Backbone Communications

Join other innovative educators to learn about creating successful online learning programs. During this event you will have an opportunity to learn, share and network with other district and online learning personnel. Whether you are currently running an online program or charged with exploring or starting an online program, this event will provide critical information [...]

Wiki – There will be a live VSS conference wiki (located at http://vss11.wikispaces.com) to allow attendees to interact in real-time and engage in discussions about the trends, issues and programs discussed at the conference. Conference speakers are encouraged to upload copies of their presentations and any hand-outs on the wiki. Webcasting – The VSS keynote [...]

World Language Meeting, Wednesday, February 1st at 3:30pm MST Please join us for a webinar on world language content. We will present you with a new world language option to help you provide your students an engaging and interactive opportunity to acquire a world language. Courses include Spanish, French, Chinese, German, and Latin for students [...]

High School Placement Exams Sample Virtual High School Placement Exams Choosing a Math or Language Arts Course Math tests to help decided student readiness:  Math Level 1 Exam (Readiness for Algebra 1)  Math Level 2 Exam (Readiness for Algebra 2)  Math Level 3 Exam (Readiness for Pre-Calculus or Trigonometry) Grammar and Composition is a foundation Language Arts course. [...]

Do your students ever have a heard time remembering what they have read? In this webinar, Reading Horizons Teacher Trainer, Jay Kelly, will discuss how working memory plays into student reading and how to help students increase their comprehension. In this webinar educators will learn the answers to questions such as, “Have you ever had [...]

Whether used for reading remediation or mainstream students, Reading Horizons guarantees that participants who complete the program will show a significant improvement in reading skills. Students ages 10+ usually complete the program in 4-8 months while students ages 5-9 will typically succeed in 2-3 years. The guarantee requires that a school implement the program with fidelity, including teacher training, direct [...]

Reading Intervention Workshop FREE for Teachers & Administrators Friday, February 7, 2012! Up to 4 hours of Professional Development This workshop uses Orton-Gillingham based principles to teach teachers and students how to build a foundation for successful reading. It is commonly known that 7 out of 10 students will learn to read no matter the [...]

Reading Intervention Workshop FREE for Teachers & Administrators Friday, February 17, 2012! Up to 4 hours of Professional Development This workshop uses Orton-Gillingham based principles to teach teachers and students how to build a foundation for successful reading. It is commonly known that 7 out of 10 students will learn to read no matter the [...]

Reading Intervention Workshop FREE for Teachers & Administrators Friday, January 20, 2012! Up to 4 hours of Professional Development This workshop uses Orton-Gillingham based principles to teach teachers and students how to build a foundation for successful reading. It is commonly known that 7 out of 10 students will learn to read no matter the [...]

DynEd moves delivery of award-winning content to mobile devices Burlingame, CA—December 12, 2011—DynEd International, Inc., a leader in the English language learning solutions market, has made it’s award winning content available for iOS compatible devices (iPad and iPhone). With the goal of providing DynEd-partner studentseasier access to their courseware, DynEd for iPad allows existing students [...]

Originally posted by the Arizona Charter Schools Association Virtual charter schools in Arizona are public schools. Legislation allowing for the creation of charter schools was passed in 1994 by the Arizona Legislature with the purpose of providing “a learning environment that will improve student achievement.” The Arizona State Board for Charter Schools is the primary regulatory authority [...]

  The Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy (SRCL) formula grant is authorized by the Appropriations Act to provide $250 million under Section 1520 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to develop a comprehensive literacy and education program to advance literacy skills for students from birth through grade twelve. The Act reserves $10 million for formula grants to [...]

Why do I need a dyslexia test? When there is a problem, it helps to understand that problem and have a label and explanation for it, because then – and only then – are we able to know where to go and what to do for help. We are offering a free dyslexia test created [...]

Middlebury CEO, Jane Swift – Middlebury was formed because two great institutions recognized an urgent need to improve access to high quality world language learning programs in order to meet the challenges of a 21st Century global economy. Because of the academic integrity of Middlebury World Languages and the Middlebury stamp of approval and because [...]

 By: Brien McElhatten PHOENIX, AZ – Class is beginning for more than 4,000 students at Arizona Virtual Academy. They learn all the same lessons and have the same teachers, but the children are often hundreds of miles apart.  “This offers flexibility for out students and our parents,” said Megan Henry, Head of School for Arizona Virtual [...]

Reading Intervention Workshop FREE for Teachers & Administrators Wednesday, November 30th! Up to 4 hours of Professional Development This workshop uses Orton-Gillingham based principles to teach teachers and students how to build a foundation for successful reading. It is commonly known that 7 out of 10 students will learn to read no matter the reading [...]

Professional Development FREE for Teachers & Administrators Wednesday, November 16th! Up to 4 hours of Professional Development Backbone Communications is proud to present to you a full day of Workshops & Professional Development guaranteed to help you and your students succeed! On Wednesday, November 16th, the following workshops are available at NO COST: Interactive Teaching [...]

By Courtney Martin Marc Brackett never liked school. “I was always bored,” he says, “and I never felt like any of my teachers really cared. I can’t think of anybody that made me feel inspired.” It’s a surprising complaint coming from a 42-year-old Yale research scientist with a 27-page CV and nearly $4 million in [...]

One of the major challenges of ESL teachers is working with learners who have no prior literacy. How can you best teach these learners to read? Teaching non-literate or very low literate non-English speakers to read is NOT like teaching students who are literate in another language. Robin Lovrien Schwarz, PhD, will help you learn [...]

Teachers request, Principals order, Central Office designed, Board of Education approved, Maintenance installed…and what the Students wanted All too often we find this is true with schools, but not your school district of course Let the experts help you provide the right solution for what the students need. Contact us and we’ll help you identify [...]