Accelerated Learning

Accelerated Learning is a call to action for the K–12 education system. It champions active and engaged strategies, high-quality instructional materials (HQIM), high-dosage tutoring, and coherence. Use the navigation on the left to take a deeper dive into this topic

Timely Information

The National Center and the Accelerated Learning Work Group created A Guide to Accelerated Learning. This introductory guide offers descriptions, resources, and examples of state education agencies implementing Accelerated Learning into their programs. It also answers questions, such as:

  • How should Accelerated Learning be implemented?
  • How are educators best supported during implementation?
  • Is there a different approach to implementing Accelerated Learning for students with diverse needs?
  • How should families and other stakeholders be engaged during the acceleration process?
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Bright Ideas Across the Network

Did You Ask the Students?

R17CC teamed up with the Montana Office of Public Instruction to build adult workgroups geared toward students’ needs and went directly to the source to learn whether their efforts were making an impact. They developed a system to support the conversation and encourage youth voice with a three-part learning series which included the Youth Voice Continuum. Download the Youth Voice Continuum and discover more ways R17CC is engaging youth voice.

Read the blog from R17CC here

Supporting Integrated English Learner Student Instruction

This guide from R15CC and REL West is comprised of two tools, the Teacher Self-Reflection Tool and the Classroom Observation Tool, and outlines a 10-step process to identify the most beneficial professional-learning decisions for districts so teachers can gain the skills they need to instruct their multilingual learners.

View this guide from R15CC

High-Quality Instructional Materials: What are They, and How can We Support Implementation?

In this blog post, R7CC stresses the value and importance of using high-quality instructional material (HQIM). In fact, teachers identified HQIM as part of their top-five funding priorities. Using a top-ranked instructional program has been shown to raise percentile points, increase standard deviation, and boost success levels similar to smaller class sizes.

Read the blog from R7CC here

 

General Resources to Accelerate Learning

Accelerated Learning is an evidence-based solution to combat learning loss. Explore the navigation on the left to gain Accelerated Learning strategies as well as ways to boost essential skills like literacy.

CCNetwork Resources

A One-Stop-Shop for Accelerated Learning

Accelerated Learning is a popular post-pandemic catchphrase and has sparked plenty of press, resources from education experts, and products from vendors. So how do educators find the most useful information and resources? Where do teachers look to develop their understanding of Accelerated Learning, find quality tools, create steps for implementation, and acquire testimonies from other educators?

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A Worksheet for Exploring NAEP Scores

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores have been released, and one of the big questions on educators’ minds is, “How has the pandemic affected students’ progress?” The NAEP scores act as a report card for the nation, announcing which groups of students are landing below, at, or above the proficiency line. Confirming people’s fears, the results were disheartening this year. However, there were some signs of upward trajectories, consistencies by some groups, and the potential for insights that can help educators take actions for improvement in the future.

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NAEP Results Exploration Worksheet

The members of the National Comprehensive Center’s Accelerated Learning work group explored the recently released NAEP data by taking an indepth look at results and trends from individual states in their regions. The NAEP Guide includes a series of guiding questions to use in a systematic exploration of the NAEP data along with suggested data table locations.

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The Accelerated Learning Work Group Discusses Literacy and Math

Let’s say I had trouble dividing fractions, one of the Accelerated Learning participants began, should I get remediated in all things fractions?

The simple question seems to have an obvious answer, “No,” and yet remediation is still a go-to response for many teachers. But what are the potential harms of remediation, and what might be a better solution? These are just some of the questions the Accelerated Learning Work Group analyzes, evaluates, and answers during their Informal Discussions.

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Lifting Up Together: Moving Forward to Accelerate Student Learning

In response to learning loss, states and jurisdictions are investing their relief funds into high-quality instructional materials (HQIM), high-dosage tutoring, extended learning out of school and during summer, and initiatives to support pre-kindergarten through fifth grade literacy development.

