ThinkCERCA Adopted by Texas State Board of Education

CHICAGO, Nov. 28, 2018  ThinkCERCA, a recognized industry leader in student reading and writing growth, today announced that the Texas State Board of Education has approved its core curriculum for English language arts and reading for grades 6-8. Designed by veteran teachers, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) authors, and nationally recognized literacy experts, ThinkCERCA is proven to help students achieve two years of reading growth in one school year. With this adoption, Texas educators now have access to a comprehensive curriculum and easy-to-use use platform that engages all learners while driving student outcomes.

Designed to support Texas districts and schools in meeting 100 percent of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS), ThinkCERCA includes differentiated close reading and academic writing lessons that were built upon research-based methods for developing students' language and literacy skills.

"It is an honor to be approved by the Texas State Board of Education as a comprehensive English language arts solution that helps students become stronger readers, writers, and critical thinkers," said Eileen Murphy, ThinkCERCA's founder and CEO. "We're excited to partner with Texas districts and schools that believe in the power of personalized literacy instruction to help all students maximize learning."

ThinkCERCA's personalized literacy platform offers:

• direct instruction and self-paced lessons that introduce students to the underlying skills needed to master literacy;
• applied close reading and academic writing lessons that guide students through the process of analyzing content-rich texts and multimedia to construct cohesive argumentative, informational, or narrative writings;
• and instructional supports for helping teachers implement research-based literacy practices into their classrooms, regardless of technology access.

ThinkCERCA's applied practice lessons are centered around debatable topics that get students thinking critically about real-world issues. These lessons are differentiated for 10 levels to fuel engaging discussions among students of varying readiness levels.

"ThinkCERCA has been a great partner for the Galena Park Independent School District," said Jason Bollich, Executive Director for Secondary Curriculum & Instruction for Galena Park Independent School District. "We were looking for a solution to help us enhance our preparations for college and career readiness levels of reading and writing, while also aligning with the rigorous TEKS standards. Not only has ThinkCERCA supported us in professional learning, it meets the needs of our diverse students. Our teachers love how engaging the platform is for learners and how easy it is to use."

An independent, controlled study of 26 ed-tech products by LEAP Innovations showed ThinkCERCA helped students achieve an extra year's worth of reading growth in one school year. What's more, SRI Education found that students who used ThinkCERCA saw a 20 percent gain in their writing scores.

About ThinkCERCA
ThinkCERCA's personalized literacy platform helps educators teach critical thinking skills through close reading and academic writing across subjects. With students and teachers using its platform in all 50 states and 130 countries, the company has partnered with prominent leaders in education, including Follett Corporation, and has been featured by The Atlantic, Tech & Learning, and EdSurge, among others. In a recent controlled study of 26 ed-tech tools by LEAP Innovations, ThinkCERCA was proven to help students achieve two years of academic growth per year on average. The winner of the 2019 IATE Classroom Essentials Awards for secondary grades and a 2016 SIAA CODiE Awards finalist for Best Reading/English/Language Arts Instructional Solution, ThinkCERCA has also been named one of the best tools in ed tech by Common Sense Media. In July 2013, ThinkCERCA was the recipient of a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Literacy Courseware Challenge grant, and in December 2012, graduated from the inaugural class of Impact Engine's social impact accelerator. To learn more, please visit http://www.ThinkCERCA.com/Texas.

Press Contact:
Elizabeth Riley Boyer
Director of Marketing & Communications
ThinkCERCA
elizabeth(at)thinkcerca.com

SOURCE ThinkCERCA