"Super idea... I didn't know 'billet-doux', but the program made sure I did. Great!"
Dave Riddle,
2005 National Senior Spelling Champion
"I urge everyone to check out this product as an
alternative to tutors or hours of studying."
Dr. D. Armstrong,
Twin Hills School Superintendent
"I have been looking for quite a while for a website
that offers a quality spelling/ vocabulary
experience.
Yours is the very best I have found...
Refreshing!!" S. Speake
"eSpindle is great for
learning English
vocabulary.
It is very useful to have pronunciation, spelling and meaning all offered in
one step."
B. Ecke, Germany, ESL student
Spelling has significant
weight both in the No-Child-Left-Behind (NCLB) tests and other handwritten tests - like the
essay in the SAT, English composition requirements in college, etc.
For example, if you live in
California, 6% of your students' CST rating (grades 2-8) is determined
by spelling tasks.
The CST is the Californian version of the STAR test.
Not only is spelling a
critical component in these important tests, but it is also – as
most administrators and teachers agree – one of the most difficult
areas to remedy.
English is full of irregularities and orthographic challenges
because it has been influenced by a myriad of different cultures.
Poor spelling skills are associated with limited intellectual
ability in our society, and carry a negative stigma.
With spelling and language skills on a continuous decline, mastery
in this area is more than ever taken as an indicator of a superior
education, a hard-working character and intelligence.
If students don't
learn appropriate spelling and vocabulary skills at a certain grade
level they will start to feel insecure, and the confidence with
which they express themselves in writing will suffer.
To develop solid language skills is to be equipped with the raw
materials for complex thought and the essential tools for
communication.
Research has shown that spelling is an important building
block in developing solid language skills.
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Burgeoning classroom sizes
and dwindling resources, strict government-imposed standards and
performance-based financial support... schools today face pressures like
never before. Tools that help to achieve these "national standards" and
to close the achievement gap are needed: tools that make the job of
teachers, administrators and education professionals a bit easier and
provide effective and efficient solutions.
The
Pew Internet and American Life project in Washington, D.C. states in
its latest report that the Internet is used by 87% - 17 million - of
America’s teens. Half of these teens are online every single day.
With Internet access widespread in homes, schools and public libraries,
most US students enjoy easy access to the Internet.
Most classrooms will spend
between 20 to 45 minutes a day on spelling and vocabulary related tasks.
This means that language teachers spend close to 90 hours annually on
spelling and vocabulary-related instruction per class.
This time investment does not include the hours parents or after school
tutors spend practicing spelling word lists, or the effort invested by
the students themselves.
Even with this
substantial investment of time, teachers - faced with large
classroom sizes and diverse skill levels - are only able to teach
via a “shotgun approach” and commonly do not have the time to truly
target their instruction to the true skill level and personal goals
and needs of each individual student.
This disadvantages students learning English as a second language
(ESL), those with learning disabilities,
or students who have fallen behind for a variety of reasons.
Gifted and talented students on the other side of the proficiency
spectrum are frequently under-stimulated by the "one-size-fits-all"
approach of classroom education.
While eSpindle is
invaluable for Gifted And Talented Education (GATE), special
education and ESL students, it is also a great investment in
boosting efficiency, effectiveness and the results of the entire
classroom – especially since this application is “portable” and can
be accessed from anywhere through the Internet.
Please
email us today to receive a
cost-effective site license quote based on the number of subscribers
you would like to enroll.
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Rooted in current research, eSpindle developed cutting-edge,
patent-pending technology, infused it with old-fashioned common sense,
and added generous helpings of the most important ingredient:
The inspiration of parents and educators wanting to create true value
for their children and an innovative tool for improvement.
A few facts about spelling
education for grades 2 and higher:
[ Good spellers aren't born, they're taught.
[ Best results are obtained by teaching to all learning styles.
[ The most frequent answer a good speller will give when asked why a
certain spelling was chosen is "It just looks right." This "right look"
is known in the world of science as an MOI (a mental orthographic image)
that is formed through frequent exposure and finally stored in long-term
memory.
[ Spelling instruction is most effective when the instruction is
performance-based, that is, when it targets an individual student's
specific deficits in word study knowledge.
[ As early as the first part of the 20th century research proved that
studying via a test-study approach is much more efficient and effective
than the common practice of study-test methodologies. In the study-test
approach, students are first introduced to a set of words, often grouped
in a certain fashion. While this trains the short-term memory, it does
not ensure that words are reliably learned and will be ready for recall
outside of the grouped setting: A lot of time is spent for a relatively
small return in long-term knowledge.