During the 2023 National ESEA Conference, Regional Comprehensive Centers 8, 14, 17, and the National Comprehensive Center described specific investments that states are making in each area listed above and the transpiring results.

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Tutoring

Tutoring can be the boost students need to accelerate their learning. Scheduling, group size, and curriculum coherence are all things to consider when developing an effective tutoring strategy.

CCNetwork Resources

Those Tutors You Need? They’re Right in Front of You!

Students have returned to school after the pandemic and need to make serious gains. With the help of COVID-19 dollars, a tutoring program may be the ticket to Accelerated Learning—especially in literacy and math. However, since teachers are almost always overworked, it can be difficult to convince them to take on an additional responsibility.

As a result, schools need to be innovative to recruit the tutors they need.

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The Americorps Tutoring Experience

From the Accelerated Learning Work Group Roundtable, Dr. David Parker from Serve Minnesota describes evidence-based tutoring programs in literacy, mathematics, and early childhood offered by Americorps members throughout the country.

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Tutoring Basics to Get Results

From the Accelerated Learning Work Group Roundtable, Alan Safran from Saga Education shares what he has learned about effective tutoring with special emphasis on selecting and coaching tutors, prioritizing grades/subjects for tutoring, and low-cost models.

 

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Tennessee Accelerating Literacy and Learning Corps

From the Accelerated Learning Work Group Roundtable, Tess Yates from the state’s Department of Education summarizes her state’s tutoring model, including required parameters such as ratios of tutors to students and the flexibilities offered to districts and schools.

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Recruiting and Training for the Arkansas Tutoring Corps

From the Accelerated Learning Work Group Roundtable, Drs. Missy Walley and Tracie Jones from the Arkansas Department of Education discuss the many population segments their programs are tapping as tutors and the detailed training program they offer tutors.

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Practical Advice for Setting Up Tutoring Models

State education agencies (SEAs) and districts have responded positively to employing tutoring as a way to address learning loss, resulting in increased interest about the details of implementing various tutoring models. The Accelerated Learning Work Group hosted a panel session to share emerging models and well-tested advice from experts who have successfully managed tutoring programs for many years. View short videos of their top-level advice:

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External Resources

Literacy

Whether in the classroom, at home, or in other remote learning situations, literacy remains a key component of education.

Tips

Share early learning standards widely for teachers, families, school systems, communities, businesses, and other stakeholders to understand child learning and development and to inform their work with young children.  

Equip parents as reading partners:

  • Provide information on selecting appropriate reading material
  • Outline strategies to check for comprehension
  • Describe fun ways to practice reading at home

CCNetwork Resources

Literacy Leads, Learning Follows, Students Succeed: Advice for Grades 1–3 Literacy Leaders
This guide, developed by the National Comprehensive Center, is part of a series of online multimedia resources that provide advice for literacy leadership teams. In addition to information about instructional priorities, the guide includes suggestions for planning efficient use of instructional time, relieving the burden on teachers, centralizing support for parents and engaging community resources. Links to evidence-based resources are provided throughout the text.

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Literacy Leads, Content Follows, Students Thrive: Advice for Grades 4–8 Literacy Leaders
The guide, developed by the National Center Literacy Work Group, provides guidance to help teachers adapt to working in multiple modes with increased flexibility and inventiveness while focusing instruction on the essential literacy skills needed to learn subject area content. Resources with evidence-based practices are linked throughout the document, providing “one stop” access to seminal documents.

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Literacy Leads, Content Follows, Students Advance: Advice for Grades 9–12 Literacy Leaders

This is one in a series of guides for educators—principals, coaches, literacy specialists, department heads—who lead and are responsible for literacy efforts in their schools. This interactive resource includes strategies for literacy instruction to assist educators when learning has been interrupted. It offers advice about priorities for helping teachers adapt their approaches to new situations to address lost learning time. The circumstances created by the pandemic challenge educators to reconsider past practices to prioritize proven practices.

