You Could Still Win a $50 Gift Card

You will be hearing a lot about Captain Captivator this year. This post from the Stride blog explains all about him.

Are you taking a trip between now and July 27? If not, will you be working in your classroom or visiting a neat place in your home town? You could win a $50 gift card to TeachersPayTeachers.com.

To get started, print out this picture of Captain Captivator. Take him with you to interesting places. Post a photo to Twitter that includes him and tell where you are. Include the hashtag #MonumentalAchiever. You don't have to email anything. Simply using the correct hashtag puts your photo in front of the right eyes. That's it!

Want to see what photos others have posted? Click this link. (I think it will work even if you don't have a Twitter account.)

Not on Twitter?
Speaking of not having a Twitter account, why not take 5 minutes and get started? The first step in moving from "I don't understand what Twitter is all about" to "Now I get it...and it's worth it" is to create an account. Go to Twitter.com.

But before you do, here is my quick suggestion...decide on a username first. Go to Namevine.com. Enter a name you would like. You can use letters, numbers, and an underscore. Do not use spaces.

You will see if the name is available not only on Twitter, but on all of the major social media networks. The best user name is...well, your name. It sort of makes it easy for other people to remember your Twitter name that way. If you can't get JoeSmith, try Joe_Smith, JoeMSmith, JSmith, JMSmith, DrJoeSmith, etc. The more common your name, the more you might have to play around with it to find something that's not already taken. Namevine.com is the best way I know to find a username that's going to work everywhere.

Once you have decided on your username, hop over to Twitter before someone else scoops it up and create your account. Then post pictures of your travels with Captain Captivator and include the hashtag #MonumentalAchiever. You may be the winner!

5 New Stride Games to Kickstart Summer

LTS distributed a email in late May about 5 new games that are available now. If you did not receive that email, here is the information.

Congratulations to all students and teachers on the close of another great school year. It’s Summertime!  Please enjoy 5 brand-new Arcade game selections, available today (and all summer long!) when you login to Stride.

Star Burst

Solve math problems and aim your Starfish at the correct answer to score as many points as you can before time runs out!  Available for Grades K-5.

Flappy Challenge

Navigate the Flappy Fly safely through a maze of hurdles — but take care, or she’ll go “splat!” Available for all grades.

Diameter

Test your timing and reaction skills with this fast-paced, arcade-style game. Available for all grades.

Klokz

This “survival” game requires you to use your sense of direction and timing to act fast and “stay alive” as you dodge projectiles coming at you from every direction! Available for all grades.

Korridor

Be quick! Challenge your reaction skills to make it all the way through the fast-moving korridor obstacle course. Available for all grades. 

Be sure your students are aware of these new game selections before school lets out for the summer!  If you need help, please feel free to reach out to Customer Support at support@ltsed.com or call toll-free at 866.552.9192, ext. 2.

This entry was posted in Games and tagged arcade, Games, summeron May 21, 2015 by Cate Powell.

Ideas for Recognizing Academic Badges

This post is from the LTS blog. This idea is just one way to motivate student achievement in Stride Academy. 

Academic Badges Inspire Student Achievement

Oscar Adams Elementary School in Gadsden, AL, motivates students and prepares for the ACT Aspire with a unique contest driven by academic badges earned in Stride Academy.

Contests are an easy way to get students enthusiastic about Stride Academy Oscar Adams Elementary School in Gadsden, AL, added their own flare to Stride contests by creating a “Show Your Badges” contest focused on academic badges. Stride academic badges are earned when a student answers 80% of the available questions in a skill category with 70% accuracy. Educators at Oscar Adams Elementary created this contest during the third nine weeks’ grading period to reward students who were mastering skills, encourage students to try their best, and help eliminate guessing at answers in Stride Academy. Each week, the K-5 student who earned the most academic badges during the week was presented with a certificate, a coupon for a free icecream, and recognition during the morning announcements.

At the end of ten weeks, the student who earned the most academic badges overall during the contest period would claim the Grand Prize. In the end, three students tied for the Grand Prize with 39 academic badges each. Each Grand Prize winner received a certificate, coupons for free popcorn or icecream, recognition during the morning announcements, and lunch with a staff member or friend of their choice.  The winners were photographed and honored on the school’s bulletin board and website.

Congratulations to the Grand Prize winners RaNyiah D. in Ms. Brooks’ 3rd grade class, Carlos S. in Ms. Johnson’s 2nd grade class, and Krystiana F. in Ms. Newton’s 2nd grade class!

