MetaMetrics originally developed the Lexile and Quantile frameworks, and Istation, short for Imagination Station, provides game-like educational materials for students. Having an established working relationship since 2014, according to a news release, the two companies will offer the Lexile and Quantile Educator Academy to educators as a self-paced, 20-hour program involving four modules each for Lexile and Quantile frameworks, aiming to make participants their school’s resident expert in the process.
MetaMetrics spokeswoman Lizzy Lattanzio said the company collaborated with students from the University of North Carolina’s School of Education’s Master of Arts in Educational Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship program to come up with the professional development course, which officially launched in 2021.
“Our frameworks are backed by science, and we know that when (students are) within their (Lexile and Quantile) range, they’re growing,” Lattanzio told Government Technology. “Our hope would be that we meet students where they are and that we continue to help them grow.”
According to the academy website, within the modules, the educator will first learn the foundation of the frameworks and discover how to use assessments. Next the educator will be trained on the framework tools and resources to create data-driven lessons for class. A third module leads them to make a plan for student growth, as well as a list of potential career paths based on the framework, and the final module brings parents into the mix to create unique activities and lessons. Following the completion of the course, educators receive a certificate as well as Continuing Education Units or professional development hours accepted in over 20 states.
“What we have learned through our years of research, and what has become apparent also with COVID, is that we need to meet students where they are, and one size absolutely does not fit all,” Istation President and COO Ossa Fisher told Government Technology. “With this training, teachers will have additional tools, resources and knowledge for how to differentiate instruction to meet the students where they are with the instruction that they need at that time. It’s creating a far more personalized, differentiated experience for every student in the classroom, regardless of where they are when they walked in the door that day.”
Lattanzio said that after an educator completes the courses, the company, through analytics, can see how they go on to implement the tools in the classroom. She said an educator doesn’t have to use the Istation platform but can apply insights from Lexile and Quantile frameworks to design their own classroom lessons that best suit the students. The ultimate goal, she said, is to create more engaging instruction and save educators time in the classroom.
Fisher said the addition of research and technology, as well as the professional development, is setting the stage for a greater influence in the education technology space.
“It’s really the next step and deepening the learning and the impact of our respective tools,” she said.
