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Testimonials from California

Measuring Up

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"Having used the program in many different types of classroom settings, I have found the program to be extremely flexible. This flexibility extends to meeting the needs of my students' various aptitudes, on time constraints in scheduling, and meeting the California state standards.

This is not "teaching to the test." This is teaching the standards in a concise way that allows your students to perform well on the test.

• This program can be "lecture style," individualized and/or self-directed.
• It can be all three in one class period!
• It maximizes the students' learning with minimal prep time for the teacher.

I love this worktext because it is structured in such a way that each lesson builds on the last. With most anthologies, unless you teach every single story/unit, you have to supplement your curriculum with outside materials for your students to get each literary, poetry, or dramatic term as dictated by the California state standards. Some stories are just too long to teach with the time constraints and limitations we have in the classroom. The Measuring Up worktext's short stories are that, short! You can cover each lesson knowing that your students are getting all of the required state standards!"

-Nik Eaks, Alhambra High School, Sophomore Literature

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"I used Measuring Up just last month with my 11th graders. I am completely impressed! I especially like the way differing levels could be taught within the same class. Anyone can use the reading comprehension passages that have the 'Guided Questions' to teach at grade level... all year long. The teaching of active, analytical reading is essential across the curriculum and the selections from Measuring Up make that kind of effective instruction possible. It's not just good instruction for test preparation; it's good instruction... period.
I will recommend Measuring Up to anyone who will listen!"

-Kimberley Gilles, Teacher, Del Amigo High School, San Ramon Valley Unified School District

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"All students are not alike. The DPT's are a great tool to put each student on the proper path to success when it comes time to take the CAHSEE. A greater allotment of time should be spent on areas with the greatest need for improvement.

This fall I had an ESL student that scored a 36% (29 out of 80) on the DPT 1 (Diagnostic Practice Test). This was going to be the ultimate challenge with only five weeks to go before the CAHSEE. I gave him the workbook and showed him the areas he needed to work the hardest on.

Algebra and Functions	Measurement	Geometry
25 (27%)	15 (31%)	20 (24%)

Starting with Chapter 5 Geometry, I had the student work on evens only to save some time. When finished, he took a Teacher Designed Test on Geometry in which his score was a 48%. When the other two strands were completed in the same fashion, it was time to take DPT 2. He received a 55% and this was the day before the CAHSEE. When we got the official results in it was pretty exciting to read- PASSED (56%)!"

-Gene Andrews, Measuring Up e-Path Customer, Gateway East Community Day School, Grossmont UHSD, CA

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"The most valuable features of Measuring Up are the guided instruction, as well as the assessment practice in CST format. Students need to feel comfortable with the wording of question stems on the CST, and it's time-consuming for teachers to create CST-like questions on their own."

Some sites have chosen to weave the Measuring Up program into their daily "Power Hour" of direct, explicit language arts instruction in elementary classrooms. At these sites, teachers scaffold the Measuring Up instruction during their leveled reading intervention groups and find that it helps them to teach a standard in isolation. Often times our textbook units encompass too many skills at once. We have not received our test results yet, but teachers feel that Measuring Up gives students exposure to the academic language and testing vocabulary needed to master the California Content Standards and utilize when taking the CST. The Building Stamina sections at the end of each chapter are an excellent resource for a final "Power Push," or critical, final CST review period.

One middle school has elected to use the Diagnostic Practice Tests about 15 minutes/day as a standards-maintenance & review program. The teachers work through a portion of the questions with students to develop test-taking, but more importantly, THINKING strategies. They also use the assessment data to identify student deficits and then to provide remediation using textbooks and other classroom resources.

Many teachers, in looking ahead to next year, plan to use the Measuring Up books as they create their pacing guides."

-Charlene Stringham, Title I Resource/ Language Arts Academic Coach, Tulare City School District, California

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"For the past 2 years, we have used the Measuring Up Exit Level worktexts with all our students in lower level mathematics courses. I use the worktexts in my classroom to re-teach and review material students are expected to know and to give them a comfort level with the types of test questions and concepts they will encounter on the state tests. For students who are behind, Measuring Up provides excellent sample problems to prepare them for the CST and the CAHSEE.

I also assign lessons as extra credit assignments over holiday breaks for students who need to catch up.

I feel Measuring Up has contributed to passing test scores in our school."

-Victoria Riojas, Algebra II/Geometry Teacher, Clovis West High, Clovis Unified School District, CA

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"I thought the application of skills and information layout of the lessons was most helpful. It was also important that everything was already related to the standards. For the students that actively participated in the class, it is very likely that Measuring Up helped to improve their CAHSEE scores."

-Aimee Sones, CAHSEE Instructor, California High School, Whittier UHSD, CA

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"I used Measuring Up e-Path and Measuring Up worktexts for targeted instruction after assessment for small groups and individuals. It was great to use the workbook, at least daily, and follow the lessons. I administered three formative assessments throughout the workshop and when I saw the students needed more practice in an important subject. It was extremely useful to have the students follow step-by-step instruction of the lessons. Also the activities correlated to what I taught, thus they grew confident learning the material step-by-step and then applying it to the problems. I also think it was great how the book correlated to state standards and I could target strands of the test. Students felt more prepared and the CAHSEE test was less frightening. Since the program, our test scores have increased by 20%."

-Vanessa Iniguez, CAHSEE consultant, California High School, Whittier UHSD, CA

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"I feel my students were more confident after using Measuring Up for intervention. They seemed to understand the material better. The Measuring Up program made teaching and student understanding easier. The worktexts also have practice skills that show the students what type of answers to look for, and which state standards they must/should know."

-Nadine Zalunardo-Juarez, Teacher, Whittier Adult School/Sierra Vista, Whittier UHSD, CA

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"We used Measuring Up for our intervention program. It gave our students hand-on practice and some feedback. When my students took the CAHSEE, I feel they had more confidence than when they began the class."

-Debra Nelson, Adult Education/Alternative Education Teacher, Whittier Adult School/Sierra Vista, Whittier UHSD, CA

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"We use Measuring Up for intervention in our school and in the entire district. When my students took the CAHSEE, the ones who truly worked through the books remarked repeatedly about their increased confidence. The application activities along with the guided instruction provided practice for students in following steps to find consistent correct answers. Students were also able to make connections between their skills and the standards. The books' design made it easy to focus on particular strands students needed additional practice in."

-Abbie Bosserman, Teacher, Frontier High School, Whittier UHSD, CA

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"After administering the [Diagnostic Practice Test] assessment we use the results to focus on weak areas. We also combine the results with our district results for students who have completed the CAHSEE. We selected Measuring UP because it is user friendly. We are a continuation and independent study high school and the classes must make sense to our students. It is sequential, aligned to the test and easy to work through. It also provides specific feedback to students as they work through it. We have found it to be a useful tool in supporting our students who are reluctant learners, and most of whom have already failed the test."

-Debbie Davis, Principal, Newport Mesa Unified District, CA

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