LANGUAGE! Live offers more for struggling readers than any other product. Proven foundational and advanced reading intervention. Peer-to-peer instruction. Literacy brain science. A captivating modern, digital platform for grades 5–12. All in one affordable solution. More is possible
Grades K-5 blended literacy intervention
Grades K-5 online reading practice
Grades 4-12 print literacy program
Grades K-12 writing program
Grades 4-12 literacy intervention
Grades Pre-K-5 adaptive blended literacy instruction
Grades 6-12 adaptive blended literacy instruction
TransMath® Third Edition is a comprehensive math intervention curriculum that targets middle and high school students who lack the foundational skills necessary for entry into algebra and/or who are two or more years below grade level in math.
A targeted math intervention program for struggling students in grades 2–8 that provides additional opportunities to master critical math concepts and skills.
Empowers students in grades K–8 to master math content at their own pace in a motivating online environment.
Inside Algebra engages at-risk students in grades 8–12 through explicit, conceptually based instruction to ensure mastery of algebraic skills.
Developed by renowned literacy experts Dr. Louisa Moats and Dr. Carol Tolman, LETRS® is a flexible literacy professional development solution for preK–5 educators. LETRS earned the International Dyslexia Association's Accreditation and provides teachers with the skills they need to master the fundamentals of reading instruction—phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and language.
Online professional development event is designed for preK to college educators interested in improving student success in reading and writing
Literacy solutions guided by LETRS’ science of reading pedagogy, the Structured Literacy approach, and explicit teaching of sound-letter relationships for effective reading instruction.
NUMBERS is an interactive, hands-on mathematics professional development offering for elementary and middle school math teachers.
Best Behavior Features Elements to Create a Happy, Healthy School Environment
Look to ClearSight to measure student mastery of state standards with items previously used on state high-stakes assessments. ClearSight Interim and Checkpoint Assessments include multiple forms of tests for grades K–high school.
Reliable, Research-Based Assessment Solutions to Support Literacy and Math
Enhance early reading success and identify students experiencing difficulty acquiring foundational literacy skills.
A companion tool for use with Acadience Reading K–6 to determine instructional level and progress monitoring.
Assess critical reading skills for students in grades K–6 and older students with very low skills.
Assess essential pre-literacy and oral language skills needed for kindergarten.
Predict early mathematics success and identify students experiencing difficulty acquiring foundational math skills.
Give educators a fast and accurate way to enter results online and receive a variety of reports that facilitate instructional decision making.
A brief assessment that can be used with Acadience Reading K–6 to screen students for reading difficulties such as dyslexia.
A new, online touch-enabled test administration and data system that allows educators to assess students and immediately see results, providing robust reporting at the student, class, school, and district levels.
Research-based, computer-adaptive reading and language assessment for grades K-12.
Unparalleled support for our educator partners
We work with schools and districts to customize an implementation and ongoing support plan.
Get Started
Customer Support
Grades 5-12 blended literacy intervention
Flexible literacy professional development solution for preK–12 educators.
Focused on engaging students with age-appropriate instruction and content that supports and enhances instruction.
Reading intervention for grades K–5.
At Voyager Sopris Learning®, our mission is to work with educators to help them meet and surpass their goals for student achievement.
About Us
Contact Us
News
Conferences and Events
Careers
eLibrary
LANGUAGE!®
LANGUAGE! Live®
LETRS®
Literacy Symposium
RAVE-O®
Reading Rangers
REWARDS®
Step Up to Writing®
TransMath®
Vmath®
VmathLive®
Voyager Passport
We Can
by Horacio Sanchez on Jan 11, 2021
REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR
In the simplest terms, bias is defined as the brain taking a shortcut to reduce cognitive load. Our brains learn by making associations.
As the human brain evolved, the brain automatically associated things that are disproportionally connected in our environments. For example, when teachers review test data, if a subpopulation consistently underperforms, eventually, when the educator sees a student from that subgroup, their brains will associate them with poor academic performance. The mind is attempting to eliminate steps, so you don't have to focus on frequently correlated things. The problem arises when the brain makes an association that you don't want because it can detrimentally bias conscious thoughts.
Teachers are aware there is a higher occurrence of low-academic performance, behavioral problems, and poor decision making among low-income students. They are also aware that Blacks and Hispanics living in America are more likely to live in poverty. According to the 2017 census, Blacks are more than twice as likely as Whites to live below the poverty line. Many economic policies instituted after slavery restricted economic opportunities for Blacks. Today, two-thirds of Black children will experience poverty. The result is the subconscious association of Blacks to poverty.
The patterns associated with poverty in America have created a new bias in the school setting. It is difficult for teachers to see a Black student and not subconsciously associate them with the behaviors commonly exhibited by low socioeconomic students, and research confirms this.
The association will prime teachers' brains to expect poor academic performance, inappropriate behavior, and poor decision making. Researchers have concluded there is no other explanation for some of the disproportionate representation of Black students in educational data other than implicit bias.
For example, Black preschoolers are 3.6 times more likely than White preschoolers to receive one or more suspensions. When you consider that Black children comprise only 19 percent of preschool enrollment but receive 47 percent of preschooler suspensions, you begin to understand why some researchers believe implicit bias is the root cause.
Some explain the gap in student performance as simply race related. However, race alone cannot explain the disproportionate academic and behavioral outcomes experienced by most children of color. I am not saying race is not a contributing factor. In America, we have compounded the issues of race to be so closely tied to the problems of the poor that we have falsely attributed them to people of color.
While schools continue to focus on the achievement gap between White and Black students, they have missed a salient point. The income-achievement gap has widened substantially over the last 25 years. However, the emergence of a Black middle class and its academic performance illustrates that race does not inherently cause poor school outcomes.
The issue is that so many Blacks are included in the income gap; it goes unnoticed that it is not a racial gap but an economic gap. The historical pattern of poverty associated with people of color in America produces the bias of seeing someone of color and subconsciously associating them with a wide range of behaviors commonly connected with the poor. Later this week, I will address these issues and what we can do about them to help all students achieve during my EDVIEW360 webinar, “The Poverty Problem—The Impact of Poverty on Learning and the Brain.” The presentation is part of Voyager Sopris Learning’s Social Emotional Webinar Series, and I’ll be giving each registrant a free poster and the chance to win a copy of one of my books.
Teachers can help students examine the sociopolitical context
Teachers can modify the curriculum
I hope you’ll join me later this week on Wednesday, Jan. 13, for my EDVIEW360 presentation, “The Poverty Problem—The Impact of Poverty on Learning and the Brain,” where I will address these issues and what we can do about them to help all students achieve.
Horacio Sanchez, CEO of Resiliency Inc., is the author of The Poverty Problem. The book explains how economic hardship is changing our students' brain structures at a genetic level, producing psychological, behavioral, and cognitive issues that dramatically impact learning, behavior, physical health, and emotional stability. This groundbreaking book by one of the nation's top experts in brain science and resilience offers solutions that will change minds, attitudes, and behaviors.
Add your email here to sign up for EDVIEW 360 blogs, webinars, and podcasts. We'll send you an email when new posts and episodes are published.