We would also like to congratulate the weekly winners at Oscar Adams Elementary:

Week 1: Jason L., Mr. Mason’s 2nd grade class

Week 2: Ashley F., Ms. Newton’s 2nd grade class

Week 3: Ariyuna M., Mr. Mason’s 2nd grade class and Hennessy P., Ms. Cooley’s 3rd grade class

Week 4: Kennedy F., Ms. Bone’s 4th grade class and Je’Brelon J., Ms. Baker’s 1st grade class

Week 5: Antaniyah L., Ms. Johnson’s 2nd grade class

Week 6: EmMaya F., Ms. Carlton’s 5th grade class

Week 7: Krystiana F., Ms. Newton’s 2nd grade class

Week 8: Joshua O., Mr. Mason’s 2nd grade class

Week 9: Bradley G., Ms. Bone’s 4th grade class

Week 10: Madison B., Ms. Baker’s 1st grade class

In conjunction with the “Show Your Badges” contest, teachers at Oscar Adams Elementary have used Stride Academy to help prepare for the ACT Aspire end of year assessment. Students involved in their afterschool program, EDGE, have been logging on to Stride Academy for extra test preparation. Beth Webster, Title I Resource Teacher, shared, “[Stride Academy] is a great resource for test prep!”  Since Stride Academy has 24/7 access, teachers have encouraged students to login from home for extra practice.

Thank you to the educators at Oscar Adams Elementary School for finding new and creative ways to encourage student use in Stride Academy! We are proud of your achievements this year!

If you would like your school featured on our blog, please email Cate Powell to share how you are using Stride Academy!

This entry was posted in Contests, Stride Academy Spotlight and tagged academic badges, ACT Aspire,Contest on April 29, 2015 by Cate Powell.

Stride Academy Wins Two Awards

Stride Academy by LTS Education Systems Wins Two 2015 Best Educational Software Awards

Adaptive, Game-Based Learning Platform Wins in Online Multi-Subject Learning Platform and Teacher Productivity Tools Categories

• Birmingham, AL (PRWEB) April 23, 2015

LTS Education Systems (http://www.ltseducation.com), a leading publisher of adaptive, digital game-based learning technology, announced today that the Stride Academy™ program for Pre-Kindergarten through High School has been awarded a 2015 Best Educational Software Award (BESSIE) in two categories: Online Multi-Subject Learning Platform and Teacher Productivity Tools.

The distinguished BESSIE awards competition is in its 21st year and recognizes innovative and content-rich software programs (including apps for iPad and Android) and websites that provide parents and teachers with the technology to foster educational excellence. Winning programs are selected based on academic content, subject approach, management system, technical merit, and potential for broad classroom use, among other criteria.

This year, the BESSIE competition placed greater emphasis on identifying winning programs that are aligned to the Common Core State Standards, meanwhile offering high quality content, graphics and interactivity. According to The ComputED Gazette, sponsor of the BESSIE Awards, the CCSS-aligned programs can assist school districts with the challenge of bringing all students up to the CCSS standards in preparation for the Smarter Balanced tests, which some states will begin to administer this year.

Stride Academy Math and ELA curriculum is engineered to align directly to the CCSS, as well as individual states’ higher learning standards. As a Multi-Subject Online Learning Platform, Stride Academy offers Math, Reading and Language Arts content for Pre-K through Grade 8, as well as Science content for Grades 3-8 and End-of-Course High School content (including Algebra I and II, Geometry, English I, II and III; United States History and Biology). Stride Academy also offers Spanish translations to support English Language Learners.

Stride Academy provides a suite of Teacher Productivity Tools, which teachers can use flexibly in the classroom, including: automated online assessments (diagnostic and formative), automated online quiz-building and grading, adaptive technology to personalize interventions, curriculum assignment aligned to core standards, data analytics and real-time progress monitoring, and finally a game-based rewards system and automated contests for motivating students.

“LTS greatly appreciates being recognized as one of the best educational software programs available in such a highly competitive market,” said Brian M. Shulman, Founder and CEO. “It is a testament to the hard work of our team members and the valuable input of our customers and partners, which we take very seriously. We will continue to design our programs with the student and the teacher in mind every step of the way.”

To read more about ComputED Gazette’s 21st Annual Best Educational Software Awards, visithttp://computedgazette.com/page3.html.

About LTS Education Systems
LTS has spent 14 years engineering innovative, personalized and motivational online educational programming. LTS’ development team strives to enhance the 21st Century student’s learning experience through an adaptive, digital game-based learning methodology that has been recently recognized by Dr. Bill Daggett and the International Center for Leadership in Education as a major trend in successful educational practices to promote college and career readiness. For more information, visit http://www.LTSeducation.com orhttp://www.strideacademy.com.

