traditional educational approaches that prioritize teamwork and group activities as integral components of the learning journey.

The teacher remains an integral part of the student journey, easing the fear that education technology could make teachers redundant. Most of the time, or sometimes, the teacher knew how the students were doing with their lesson.

Ignited student creativity

Creative forms of learning enable the lessons to stick far longer. Nearpod offers students various avenues to stretch their creative muscles and learn while at it. By incorporating interactive activities, multimedia presentations, and collaborative projects, Nearpod empowers students to engage with educational content in innovative ways, enhancing their retention and comprehension. This approach not only makes learning enjoyable but also cultivates a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

• 97% of the students said they can express themselves creatively using Nearpod. 
• 67% of the students claimed that Nearpod provided them avenues to express themselves creatively more than other classroom activities.

Supported personalization and embracing student individuality

Recognizing the individuality of each student and acknowledging the diversity in learning speeds and abilities, Nearpod’s educational tools stand out in their commitment to personalized learning. While tailoring lessons to cater to every inquisitive mind might present challenges within a traditional classroom setup, Nearpod’s tools have demonstrated remarkable success in this endeavor. In fact, a significant 88% of surveyed students attested that the difficulty level of Nearpod’s activities was perfectly suited to their learning needs.

More than 60% of students experienced a sense of connection with the content and a personal interest in the topics they were learning through the use of Nearpod.

Key results

Faculty members of Our Lady of Fatima University reinforce that Nearpod not only enriches the learning experience but also empowers both students and teachers. It has helped foster a sense of community and collaboration while embracing the unique strengths and needs of each learner. These findings affirm the value of Nearpod in modern education and its potential to shape a more engaging, creative, and personalized learning landscape.

Ready to bring Nearpod to your department or institution?

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The post How Nearpod empowers Filipino HigherEd students: OLFU Research Study appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Based in New York, CEE is a non-profit organization with a vital objective: to cultivate economic literacy and empower both students and educators. This mission is achieved through a range of comprehensive lessons, insightful publications, and engaging activities.

CEE provides comprehensive economic and financial education resources to K-12 students nationwide, reaching over two million students and numerous teachers. With its top-tier online platform for K-12 educators, EconEdLink, the organization reaches more than 450,000 distinct users. Additionally, the organization annually involves around 50,000 teachers in nationwide professional development workshops. CEE’s dedicated efforts equip educators with essential skills and knowledge for navigating the complexities of the modern economic landscape.

Nearpod has partnered with CEE to enhance the engagement and interactivity of their professional development sessions, contributing to the expansion and reach of their mission.

New to Nearpod? Schedule a demo with one of our experts and learn how you can empower trainers with unlimited access to everything they need to engage learners.

Nearpod helps foster community growth through financial education: Council for Economic Education’s story

Council for Economic Education’s background

Empowering K-12 students with essential tools in personal finance and economics is the central focus of the Council for Economic Education. One of its premier resources is EconEdLink, a top-notch platform for K-12 economics and personal finance resources. It equips educators with a range of high-quality lesson plans, videos, assessments, activities, and professional development webinars. Through the provision of these free resources and training, the Council facilitates informed financial decisions for students, families, and communities.

Another key initiative offered by CEE is the Council for Economic Education’s Master Teacher Program. This unique initiative is designed for educators, coaches, and administrators across various disciplines. The program’s mission is to nurture a dedicated group of K-12 teachers capable of conducting professional development workshops for fellow educators within their districts or on a national scale. This effort aims to expand the reach of personal finance and economic education, thereby benefiting an increased number of students.

Main challenges

Connecting with a wide range of teachers all over the country and giving them meaningful opportunities for growth required a tool that encouraged interaction and engagement. Even before hybrid learning became the norm, Ruben Rivera, CEE’s Senior Director of Professional Development, and his team were focused on creating a sense of in-person connection, no matter where teachers were located.

They realized that, just like students, teachers enjoy collaborating and sharing solutions, strategies, and personal stories. The big challenge was: How can we make professional development more engaging, customizable, and affordable for teachers?

This was when Nearpod entered the scene, collaborating with CEE to enhance the reach and amplify the impact of their mission.

Nearpod’s solution

Within the Council’s network of Master Teachers, the exchange of best practices is a regular occurrence. Before the pandemic, one of these Master Teachers shared their insights about Nearpod.

Although Ruben had experience with a variety of educational technology tools, he was quite impressed. “Nearpod does virtual kinesthetic work. It’s as close as you can ever get to ‘in-person’.”

