3 Ways PowerSchool’s Classroom Products Support Younger Learners

Giving a student a high-quality early learning foundation can increase high school graduation rates by 14%. Yet students entering kindergarten are not equally ready to learn, challenging elementary educators to support various levels of child development.  

At a time when education is so critical and students’ needs are so varied, resources that work for all students to motivate academic achievement, incentivize positive behavior, and spark curiosity about future learning are a necessity.  

That’s why PowerSchool has a range of solutions designed exclusively for younger learners: 

• Schoology Learning’s Elementary Experience 
• Behavior Support’s Critters 
• Naviance CCLR for Elementary 

Educators can implement this software in the classroom to help individualize instruction and support classroom management so every student feels seen, engaged, and safe.

Schoology Learning’s Elementary Experience

Our learning management system (LMS) has features designed specifically to accommodate younger learners to create an intuitive and engaging experience for students.

3 Ways Schoology Learning Engages Elementary School Students:

1. Allows multiple options to show mastery. Students can submit work in a variety of forms, including recordings, drawings, photos, typed work, and uploaded files.
2. Simplifies the students’ view of the LMS to reduce cognitive load. While Schoology Learning for older learners gives students access to a wide range of resources, including syllabi, instructions, homework materials, and teacher feedback, the Elementary Experience ensures that students see only what they need access to at the moment. This helps eliminate confusion and wandering attention.
3. Supports Unicode to appeal to students who can’t read or who are emergent readers. Confronting a screen full of words can be overwhelming and discouraging. With Unicode, students can rely on symbols, such as a book or a pencil, to access activities and assignments for different subjects.

What Are Behavior Support Critters?

Critters are designed to promote positive behaviors that contribute toward a healthy and productive learning environment where each student feels safe and supported. Critters are colorful animal characters that function as digital avatars for students.  

Students are randomly assigned one of 25 possible Critters which will celebrate with a dance when any positive behavior is recorded. This visual feedback enhances student engagement without adding to a teacher’s workload, so students know they’re contributing positively. 

Critters can support school and district initiatives to improve culture and climate with positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS).

How Can Naviance CCLR Support Younger Learners?

Naviance CCLR has long been a leading college, career, and life readiness (CCLR) solution. With the addition of Naviance CCLR for Elementary, a school’s youngest students can now also enjoy tools and activities that help them explore options for future success.    

In Naviance CCLR for Elementary’s Up the Ladder, younger learners enjoy a gamified experience in which they work their way “up” a career ladder, from entry-level to managerial to director, by completing activities. As learners navigate through the game, they’re exposed to various career paths while they build a resume, collect badges, and get promoted “up the ladder.”  

The age-appropriate interface is engaging and designed to foster curiosity and confidence. Teachers and parents can provide younger learners with positive feedback and encouragement as they explore 900+ career options segmented into 16 federally recognized career clusters.

Taking a Whole-Child Approach with Younger Learners

These K-5 features are built to serve the unique needs of younger learners and elementary educators. Enhancing and simplifying the academic experience, incentivizing positive behavior, and fostering career curiosity help young learners’ social and emotional (SEL) development so they remain eager to learn and be their best selves as they grow to middle and high school.