Voyager Expanded Learning´s Vmath now integrated with the Quantile® Framework for Mathematics
MetaMetrics collaborates with leading intervention provider to allow Texas educators to align mathematics instruction with actionable measures
Dallas, Tex. and Durham, NC — July 27, 2007 — MetaMetrics® Inc. today announced that Voyager Expanded Learning® is integrating The Quantile Framework® for Mathematics into Vmath® Texas Edition, the company’s targeted intervention system that accelerates the mathematics achievement of struggling students by building on and reinforcing the key concepts, skills and strategies of the state’s core mathematics curriculum. Now Vmath Texas Edition is the only mathematics intervention that combines teacher-led instruction and computer-assisted practice with predictive progress assessments powered by the Quantile Framework.
Vmath Texas Edition is written to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards for grades 3-8. In 2007, Quantile® measures were added to the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) reports for all students in grades 3-11.
The Quantile Framework uses a common, developmental scale to measure student mathematics achievement, the difficulty of mathematical skills and concepts and the materials for teaching mathematics. By placing the curriculum, teaching materials and students on the same scale, Quantiles enable educators to predict which mathematical skills and concepts a student is ready to learn and those that will require additional instruction. Then, students can be matched with the resources that meet their learning needs.
“We are extremely excited about our collaboration with MetaMetrics,” said Ron Klausner, president, Voyager Expanded Learning. “Together we are helping Texas teachers assess the progress of students in the Vmath program and adjust instruction where needed, increasing the students chances of passing the TAKS.”
Texas students will take the Quantile-based assessments in Vmath four times each year, allowing teachers to monitor student progress in the program toward grade-level learning goals. Teachers will use the assessment results to analyze students’ mathematics achievement and determine the appropriate beginning Vmath lesson to meet their learning needs.
“By integrating Quantiles into Vmath Texas Edition, Voyager Expanded Learning is offering Texas educators an innovative new way to connect classroom mathematics assessment and instruction to state learning goals,” said Malbert Smith III, Ph.D., president, MetaMetrics. “We are pleased to collaborate with Voyager to help raise the level of mathematics achievement for the states students.”
About MetaMetrics Inc.
MetaMetrics, a privately held educational measurement company, develops scientifically based measures of student achievement that link assessment with instruction, foster better educational practices and improve learning by matching students to materials that meet and challenge their abilities. The company’s team of experienced psychometricians developed The Lexile Framework® for Reading and its companion scale, The Quantile Framework for Mathematics. The Lexile Framework (www.Lexile.com) provides a common, developmental scale for matching reader ability and text difficulty. Lexile® measures enable educators, parents and students to select targeted materials that can improve reading skills and to monitor reading growth across the curriculum, in the library and at home. Recognized as the most widely adopted reading measure, Lexiles are part of reading and testing programs in the classroom and at the district and state levels. More than 100,000 books, 80 million articles and 60,000 Web sites have Lexile measures, and all major standardized tests can report student reading scores in Lexiles. The Quantile Framework (www.Quantiles.com) measures mathematics achievement and the difficulty of mathematical skills and problems similar to the way Lexiles measure reading ability and text readability. Quantiles identify the mathematical skills a student has learned, those that require instruction and new skills the student is ready to learn, enabling educators to use Quantile measures to target instruction, monitor student progress and forecast performance on high-stakes tests.
About Voyager Expanded Learning
Voyager Expanded Learning provides core, intervention and supplemental reading programs, as well as math intervention and ongoing professional development programs, for school districts throughout the United States. Founded in 1994, Voyager has delivered extended-time reading and basic skills intervention programs, as well as large-scale reading programs, to more than 900 school districts in cities such as Miami, Richmond, New York and Los Angeles, resulting in dramatically improved student performance. Voyager Expanded Learning, L.P., is based in Dallas, Texas. For more information, please visit www.voyagerlearning.com or call 1-888-399-1995.