Nearpod ticked all the boxes in bringing together K-12 teachers to share their professional development journey in an interactive, inclusive setting – regardless of where they were located.

Within a few months, Ruben’s department was using Nearpod to train teachers and to develop and disseminate content.

“It’s a complete package of fun and engaging ways to interact with teachers, and we can also teach them how to use the tool and take our content and enrich it in the classroom.”

As part of its Enterprise license, the Council gives all of its Master Teachers and trainers a Nearpod account. This serves a dual purpose: to enhance their online pedagogical skills and to serve as a platform for delivering optimal professional development experiences.

Today, Nearpod has become a best practice for the Council when engaging educators virtually. “Our data shows that whenever we include activities in webinars, our satisfaction surveys for acquiring and sharing knowledge always mention Nearpod,” Ruben explains.

Empowering teachers and enhancing personal finance and economic education with Nearpod

Teachers were so pleased with their Nearpod experience that they subsequently introduced the platform to their schools.

Ruben highlights the effectiveness of interactive videos and quizzes in fostering student participation beyond attendance. According to him, Nearpod has elevated teaching techniques, enabling educators to take more responsibility for content delivery while empowering students with a stronger sense of accountability and confidence in understanding what lies ahead.

The pandemic taught Ruben and his network that they all had areas of improvement. “There was a gap in teacher training in how to use edtech tools. It’s common knowledge that students had a hard time keeping up, but teachers found it equally hard engaging students in a virtual world.”

While Ruben’s department focuses on supporting K-12 educators, Nearpod has also opened a new avenue of collaboration with higher-education teachers. The Master Teachers‘ network includes highly accomplished college professors with decades of experience. Ruben recalls how professors were introduced to Nearpod in a professional development session and immediately asked for training on the platform.

“It was so empowering to see these tenured professors, these published authors, learn something new. It was a game-changer … Nearpod alleviated a lot of the uncertainty of teaching online.”

Today, along with their K-12 counterparts, higher-education teachers across the network are increasingly using Nearpod to train students in college readiness.

Co-creators in the content-delivery process

Nearpod’s Collaborate Board served as the initial point of engagement for all, allowing teachers, students, and stakeholders to contribute in real time. Following this, employees and volunteers enthusiastically embraced learning through activities like Time to Climb, Matching Pairs, and Drag and Drop. Additionally, Nearpod polls played a central role in fostering social and emotional learning and supporting professional development.

“They enabled us to immediately gauge and tap into how our educators feel about a topic and how much they feel they know about it.” Ruben also highlights how Nearpod has helped educators to become “co-creators in the content-delivery process, enhancing their creativity online and in the classroom.” This propels the mission and strengthens the reputation of the Council, which was set up 75 years ago and committed to virtual learning long before the pandemic.

From positive thought to positive action

Drawing on his background in non-profit organizations, Ruben has experienced how Nearpod can move beyond the classroom and help large financial institutions give back to the community.

One of the Council’s partners, Intuit, compiles curriculum content for teachers on budgeting, marketing, and taxation. “Filing taxes is a life skill and demands engaging content for students of all backgrounds. This starts by engaging teachers.”

Another main partner joined forces with the Council and found Nearpod a firm ally in demoing what an organization can do in its volunteer spaces. Nearpod became central to building the Council’s blueprint for philanthropic action.

Ruben is convinced that Nearpod is helping to magnify the impact of economic and financial education across the country.

“Many organizations hear what the Council is doing and want in. It feels good to have people follow our work, get passionate about the topic, and keenly contribute. Nearpod helps us turn positive thought into positive impact.”

A catalyst for important conversations

Through a further partnership with Wells Fargo, the Council ran monthly family financial fun nights at participating schools, which included pop-up stations designed to make financial literacy a dinner-table discussion topic.

By popular demand, Ruben digitized the content and made it relevant to students and parents, covering core concepts like budgeting and cost-benefit analysis with relevant cultural references. Over 100 families regularly attend this hybrid event and receive food vouchers for participation.

Nearpod is also helping institutions increase philanthropy and cross-collaboration with other organizations.

“It helps us train volunteers who have never been teachers. They get a sense of what teaching is about, see the impact, and give back more effectively with a tool they love using in so many different ways.”

Council for Economic Education Math Lessons are available in the Nearpod Library! These lessons for grades 6-12 apply math to real-world scenarios to help students acquire economic and financial knowledge.

