Tier 1: Universal Intervention

The Adaptive Diagnostic Test serves as a Universal Screening Tool, identifying struggling students and the details of their educational needs.  The level of test items change in response to the student’s answers, so the student’s grade level proficiency in several strands of learning can be determined, even for students who perform significantly below their enrollment grade level.  The assement identifies skill gaps from Kindergarten to 10^th grade in reading/ELA, and from Kindergarten to algebra 1 in math.  Students needing more intensive intervention can then be properly identified as candidates for Tier 2 or Tier 3 instruction.

Instruction Closely Matched to Student Needs

Whether Tier 1, 2, or 3, the Intelligent Tutoring System uses the Diagnostic Test data to automatically create an Individualized Achievement Plan with specific goals.  Instead of assigning students a grade level or module, New Century assigns lessons by discrete learning objectives that the student needs to master.  Instruction is therefore both tightly matched to student needs and efficient. Measurable gains are rapid. The Intelligent Tutoring System is research based, and the subject of studies by independent investigators. Students who use the Intelligent Tutoring System outperform their peers on standardized tests. 

Moreover, in a study reviewed by Rand Corporation including special education students in the juvenile justice system, those who used the Intelligent Tutoring System had twice the graduation rates of those who did not use the software (See NCCD Study) 

Tier 2: Targeted Group Interventions

Reports allow teachers to group students with similar needs and project a lesson on a whiteboard or screen and review examples with the students or conduct a discussion of a reading selection with prompts after the students have read the passage.  Thereafter, students can work on individual needs. 

New Century’s Intelligent Tutoring System uses a Diagnostic/Prescriptive Model to help teachers provide level appropriate individualized instruction to each student. Teachers can also regularly evaluate a student’s progress towards grade level standards. New Century’s embedded Interim Assessments automatically provide the progress monitoring data to help teachers determine when students should move up or down the RtI pyramid or how they might be grouped by needs for teacher led, small group instruction.

Tier 3: Intensive, Individualized Intervention

Used 220 minutes per week or more per curriculum, New Century’s Intelligent Tutoring System begins at each student’s deepest skill deficit, advancing objective by objective at the student’s pace. Increased instructional time on task and focused support from educational specialists is recommended in Tier 3. The software even Alerts teachers about those skills with which the student struggles most, so that the teacher can focus his or her one-on-one instruction time where it will be most effective. The software also provides a framework for the teacher to review a lesson with the student and intervene effectively.

Progress Monitoring

Interim Assessments are embedded in the Individualized Achievement Plan for each student and continuously assess students across different strands of learning in each curriculum. Separate assessments need not be administered for comprehension and vocabulary, or for early algebra and long division. Reports are designed to use weekly and monthly to quickly identify group needs and outliers. Individual reports provide the data for in-depth consideration of a student’s needs. Most importantly, New Century’s reports guide teachers in setting goals and monitoring progress toward goals to determine if a student needs to be moved to another Tier. Regular reporting of results to parents is automatically generated in letter format in English and in Spanish. The teacher is alerted to print the letter and send it home.

It is important to note that students typically will progress in proportion to their time on task with the Intelligent Tutoring System.  Implementing the program both in school and with assigned lessons to be completed at home will increase learning time and learning gains.