SEATTLE, WA — February 19, 2009 — Apex Learning®, the leading provider of digital curriculum for secondary education, today announced a new course in reading and writing designed specifically to meet the needs of students ages 14 and older reading below basic – or at the equivalent of a third-to-fifth grade comprehension level. This addition to Apex Learning’s English Foundations series bolsters the resources educators have to help students at risk for failure by tackling one of their biggest challenges: adolescent literacy.
Seventy percent of eighth grade students in public schools read below the proficient level, according to the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Forty-three percent read at the basic level – approximately sixth-to-eighth grade; 27 percent read below basic. These struggling readers are at high risk to fail in required high school courses because of their inability to comprehend grade-level text.
"We are concerned about the significant number of students not succeeding in high school because they are reading below grade level," said Cheryl Vedoe, CEO of Apex Learning. "At Apex Learning we have developed courses specifically to help districts address this adolescent literacy challenge and prepare students individually for academic success."
Educators are challenged to effectively support the population of students entering high school as struggling readers, including English language learners, according to Vedoe. And the problem is compounded by the resource constraints facing school districts.
English Foundations I, which targets students reading below basic, is a companion program to Apex Learning’s successful English Foundations II, which targets students reading below proficient. These comprehensive online courses use age-appropriate content specifically designed to address the interests and maturity of the adolescent reader. Situational interest is created using topics taken from real-life and current events that are relevant to adolescents and their world, and compelling themes, humor, and variety keep students motivated and engaged.
Designed to address the difficulties struggling readers experience in making meaning from text, the courses use research-proven instructional strategies that are effective for adolescent readers, and readers who are just learning English, leading students to improved comprehension. Writing and composition skills are also taught. The courses are designed to provide students with a sense of progress and success. Extensive practice and feedback build student confidence. Tools for teachers to customize programs and monitor progress are built in.
"The Apex Learning English Foundations II course is filling a gap we have," said Michelle Arnett, Instructional Technology Interventionist for Dorchester School District Two in South Carolina. "We are using it successfully with high school students as well as eighth graders reading below proficient."
"We also have a significant number of high school students reading below basic and have simply not had an effective solution for them," Arnett said. "We are very excited Apex Learning is offering this unique course, as it meets a critical need for us."