Lexia Learning, a Cambium Learning® Group company, announced today that Florida’s Commissioner of Education has approved Lexia® Core5® Reading (Core5) as curriculum in elementary intervention courses. Lexia® PowerUp® Literacy (PowerUp) has also been approved for intervention courses in grades six and above. The two programs have been approved for a five-year period, beginning April 1, 2021 and ending March 31, 2026.
Core5 and PowerUp underwent a rigorous review process before obtaining approval. In fact, Lexia was the only company to make the list across K-5 intervention courses. The process saw education experts review the materials and ensure they aligned with Florida’s Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards. In addition, each school district superintendent nominated a classroom teacher or district-level content supervisor to perform independent reviews. Members of the public were also able to review the materials online for two weeks. Finally, the Commissioner of Education assessed the state and district reviewer evaluations, public feedback and cost of the materials before giving approval.
Core5 is an adaptive blended learning program that accelerates the foundational and advanced literacy skills for students of all abilities in elementary grades. Core5 provides all students—from at-risk to on-level and advanced—a systematic and structured approach to six areas of reading, from phonological awareness to comprehension. With Core5, teachers are empowered to differentiate instruction for each student using meaningful data powered by Lexia’s patented Assessment Without Testing® technology. Administrators can see a full picture of academic progress across a district, school, grade and class, down to the individual student.
Developed to address the decades-long gap in reading proficiency across the nation, PowerUp is designed to enhance core English language arts instruction for struggling readers in grades six and above. Blending personalized online student-driven instruction with teacher-delivered lessons and activities, the program accelerates the development of both fundamental literacy skills and higher-order thinking skills through adaptive learning paths.
The Florida Department of Education reviews instructional materials by subject on a five-year adoption cycle. K-12 English language arts materials were the focus of the 2020-2021 year. However, since Florida districts can select materials on their own (after providing a preview to the public), the two Lexia programs have already been implemented in many schools. In fact, 39,781 pupils across the state use Core5 and 20,929 students use PowerUp.
One current Lexia customer added this, “We’re using Lexia Core5 as our primary phonics and phonemic awareness intervention. It’s a great platform—not only do the kids enjoy it, but the scripted lessons can be delivered by a teacher, paraprofessional or parent,” said Jason Koerner, principal, J. Michael Conley Elementary School, Tallahassee.
“Dozens of peer-reviewed research studies have proven that Lexia’s literacy solutions are some of the most effective in the country. We are grateful to those individuals in Florida who were responsible for selecting Lexia. They are following the science and have recognized all of the evidence our programs have and decided to put our best-in-class blended learning program into their teachers’ and students’ hands,” said Liz Brooke, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Lexia’s chief learning officer. “Lexia can help schools start making an impact in just 10 weeks, so we’re delighted to be in a position to help even more of Florida’s educators close students’ learning gaps and mitigate issues caused by the pandemic.”
About Lexia Learning
Lexia Learning, a Cambium Learning® Group company, empowers educators through adaptive assessment and personalized instruction. For more than 30 years, the company has been on the leading edge of research and product development as it relates to student reading skills. With a robust offering that includes solutions for differentiated instruction, personalized learning, and assessment, Lexia Learning provides educators with the tools to intensify and accelerate literacy skills development for students of all abilities. For more information, visit www.lexialearning.com.
About Cambium Learning Group, Inc.
Cambium Learning® Group is the education essentials company, providing award-winning education technology and services for K-12 markets. With an intentionally curated portfolio of respected global brands, Cambium serves as a leader in the education space, helping millions of educators and students feel more universally valued each and every day. In everything it does, the company focuses on the elements that are most essential to the success of education, delivering simpler, more certain solutions that make a meaningful difference right now. To learn more, visit www.cambiumlearning.com or follow Cambium on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Medium. The Cambium family of brands includes: Cambium Assessment, Lexia® Learning, Learning A-Z®, Voyager Sopris Learning®, ExploreLearning®, Time4Learning®, and Kurzweil Education®.