The future of Nearpod at CCE and beyond

When it comes to the future, Ruben is optimistic. He is keen to roll out Nearpod across socially disadvantaged communities and tell the stories of what he sees and learns.

“The purpose of teaching is to reach the students who need us most. I believe we’ve found the platform to help elevate their situation.”

Ready to elevate your training sessions with Nearpod?

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Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

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The post Nearpod helps foster community growth through financial education: Council for Economic Education’s story appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

In response to the post-pandemic challenges, AHIS turned to Nearpod while searching for an all-encompassing solution that could offer interactive resources, real-time progress tracking, and personalized engagement. Nearpod enhanced teaching dynamics but aligned with the school’s focus on digital citizenship and social emotional learning (SEL), propelling Al Hekma on a path of continued educational excellence and growth.

Highlights of Al Hekma’s success with Nearpod

• From August 2022 to present
• 6,800+ lessons edited using Nearpod
• 22% of resources from Nearpod library, in addition to teachers’ own resources
• Around 2,075 activities were completed by students using the platform
• Students joined Nearpod more than 126,000 times across a range of subjects

New to Nearpod? Learn more about international school and district licenses.

Challenges

As students returned to the classroom at Al Hekma International School following the COVID-19 pandemic, a new challenge emerged for its principal and teachers: How could they measure and support every student’s progress without overwhelming teachers after such a fragmented period in everyone’s lives? Teachers needed instant insights in order to improve student engagement, performance, and self-esteem, and they needed a solid, diverse bank of resources they could draw on to make the necessary changes.

Solution

Al Hekma started integrating Nearpod in 2021, and the school had several training sessions with the Nearpod team experts to ensure all their needs were met. Teachers were trained on how to create lessons, summative and formative assessments, and reporting. They valued having a one-stop solution that enabled them to use various resources at the same time from the same place.

The results

• Usage grew steadily, and within a year, over half of the teachers became Nearpod Certified Educators! 
• Nearpod seamlessly integrated into the school’s teaching approach and is now embraced across various subjects.
• Giving teachers tools to track progress and pain points in real time has made decision-making more effective and has ramped up student performance.
• No student or teacher need ever be left behind. Fully engaged students are learning more, learning faster, and making the most of every minute in class.
• Self-paced learning has played a pivotal role in nurturing teachers’ autonomy, self-assurance, and sense of responsibility.
• Teachers feel more empowered to personalize lessons by providing a strong, versatile base of trustworthy resources and templates they can edit and adapt.

How Nearpod empowered a forward-thinking school in Bahrain to redefine excellence in education

Al Hekma’s principal, Maya Harb, had discovered Nearpod prior to the pandemic – when it was recommended as part of a routine school tech audit. In a flash, Nearpod became the school’s one-stop solution during the lockdown, ensuring that staff and students could access the materials and resources they needed and spurring active participation. But that was just the beginning, as the partnership evolved and continued well into the next normal.

Maya believes that Nearpod not only streamlined the transition back to the classroom but also made the teaching and learning experience more meaningful than ever.

Besides empowering teachers to track student attendance and engagement, Adreen Haddad, Al Hekma’s instructional coach and Nearpod PioNear, also highlights how Nearpod provides her with essential insights into progress across various classes and subjects:

“In addition to the instant feedback Nearpod gives us, when I check the session reports, I can see and save teachers’ notes, track which students are engaged, check their answers, and save reports to review and compare at any time and in any format.”

 A small step for teachers, a giant leap for students

Al Hekma International School has always embraced transformation and innovation as integral to its mission of facilitating continuous growth and excellence for both students and teachers. This courage is deeply rooted in the unwavering trust and support that permeates the relationships among teachers, staff, students, and parents.

Adreen vividly describes the initial enthusiasm among teachers and students after Nearpod was implemented in 2022. “Right from the beginning, our teachers were fully on board, and students found it incredibly easy to join using the provided code,” she recalls.

In the first year, the school started with 60 teacher’s licenses across different subjects. Then, in the following year, they elevated their engagement and upgraded to Nearpod Premium, which provided them with 30 accounts to work with.

The implementation process was made seamless through comprehensive step-by-step video tutorials, hands-on training sessions, and dedicated Nearpod workshops on formative assessments. This set the stage for a transformative educational experience that has since become an integral part of their approach.

One of the aspects that resonated most with teachers is the convenience of consolidating all their instructional resources within a single platform. Adreen highlights how Nearpod streamlines this process:

“With Nearpod, we can open all YouTube channels from within the same session, allowing us to seamlessly track everything from attendance to student engagement.” She reflects on the previous practices where teachers would juggle multiple platforms, such as PowerPoint presentations, YouTube, and other resources, causing inefficiencies.

