For 2015-2016, iLearn offers new ways to document and encourage student learning and growth with enhanced feedback and a new incentive system.
What is enhanced feedback?
We’ve always encouraged students to be motivated by their own success, and this in turn increases their confidence in math. This year students will experience enhanced feedback with sights, sounds and rewards when they complete elements, from the smallest but important accomplishments of Lesson Instruction and Lesson Practice, to the greatest achievements of passing Unit Mastery Tests.
With the new enhanced feedback, students not only see and hear a celebration of their success, they earn Coins, Gems, Points, and Unit trophies as they master concepts. Students are automatically rewarded with Unit Trophies, and can use Coins and Gems to collect stickers and other items from the iLearn Store to customize their screen and learning experience.
We encourage you as educators to use all of these, and particularly the new Points system to develop goals and incentives to reward your students’ success. With the awarding of Coins, Gems, Points and Unit Trophies, students have new ways to be motivated by their success and to develop even more confidence in math. We hope that you also find new ways to identify and help reach goals while plugging into the success.
What are Coins and how do students earn them?
Students earn Coins just by moving forward in the program – it’s that simple! The more a student advances throughout the school year the more Coins they earn. This includes successful completion of Unit Challenge and Mastery Tests, Chapter Challenge and Mastery Tests, Lesson Challenge Quizzes, Lesson Instructions, Lesson Practices, Lesson Mixed Practices, and Chapter Practices. Students earn a specified and varying number of coins depending on the location – just by advancing.
The amount of Coins students earn all depends on their rate of progress. Students can earn a similar amount of coins regardless of whether they challenge past a Chapter, or complete the needed Lessons and then pass the Chapter Mastery Test. But, they can earn Coins faster when they challenge past the content they know, and spend their time learning what they need. Just like in any learning environment, it’s always best when students give their best effort.
Students can use Coins to collect stickers and other items from the iLearn Store and view them in their Sticker Book (on the iPASS menu page). Students can view their items in the Sticker Book and customize their learning interface by choosing a selection to display on screen!
What are Gems and how do students earn them?
Students can earn Gems by going above-and-beyond the minimum requirements, and students can earn more than one Gem at a time, depending on their performance. For example, a student can earn two Gems on a Chapter Mastery Test, one by scoring 100% and another by passing the Test on the first attempt. Gems incentivize students to not only advance, but do their best. Gems are earned less frequently than points, but can be used in the Store to collect Gem-specific specialty items. Like Items collected with coins, students can also display Gem-specific items on screen.
Gems and the feedback they receive for earning them help reward students for giving their best effort.
What are Points and how do students earn them?
In previous school years students received points by answering questions correctly; it was a simple count of correct answers. This count is still available in the Highlights and Activity Reports as “# Correct.”
For 2015-2016, Points are different. They document progress in the program to and beyond grade level. The new Points track a cumulative total of elements each student exempts or masters. The new Points system allows you to know the location of a student by their Points. Point totals always increase along with the progress of each student, and are not affected by students using Coins and Gems to collect items in the Store.
Using the new Points as Goals
If you used Points in the past as a metric to reward students, just remember that Points are now different. Correct answers are now displayed in the Highlights and Activity Reports as “# Correct.” We highly recommend setting individual goals based on the new Points rather than the number of correct answers.
Significant milestones might include the following:
Points earned by mid-year
Points to reach a new grade level
Points to reach the beginning of each student’s enrolled grade level.
Points to complete, or even exceed content in a student’s enrolled grade level.
Just remember that the Point goals may vary based on the enrolled grade level of the student.
What are Unit Trophies?
Each time a student passes a Unit Challenge Test, or a Unit Mastery Test, they are awarded a Unit Trophy in celebration of their success. Each Trophy identifies the Unit passed, and automatically appears in the student’s Sticker Book. Students can see all Unit Trophies earned in their Sticker Book and along with stickers collected display a selection on screen.