With the test-study approach, words that don't need further study are
registered through active assessment, so energy and time can be focused
on filling the personal skill gaps.
[ Individualized attention fuels motivation and keeps students inspired to follow their path of learning.
[If feedback is given instantaneously it is a much more
powerful tool in enhancing the learning process.
[ Children pass through identifiable stages in learning
to spell. eSpindle uses up-to-date research to organize instruction
and select word lists to match those stages, so that children learn
how to spell and use the words they're learning in their reading and
writing. Supporting this curriculum is a database of 95,000 words
that allows parents, teachers and tutors to customize the learning
process according to current needs.
[ The correlation between spelling and reading skills
has been acknowledged by many researchers. Not only are strong
readers better spellers, but low spelling skills measurably hinder a
students reading ability.
[ Many studies have correlated the active possession of
an expansive vocabulary with success on numerous levels:
Professional, financial, and interpersonal.
[ Students need to be able to actively write words they
hear.
Custom tutoring that repeats “problem words” over subsequent
sessions ensures that students don't forget the words they've
learned. Learning new words and their spelling is not left to
chance, but managed in a reliable, effective and efficient process.
[ Extensive online resources inspire curiosity and
motivate the learner.
- Makes teaching,
practicing and testing of traditional spelling word lists unnecessary.
- Supports not only
the English teacher, but the entire staff. Every teacher introducing new
vocabulary can send them to the entire classroom for automatic and
reliable study.
- 100,000-word
database makes sure that words of interest are available.
- Parents will be
grateful for eliminating spelling word lists from their to-do lists!
- No more testing
needed – detailed performance reports are easily accessible.
- Teachers can send
word lists to all or some of the students for individualized study.
- Nothing to
download, install or maintain. Does not occupy server resources or
require IT expenses.
- Available around-the-clock to an unlimited number of simultaneous users.
- Developed based on
the social and legal compliance standards of the California Department
of Education.
- School-wide (and if
desired district-wide) reports can be created from up-to-date session
data with the click of a button. Easily measured performance results are
at your fingertips for future grant writing and easy accountability.
- Cost-efficient
school site
licenses are available. Alternatively, contact us for a school-specific
eSpindle discount code, enabling students to sign up at a reduced rate.
Students
- In addition to
the words prioritized by the teacher, students can determine their
own goals – “improve English,” “prepare for the SAT,” “win the
Spelling Bee,” or “practice the most commonly misspelled words” are
just some of the goals to choose from.
- Personalized,
100% efficient tutoring.
- Reduces disadvantage
experienced by children whose parents are not fluent
in English.
- Individual
subscription-based service that can be used on any computer
connected to the Internet – in the classroom, the computer lab, at
the library, at home.
- Maintains and
constantly refines the student's learning profile – avoiding
redundancy, focusing on effective tutoring.
- Detailed
performance feedback given based on the students personal study
commitment.
- Emails remind
students of study goals if they miss signing-on in the intervals
they have committed to. (Emails sent to teachers and parents as
well, if desired.)
- Supports
visual, auditory, as well as kinesthetic learners.
- Teaches
students at their own speed, repeating content as often as necessary
without making students feel "behind" or anxious.
- Successful
spelling instruction builds memory and discipline skills. Students
learn to pay attention to details.
eSpindle licenses qualify
for any grant program with literacy focus – including foundation, state
and federal grants. We are proud to say that our program has been
included in the Department of Education's Educational Resource
Organizations Directory (EROD).
In addition, eSpindle is listed as a
compliant resource by the California Learning Resource Network (CLRN),
an organization initiated by the CA Department of Education and a
resource that is referenced nationwide by schools looking for
appropriate and standards based online instruction.
CLRN provides educators with a "one-stop" resource for critical
information needed for the selection of supplemental electronic
learning resources aligned to the State Board of Education academic
content standards.
California Educators with specific content experience are
selected through an application process to act as reviewers once
they have completed a rigorous training program. The review process
utilizes the State Board of Education approved review criteria which
covers three areas: Legal Compliance, Standards Alignment, and
Minimum Requirements.
The Development Standards for California Public Schools K-12 are
quoted for ELL standards:
“At all ELL proficiency levels, English learners are to produce
writing that includes correct capitalization, punctuation and
spelling of words appropriate to the student’s developing fluency in
English.”
Did you know...
that we match every subscription with a free eSpindle license for a
disadvantaged student?