Making the most of every minute in class

For Maya and Adreen, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing engaged students immersed in a learning experience. Adreen explains how Nearpod is helping students stay on task and make the most of each class.

“Our students love the activities, which are the most interesting and interactive parts of the lesson. You see how they come alive with Time to Climb or Draw It, how their creativity and critical thinking shine through.”

And it’s not just students who are experimenting and exploring. The Nearpod library has been a springboard for teachers preparing activities and planning lessons that are vibrant but also vibe with the school’s values and vision, as Maya explains:

“Our teachers love that they can start from scratch using Nearpod as a platform, or that they download presentations from the library and edit them in accordance with our priorities and standards, adjusting them and changing the templates.”

From digital natives to digital citizens

Digital literacy and English proficiency are at the heart of Al Hekma’s mission to give students the best skills, achievements, and opportunities – but teaching these comes with responsibilities. In her commitment to building students’ emotional and social skills, Adreen has found a firm ally in Nearpod’s 21st Century Readiness Program:

“Our computer department promotes Internet safety and digital citizenship, and the emotional and social package that we’ve added to our licenses during the past two years with Nearpod have really helped teachers to search for good resources. We apply common standards and share feedback on how the students are evolving as digital citizens.”

Maya explains how this emotional and social learning package the school added as part of its upgrade to a premium license has nurtured students’ confidence and critical thinking.

“The topics are impressive, inclusive, and really help students reflect on how to collaborate with each other, and the advice Nearpod gave us on how to work with the resources was really helpful.”

Adreen adds that Nearpod also supports Al Hekma’s priorities in giving students autonomy and recognition:

“The self-paced learning, where the teacher gives access to the students, really improves their independence and sense of personal and collective responsibility.”

Real-time solutions and real-life skills

Al Hekma relies on data to make decisions as a school – not just at the administration level but also at the teaching level, as Maya explains: 

“Every single decision that is related to learning in class is taken thanks to the instant feedback that the teacher receives from the students. For example, when the teacher notices that there is a trend where everybody makes the same mistake, he or she can immediately channel this information to revisit the concept.”

For the principal, the transformation is palpable, saving teachers time and enabling them to make changes the day of, and not the day after. It also gives a voice to all students, not just those who “raise their hands and jump to answer.” For Maya, Nearpod has created greater equality in the classroom, giving shyer students the confidence and opportunity to participate.

“Thanks to Nearpod, no student is left behind in class. All our students can take part, all our students can show us what they understand or don’t understand, and we’re right there to help.”

Recognizing and empowering teachers

In addition to recognizing students’ progress, Maya and Adreen create social media posts and videos to celebrate teachers’ accomplishments with the platform.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Al Hekma International School (@ahisbh)

The Nearpod certificates have pride of place on the principal’s office wall and in the school reception, and Maya makes a point of sharing the school’s achievements with the tool with parents and students, and through the school’s handbooks and websites.

Maya emphasizes the significance of Adreen, a dedicated Nearpod PioNear, in the implementation process: “She started a positive domino effect – the happiness, pride, and recognition are contagious: The more teachers we congratulate for using Nearpod, the more want to join, and we’re thrilled to share their success.”

Recognizing and empowering teachers is of paramount importance in cultivating a thriving educational environment. Maya understands that administrators play a pivotal role in acknowledging the dedication, innovation, and hard work that teachers bring to the classroom. By fostering a supportive atmosphere and valuing their unique insights, administrators create a sense of empowerment that translates into enhanced teaching quality and student engagement.

The future of Nearpod at Al Hekma

Moving into Al Hekma’s third year with the platform, Maya and Adreen plan to use Nearpod to help teachers share good practices and to keep admin staff tuned into the progress that’s being made in the classroom.

In addition to academics, AHIS aims to foster in every student a positive attitude toward lifelong learning, a deep value for cultural diversity, and the essential skills of advanced thinking and effective problem-solving, crucial for their future achievements.

New to Nearpod? Learn more about international school and district licenses.

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post Taking learning to the next level: Al Hekma’s Nearpod journey appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Look across the multitude of surveys and studies asking teachers about the obstacles they face in delivering quality instruction, and often the underlying issue is related to the lack of time. Time is such a precious commodity in teaching. Educators don’t have the time to assess and address individuals’ learning needs by having quality content and programming on hand. Too often, they find themselves scrambling to identify high-quality resources or modify a lesson for a student during a new school year. At the same time—or lack thereof—educators are also trying to keep up with the changing landscape of education by staying abreast of the latest and greatest teaching practices themselves, whether it’s new tools, technology, research, or pedagogy.