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Literacy Strategies for Every Grade

When it became apparent that the pandemic-related changes to education were resulting in widespread academic slowdowns and learning challenges, the Comprehensive Center Network’s Accelerated Learning Work Group developed a guide for school literacy teams to help address the learning disruption in grades 1–3.

 

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Assessment, Instruction, and Intervention to Accelerate Learning for Students with or At Risk for Disabilities that Impact Literacy Skills

A presentation for the National Comprehensive Center’s Accelerated Learning Work Group.  Presented by Dr. Nancy J. Nelson, NCIL Deputy Director and Professional Development & Technical Assistance Lead and Assistant Professor, Boston University

This presentation provides information on key issues for learning recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.  It describes what accelerated learning is, what it is not and how schools and state agencies are addressing learning loss within each of the 3 tiers of intervention (RTI tiers).

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External Resources

High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM)

High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) assures that students are engaged in appropriate grade-level assignment, which is critical for achieving mastery of grade-level standards. The materials should be aligned to academic standards, have clear learning outcomes, and reflect evidence-based practices. Over time, the comparative advantage of HQIM, with even small effect sizes annually (.10), accumulates so that four consecutive years of HQIM can yield the equivalent of four additional years of learning.

CCNetwork Resources

Guide to the Implementation of High-Quality Instruction Materials (HQIM)

High-quality instructional materials (HQIM) can make a real difference in student learning. But purchasing HQIM is only the first step in the process of ensuring that students benefit.  The Guide to the Implementation of HQIM synthesizes advice from practitioners and researchers about how to encourage solid execution of plans and realize the full benefits of well-chosen materials.

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SEA Signals and Supports for Quality Implementation of HQIM

Marissa Payzant from the Nebraska Department of Education describes how a state education agency can support local implementation of HQIM in an environment of strong local control. Through its participation in CCSSO’s High Quality Instructional Materials and Professional Development Network (IMPD), Nebraska piloted a number of strategies.

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Collaborating with Regional Partners for Quality Implementation

Kerry Martinez from the Ohio Department of Education provides information about the agency’s initiatives to ensure that HQIM are selected and implemented, including engaging the support of intermediate organizations.

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How to Avoid the “Hangover” – HQIM Sparks Changes in Systems

Brent Conway from Pentucket Regional School District in Massachusetts discusses overcoming the challenges of resistance to fully implementing new curricular materials. He emphasizes taking into account how HQIM implementation interacts with existing systems, e.g., assessment, teacher evaluation, and scheduling.

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Laying the Groundwork for Effective Implementation of HQIM

Vanessa Hilton from Pasco County, Florida shares lessons about effective adoption of HQIM in a large district, beginning with engaging teachers in selection of materials and training in standards. She describes the district’s systematic approach to piloting, selecting teacher ambassadors, and creating various professional development formats. 

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Implementation Matters: The ROI of HQIM

States have encouraged using ARP/ESSER funds to purchase high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) because there is general consensus that better materials can have a substantial impact on students’ learning outcomes. But simply acquiring HQIM is not enough to ensure results. What lessons have districts learned about implementing HQIM with quality and fidelity? What role can state agencies play in ensuring there is a return on investment from all these new purchases?
 

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Educational Coherence

Educational coherence is an approach of intentionally bringing instructional systems, programs, and educators together for curriculum, programming, and staffing alignment to advance student learning and academic achievement and outcomes.  The collective mindset creates a better learning experience for all students by shaping successful policies and solutions and restoring the sense of shared purpose. 

CCNetwork Resources

Educational Coherence: Curriculum Alignment in Action

Educational Coherence: Curriculum Alignment in Action is a short video that illustrates the differences educational coherence can make in the school day of a fourth-grade student. View the video with colleagues and identify issues with educational coherence in the first half of the video and good practices in the second half of the video.  

 

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