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Q : Do Focus Skills align with state standards ?
Renaissance Focus Skills have been built and aligned to the National Curriculum of England , and are also available for each state in the United States ; so whether you are following a UK or US curriculum , you will be
Focus Skills :
• Support the development of other skills in the same or future years
• Are essential to progression
• Are central to the emphases of the particular curriculum
Q : Are Focus Skills evenly distributed in the learning progression ?
In short , no . In both the US and the UK , Focus Skills are not evenly distributed across grades or year groups . However , fairly consistent patterns are seen across the our Focus Skills available to everyone through these Teacher Workbooks : so that educators can focus on their limited instructional time on the skills that matter the most .
Q : How can I tell which Focus Skills my students are ready to learn ?
Essentially , the Focus Skills , as laid out in the Teacher Workbooks , are a map for educators . If teachers are also using Renaissance Star Assessments , then also have an effective means of navigating that map as Focus Skills are clearly identified in the software and on reports .
able to benefit from these Teacher Workbooks .
The Focus Skills for reading and mathematics in the UK Teacher Workbook were developed alongside Learning Progressions , built by experts at the National Foundation for Educational Research ( NFER ). They list skills that students from Reception to Year 11 need to master in order to progress , and are designed to be a practical document for teachers to use .
The US Teacher Workbooks contain Focus Skills that are based on each state ’ s learning standards , and we provide custom lists for every state . Generally , the skills themselves do not vary greatly ; but what does vary is the grade level at which specific skills are taught , based on how states sequence their standards . reading and mathematics learning progressions .
In most US states , grade 1 has the highest number of reading Focus Skills . This isn ’ t surprising , given that students are learning fundamental skills in phonics and decoding that are crucial to their literacy development . Looking at a total of approximately 1,263 reading skills in the UK learning progression , 29 % are Focus Skills .
Q : Are Focus Skills relevant for both in-school and remote instruction ?
Absolutely , whether districts or school groups are providing instruction face-to-face , remotely , or in a hybrid / blended model , Focus Skills help educators to identify what must be covered and what can , if necessary , be set aside . This is why we ’ ve made
Q : Where can I download the Focus Skills Teacher Workbooks ?
The Focus Skills Teacher Workbooks are freely available for all educators to use . The US Teacher Workbook can be found at : www . renaissance . com / focus-skills and the UK Teacher Workbooks are available at : www . renlearn . co . uk / focus-skills
Download your curriculum ’ s Focus Skills here :
Dr . Gene Kerns Chief Academic Officer , Renaissance Gene is a third-generation educator with teaching experience from elementary through the university level .
Dr . Katie McClarty Vice President of Research and Design , Renaissance Katie McClarty , PhD , oversees research , psychometrics , and content development at Renaissance .