The power of Nearpod

Since its inception more than 10 years ago, Nearpod has aimed to optimize teachers’ instructional time by promoting student motivation, engagement, and achievement. It supports educators with intuitive tools, real-time data, and a plethora of curated content resulting in effective instruction. Nearpod’s core principles focus on:

• Transforming students’ educational experiences through active learning
• Providing rigorous, scaffolded content that appeals to students while aligning to core standards
• Illustrating real-time data to highlight individual and group insights to guide meaningful instruction and feedback

Nearpod makes it easy for teachers to source high-quality, research-backed, interactive lessons for whole class, small groups, and 1:1 instruction to accelerate learning for every student at a time when math and reading scores are lower than ever. A new LearnPlatform by Instructure research study explores the relationship between Nearpod usage and student outcomes, and shows that Nearpod satisfies ESSA Level III (Promising Evidence) standards.

What are the ESSA Tiers of Evidence?

The ESSA Tiers of Evidence provide districts and schools with a framework for determining which programs, practices, strategies, and interventions work in which contexts and for which students.” This framework helps school leaders and administrators confidently choose evidence-based interventions since the ratings are related to five factors:

• Study design
• Results of the study
• Finding from related studies
• Sample size and setting
• Match

To achieve a rating, the research studies’ methodologies should thus point to interventions bettering student outcomes. With LearnPlatform’s most recent findings, Nearpod earned a Tier III rating of “Promising Evidence.”

Nearpod ESSA Evidence Level III

Background

Nearpod collaborated with LearnPlatform by Instructure, a reputable edtech research company, to conduct the recent 2021-2022 study. LearnPlatform analyzed the top 100 most-used edtech platforms from August 1-December 31, 2022, and found that of the 100 tools, only 26 had published research aligned to ESSA. With the release of this report, Nearpod is one of few tools featured in the LearnPlatform Top 100 to have studies that satisfy ESSA Evidence Level III or better.

Overview

The study focused on an extensive sample size of 28,968 students and 4,020 teachers from various grade levels within a large, urban school district in Texas and sought to answer if Nearpod implementation was associated with better student performance at the end of the year. According to LearnPlatform, researchers used descriptive and correlational analytic approaches, including student-level covariates (including prior achievement when available), to control selection bias.

• Was Nearpod implementation associated with higher student scores on end-of-year ELA and math STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness)?
• Did the relationship between the average weekly frequency of Nearpod sessions and student STAAR scores differ by the consistency of usage?
• Did the relationship between the average weekly frequency of Nearpod sessions and student STAAR scores differ for English learner students?

Summary of research findings

Based on the strong results, Nearpod meets ESSA Level III evidence standards. LearnPlatform’s research findings highlight three key takeaways for classrooms that used Nearpod on average 4 times per week for a duration of 10-15 weeks. First, Nearpod positively impacts students’ end-of-year State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), with students scoring higher in ELA and math. Educators and administrators can rely on Nearpod to deliver on its goal of efficacy when it comes to improving student performance throughout the school year. Second, a direct correlation exists between increased Nearpod sessions and higher student STAAR scores. This positive relationship underscores frequent and consistent usage of Nearpod boosts student performance. Third, Nearpod was able to support English language learners. Nearpod’s interactive digital content and learning activities support language learners in a more personalized approach, and thus, the frequency of Nearpod sessions also impacts English learners’ STAAR scores.

Impact student learning with Nearpod

This latest study from LearnPlatform augments a prior study conducted in 2019 by MBZ Labs in Hendry County, Florida that indicated Nearpod satisfied ESSA Level II requirements. As classroom teachers and school leaders seek to optimize each and every minute of the school day, high-quality and evidence-based tools like Nearpod provide educators with the confidence to identify a quality edtech solution for diverse school communities. They need to rely on edtech platforms that are truly research-based to transform teaching and learning practices. With an evidence standards rating like ESSA Level II and Level III, educators can continue to rely on Nearpod with confidence in its impact on student outcomes (also named the top-ranked Supplemental Platform in the most recent LearnPlatform Top 40 most widely used edtech tools report).

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post Elevate student outcomes: Unveiling the research-backed impact of Nearpod appeared first on Nearpod Blog.