According to a recent news release, ETS, maker of Praxis test preparation tools, and Catapult Learning, which specializes in professional development for K-12, have launched the New Teacher Math & Essentials program for teachers with less than five years of classroom experience. It focuses on math and core competency training.
A longer-term goal is to improve student test scores. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, publisher of The Nation’s Report Card, average math scores from 2020 to 2022 declined by seven points for 9-year-old students. For the time period of 2020-2023, math scores for 13-year-olds declined by nine points.
In a public statement, Jessica Petersen, Catapult Learning general manager for professional development, applauded the partnership for creating “relevant and timely offerings that set educators up for success at a time when they are most needed.”
The intensive six-month training program involves in-person and virtual mentorships, plus access to Catapult Learning’s PDNow on-demand content. The company also has more than 250 K-12 staff coaches, instructor-led institutes, and in-person or online custom staff development workshops, according to the news release.
Philadelphia-based Catapult Learning serves more than 2,100 schools in 500 districts across 42 countries, including 18 of the largest 20 districts in the United States, according to the company website.
ETS, headquartered in New Jersey, develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests across 180 countries, serving the education, government and business sectors. The company also offers research and policy writing services, according to its website.
In February, ETS began a collaboration with Study.com to provide teacher candidates from underrepresented communities with access to personalized learning plans, video lessons, study guides and practice tests.
“We have a responsibility to do everything we can to support educators amidst a growing teacher shortage,” ETS Vice President of K-12 Solutions Paul Gollash said in a news release.
In January, ETS acquired PSI, which develops test content and services for the insurance, real estate, construction and cosmetology industries.