Stride Academy Alabama e-News: April 2015 Let's Get Busy with Spring!  Ahhh... Springtime!  Just as temperatures are warming and Mother Nature is bursting all around us, your academic calendar may soon be overflowing with testing dates and scheduled activities! From the crew at Stride Academy, we wish all of our Alabama students and educators well on their ACT Aspire this Spring!  Good luck! Accelerated Achievers Contest Extended! Don't miss your chance to win one of the coveted top spots in ourStride Academy Accelerated Achievers Contest! For the second year in a row, this statewide contest will recognize the Alabama elementary school, middle school and high school with the Top Overall Usage and the Top Afterschool Usage. The contest deadline has been extended through April 30th, so be sure your students log on to Stride Academy for the chance to compete for this honor!  Each category winner will receive a trophy to display at their school, and be recognized in our Stride Academy blog and May e-News.  Nominate Your Super Principal and Teacher It's time to nominate one principal and one teacher who have effectively or creatively used Stride Academy at their school for the chance to receive thePrincipal Impact Award and theTeacher Impact Award.  Each winner will receive a trophy to display at their school and will be featured on theStride Academy blog and in our May e-News.  Impact Award Guidelines: Share how a teacher/principal has effectively or creatively promoted and applied the use of Stride Academy at your school in 500 characters or less. Submissions should be sent to cpowell@ltsed.com and must include the teacher or principal's name, grade level and school name. All submissions are due by April 24, 2015. The winner for each category will be selected by a panel of Stride AcademyAcademic Specialists.   Principal Spotlight Dr. Donna Hudson, Principal at Lincoln Elementary School in Lincoln, AL, shares her personal experience with Stride Academy: "I observed a teacher doing a reading assessment with Stride Academy this morning. I was very impressed with the ease at which she was able to make the test directly correlated with standards!"  We love hearing how  Stride Academy is being used in the classroom. Thank you to the staff and students at Lincoln Elementary for your hard work in Stride Academy this year!  Spring Break Can Wait!  Assistant Principal Karri Findley at Saks Elementary School in Anniston, AL, looks on while students enjoy working on Stride Academy just before Spring Break.  Star Point Standouts Students at Conecuh County Junior High School in Castleberry, AL, have diligently worked on Stride Academy this year.  Jeffrey B., Ethan D.,James B., Samuel B., Lamont W., Sonija E., and Noah B. have each accumulated more than 2 million Star Points!  Outstanding job! Do you want to share your school's Stride Academy success stories? Contact: Cate Powell, Customer Experience Specialist  Email: cpowell@ltsed.com Phone: 866.552.9192, ext. 1025

Stride Academy E-News

STRIDE ACADEMY ALABAMA E-NEWS March 2015

Alabama students continue to shine with outstanding usage of Stride Academy! Thank you for sending in your highlights this month! We look forward to hearing about your Spring Break contests and incentives!  A Fast Stride to Excellence  Students at Bush Hills Academy in Birmingham, AL, are doing outstanding work in Stride Academy! Each month, teachers host a contest with the top ten students winning special prizes and receiving a "shout-out" over the school intercom.  "We are so excited that our teachers, students, and parents are on a fast stride to excellence!" - Judy Ross, Principal, Bush Hills Academy Celebrating Achievements at Lincoln Elementary Lincoln Elementary School in Lincoln, AL, displays Stride Academy achievements in the hallway of the school. Each winner receives a certificate for their "Leadership Notebook."  1st place winner for the Reindeer Ruckus Holiday Challenge wasFeliza Z. with over 2,400,000 Star Points, followed by Tatyanna O.,Hunter J., Brendan B., and Olivia C. Olivia C. took home 1st place in the Winter Blitz Challenge, totaling over 218,000 Star Points.Makealei D., Tatyanna O., Samantha H., and Feliza Z. were also among the Top 5 Winners for this contest. Congratulations!  Stride Academy Super Stars Totaling over 50,000,000 Star Points, these students from Lyeffion Junior High School in Evergreen, AL, have proven to be Super Stars in their class! Way to go!  The Race Continues at Forest Oaks Elementary Students are making great progress in the "Stride-A-Thon" at Forest Oaks Elementary School in Chelsea, AL. Students have answered over 600,000 questionswith 38% after-school usage! Keep up the great work!  Hoedown Showdown at Kitty Stone Elementary The Holiday Hoedown Contest at Kitty Stone Elementary School in Jacksonville, AL, was a huge success!Assistant Principal Rhonda Tinker appreciated how easy it was to set up school-wide contests and loved awarding students for their achievements!  Noah W., winner in Mrs. Parker's4th grade class Elijah J., winner in Mrs.Gardner's Kindergarten class Jacob Roberts, 2nd grade winner in Mrs.Johnson's class; Charles Jackson, 2nd grade winner in Mrs. Spears' class; Kolby Boyd, 3rd grade winner in Mrs. Harvey's class; IsabelleHerbert, 6th grade winner in Mrs. Guyton'sclass; Sophie Bivins, 3rd grade winner in Mrs.Wilson's class​ Kerrie S. and Gabriel T., 1st grade winners in Mrs. Henderson's class; Caden J.and Dawson C., 4th grade winners in Mrs.McGowan's class;  Jaden W., 5th Grade winner in Mrs. Ryan's class Instant Video Streaming Available Now!  Don't forget to check out the NEW Search and Play Video Library available on the Teacher Control Panel. Share your fresh ideas on how you are using this video library in your classroom by emailing Cate atcpowell@ltsed.com.  Are You Ready for ACT Aspire?  ACT Aspire is right around the corner. We hope you've found Stride Academy helpful in preparing students to become familiar with the Technology-Enhanced Item Types and skills they will see on the tests. We would love to hear how you've used Stride Academy in your test preparation efforts. Tell us how you used PMAs, Quiz Builder or other resources in Stride Academy to prepare for ACT Aspire, and we will feature you in our blog!  Share Your Story Do you have a Stride Academy story to share? We want to hear it! Please email your school highlights to Cate Powell, Customer Experience Specialist, at cpowell@ltsed.com to be featured in next month's e-news.

