Advertorial
Focus on what matters most
How can Renaissance Focus Skills™ help tackle learning loss and close attainment gaps ?
Q & A with Dr . Gene Kerns and Dr . Katie McClarty
Q : What are Focus Skills – and what sets them apart from other skills ?
Simply stated , Focus Skills are the building blocks of learning in reading and mathematics . Obviously , all K-12 skills are important , and students benefit from learning any new skill . Yet certain skills are more critical than others because they ’ re crucial prerequisites for future learning and are essential to students ’ progression . These are the Focus Skills .
Q : Why are Focus Skills so important , and how do they help teachers dealing with learning loss arising from the pandemic ?
We know how important it is for teachers to be able to identify the impact of time lost to learning during lockdown . Schools need this information in order to make informed decisions on how best to effectively support their pupils in catching up by prioritising the most important skills . With disadvantaged children likely to be the ones who have suffered the most over the last year – due to a lack of electronic devices and internet access – it ’ s even more important they are given the support they deserve to catch up with their peers .
In a recent survey , 63 % of these educators thought that lockdowns had widened the learning gap for their students , and 33 % also felt that their schools are unprepared to act on attainment gaps , which rose to 38 % who also felt unprepared to even measure attainment differences when returning to the classroom .
Previously only available to schools using Renaissance Star Assessments™ for reading and mathematics , we took the decision to make them publicly available in the form of dedicated Teacher Workbooks to support educators at this difficult time , and also in the future .