Students at all levels of English language proficiency need opportunities to practice speaking and listening skills in the classroom. Activities that invite students to talk with each other about what they are learning build essential language skills while also increasing student engagement. In this blog post, we’re going to walk you through the rationale for…
Listenwise is excited to announce that we have earned ESSA Level IV certification via third-party partner LearnPlatform. This achievement means that Listenwise has demonstrated that we meet the requirements of compliance with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). “The Listenwise solution has a foundation in existing research,” says Mary Styers, Ph.D., Director of Research, LearnPlatform…
Are you seeking to improve your listening scores on the SBAC, CAASPP, ELPAC, ILEARN, English I and II assessments, TELPAS, WIDA, or other standardized tests? ELA and ESL state assessments focus on listening skills in at least 22 states and counting. We know that test preparation can be stressful for teachers and students alike, and…
Listenwise CEO Monica Brady-Myerov recently visited classrooms in California and shares her experiences here. Griffiths Middle School in Downey, CA. I had the privilege of visiting one of the many middle schools in California implementing Listenwise across the school. I wanted to share the inventive, inspiring and successful ways I saw teachers at Griffiths Middle…
If you are a California educator, you received your SBAC scores recently. In California, the SBAC test is known as the CAASPP. We compared year-to-year growth for our middle school customers using Listenwise and found positive results! 79% of our middle school users increased their listening scores from 2017 to 2019, and the Listenwise users…
Engaging students in substantive, meaningful discussions that demand critical and creative thinking can be challenging in any instructional context. When the magic happens, however, such conversations can be the stuff of teachers’ most memorable classroom moments. Google Classroom allows teachers to set up online discussions very easily, making it a perfect app to use in…
Did you know that twenty-two states now assess listening on their annual English Language Arts assessment? Notably, in Indiana, listening skills are now being tested on ILEARN, and this spring, listening is being tested as part of the English I and II assessments in Missouri. In Texas, the English Learner assessment, the TELPAS, is now bringing…
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) call for several Key Shifts in Language Arts that have implications across the curriculum. Listenwise can help teachers of many subjects address these shifts. Shift 1: Regular practice with complex texts and their academic language Listenwise audio stories are engaging complex texts full of academic language. They are authentic…
The blog was published in March 2018 and updated in November 2019. This blog is meant to be a helpful resource for California educators whose students are tested on their listening skills through the English learner assessment called the ELPAC and within the ELA portion of CAASPP. See below how the ELPAC compares with the…
Interaction, oral language, speaking practice, cooperative learning, discussion groups–there are many ways to have students practice speaking and listening using academic language. Practice is necessary for students to develop into people who can articulate their thoughts and communicate effectively. And for English learners, speaking practice is critical. Research shows that oral proficiency won’t increase without…