Newsletter from LTS

Stride Academy Alabama e-News: February 2015 We are always astounded by the fresh new ideas our teachers and administrators come up with for Stride Academy contests and incentives. In honor of Valentine's Day, here are some of our all-time favorites, if you're looking to sweeten your students' experience with Stride Academy! 10 Contest Ideas We LOVE News Anchor for a Day - Award your top scorers with the privilege of reading the morning announcements, whether over the intercom or video announcements. Coin Master - See how many coins your students can earn on Stride Academy before cashing them in for gameplay. Honor the top coin earner by announcing the winner as the Coin Master. Snowball Fight! - Yes, you read that right! One Stride Academy school in Texas is staging a fake snow-ball fight for the top users in the school from January to February. Wall of Fame - Highlight your students' Stride Academy milestones by creating a Wall of Fame with each week's high scorers.  Student Aide for a Day - Allow your top earners the chance to assist a class as the teacher's aide for the day. Stride-A-Thon - Showcase your classes' growth over the course of the school year with weekly incentives and visual growth charts. Celebrate the class with the most usage at the end of the school year with a pizza party!   We've Got Spirit - Award top class winners with a spirit stick and celebrate their victory with a popcorn party. Stride Academy Royalty - Award the "King and Queen of Answers" to the students who have the highest number of correctly answered questions in Stride Academy.  1 Million Star Points Club - Each quarter, recognize students who have achieved 1 million Star points at an Honors Assembly.  Pizza with the Principal - Recognize the top boy and girl student with the most usage from each grade with a pizza party with the principal.  We want to hear from you! Share with us your Valentines' contest to be featured in the next Stride Academy e-news issue by emailing Cate Powell, at cpowell@ltsed.com.  Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Nowling pictured with MLK,Jr. contest winners, Madisen W. and Sara H. Pictured above are students who exceeded 50,000 Star points during the MLK, Jr. Contest. Teachers Go Above and Beyond Sixth grade teachers, Mrs. Nowling and Mrs. Smith atNew Brockton Elementary School in New Brockton, AL, have pushed themselves to go above and beyond their daily responsibilities to encourage student participation in Stride Academy contests. Their hardwork has paid off as students earned over 12 million Star Points during the MLK, Jr. Holiday Contest! The winners of this contest, Sara H. with over 6 million Star points and Madisen W. with over 1 million Star points, were awarded the opportunity to be a Kindergarten aide for a half-day. Along with these winners, 24 students earned over 50,000 Star pointsduring the contest! Congratulations to you all on this great achievement!  Contests Spark Students' Enthusiasm for Stride Academy North Highland Elementary School in Hueytown, AL hosted a Stride Academy contest over the holidays to encourage learning outside of school. Students were eager to participate in order to claim the prize. With over 3 million Star points, 5th grader Emma M. was awarded 1st place in the holiday contest with Camden M.capturing 2nd place with over 1 million Star points. Overall grade winners includedKennedy W. in 4th grade, Tala W. in 3rd grade, Chenel B. in 2nd grade, Cooper M.in 1st grade and Caleb G. in Kindergarten.  Striding to the Finish Line Students at Forest Oaks Elementary School in Chelsea, AL started the year off with a bang! Educators are seeing an increase in student usage by tracking the number of questions answered in each class from January to April.  Loving Lab Time Students at Alexandria Elementary School in Alexandria, AL enjoy logging on to Stride Academy during lab time!  Reminder: PMA Form 4 Available Feb. 15th  Our 4th and FINAL Progress Monitoring Assessment will be available Feb. 15th - Apr. 4th. Make plans to add this online assessment to your Spring test prep efforts!  Questions? Contact: Cate Powell ♥ Customer Experience Specialist   866.552.9192, ext. 1025 ♥ Email: cpowell@ltsed.com