Penda Learning Releases 850 Online Standards-Aligned Science Activities to Support Rigorous Science Instruction in Distance and In-Person Learning Environments

LOVELAND, Colo., Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2020-21 school year will be like no other on record and presents many challenges for educators as they strive to provide high-quality, rigorous science instruction to students in both in-person and distance learning situations. In response, Penda Learning has added 850 new interactive science activities for grades 3­–10 aligned to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), Florida NGSSS, and Texas TEKS to their digital, game-based learning platform. Other product updates and integrations will support science instruction for English learners and students with disabilities and streamline access to the platform for both students and their teachers.

"It's very likely that every school in the country will provide some form of digital learning this school year — whether blended or fully online," said Brad Baird, President of Learning 2020, parent company of Penda Learning. "Penda Learning was designed to engage and motivate learners as well as facilitate independent learning. Our newest activities and latest updates make Penda an even more valuable resource to ensure continuity of learning with the uncertainty that we're facing in the 2020-21 school year."

During spring school closures many districts struggled with how to provide support and services to English learners and students with disabilities. Penda Learning's integration of Immersive Reader, a Microsoft Learning Tool, into the platform makes all of Penda's science activities accessible to learners of all abilities. In addition to providing translation of more than 60 languages, Immersive Reader enables text to be read out loud, breaks it into syllables, and increases spacing between lines and letters. It also offers text decoding solutions and other supports for students with word-reading difficulties such as dyslexia.

Whether learning in school or remotely, teachers, students and families juggle dozens of online learning platforms that all require unique usernames and passwords. This spring, many students and their caregivers were frustrated by the number of accounts they had to remember. Single Sign On (SSO) is a simple solution that Penda Learning now supports through integration with ClassLink, Clever, OAuth, and others. Penda Learning also now supports OneRoster for the secure and reliable transfer of student information between a district's Student Information System (SIS) and the Penda platform. This will simplify and speed up the onboarding of teachers and students into Penda.

Another enhancement to Penda Learning is Learning Tool Interoperability (LTI) 1.3 Advantage support which enables seamless integration between Penda Learning and a district's Learning Management System (LMS). Teachers can assign Penda activities in the LMS and students can access them directly within the LMS platform rather than having to exit and login to Penda. As students complete assignments, their Penda scores are automatically added to the LMS gradebook. This integration reduces teachers' workload and helps students stay focused on learning.

According to Mr. Baird, "School districts realized this spring that robust technology solutions are essential to providing effective distance instruction but not every digital learning platform has the built-in tools to make access and use simple and easy for teachers, students and their families. Our world-class developers looked at the issues educators faced this spring and have enhanced Penda Learning so that it is as convenient, easy to use and flexible as possible."

Learn more about how Penda Learning can support a return to learning and ensure rigorous science instruction wherever students are learning, visit www.pendalearning.com.

About Learning 2020
Learning 2020, parent company to Penda Learning, is dedicated to identifying pressing, unfilled needs within the K-12 education market and developing technology solutions that solve these challenges in innovative and cost-effective ways that will positively impact teaching and learning. Formed in early 2019 by Brad Baird and Bill Tudor, experienced education technology entrepreneurs, Learning 2020's current focus is on ensuring all students have access to high quality science and math instruction whether learning at home or in school.  www.pendalearning.com

SOURCE Learning 2020