Study Island Back-to-School Planning Guide

Kicking off the new school year with Study Island means teachers are equipped with ready-to-assign, state-standards aligned practice, assessments, and dynamic data to efficiently identify students’ grade-level learning gaps so they can focus on delivering impactful instruction. 

Preview Study Island’s powerful teaching and learning tools, grab implementation tips, and get inspired by customer testimonials and the latest research. 

Make Instruction Even More Effective 

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported the average test scores for U.S. 13-year-olds have dipped in reading and dropped sharply in math, and lower-performing students saw even greater declines in math, highlighting the need to urgently re-think how classroom instruction could be made more accessible. 

By leveraging educational technologies to develop, grade, and analyze formative and summative assessment data year-round, teachers gain ample time to deliver high-quality, differentiated instruction, helping ensure learners are accessing and engaged in grade-level content. 

Get On the Road to Test Success Day 1  

Visit the Study Island Getting Started page for deeper, how-to focused guidance and resources: 

• Step-by-Step Guidance on Class Setup and User Settings 
• Training Videos on Study Island Features 
• Optimizing Your Formative Assessment Strategy 
• Resources for Students and Families

Employ Best Practices for Implementation Success 

Tap Into Instructional Needs Daily

Use the Study Island Curriculum Map for your course to identify Study Island state-aligned formative assessments and lesson resources in math, ELA, science, and social studies that align to your classroom instruction. 

Through Content Search, quickly search by topic or standard and immediately push-out differentiated practice assignments to students from a variety of engaging formative assessment options:  

• Adaptive, Independent Practice 
• Gamified Practice  
• Group Sessions 
• Flash Cards 
• Dynamic Lessons 
• Printable Worksheets  

Schedule Ongoing Practice for Maximum Growth

Study Island standards-based practice is an adaptive learning experience, engaging students with targeted technology-enhanced questions pulling from over 600,000 items. 

Students’ standards mastery is automatically tracked and rewarded with Blue Ribbons while automatic scaffolding identifies struggling students and assigns Building Block topics to fill gaps to ensure success on the grade level topic. 

Assign standards-aligned practice topics using Content Search or for grades 2-12 in math, reading, and science, link your NWEA® MAP® scores to automatically generate Study Island practice assignments at students’ ability level.  

Be sure to set aside 30 minutes each week for students to work on their practice activities for statistically significant gains. 

Build Tests and Inform Strategy

Use Study Island Test Builder to quickly create and administer common assessments aligned to your curriculum throughout the school year. 

Gain deep insights into students’ standards mastery gaps at end of a lesson or unit, or benchmark to drive grade-level support and test readiness. 

Choose test items from state-standards aligned question banks, filter by technology enhanced item type, and share built assessments across the district.  

Get Students Excited to Learn

Ignite student engagement and inspire them to reach their learning goals with a Study Island Contest. 

Check out our build-your-own contest guide for step-by-step instructions and resources on how to plan it, promote it, track progress, and reward student achievement.

Take Immediate Action with Streamlined Data

Stay connected to student needs in real-time with Study Island Sensei. 

With just a couple clicks, identify recently covered topics and standards that may need to be re-taught, groups of students that need similar support, and individual student standards gaps to ensure impactful targeted instruction and intervention. 

Get Inspired by Fellow Educators Making an Impact 

Increase State-Standards Proficiency 

We know that making sure all students can access high-quality, on-grade level instruction is your number one goal. Study Island standards practice is a Marzano Research verified ESSA tier 2 evidence-based intervention proven to have a positive impact on student achievement.

Transform the Impact of Tier 1 Instruction

“Study Island facilitates classroom systems for the development of student ownership. While Study Island does the heavy lifting in creating individualized pathways for each student, it leaves the prioritizing and sequencing in the hands of the teachers.”

- Mellissa Thigpen, Digital Learning Coach, Temple ISD, Texas 

Using Study Island during the 2023-24 school year, Temple Independent School District, Texas, was able to double students’ standards mastery achievement over the previous year. 

To find success with your own Study Island implementation, check out our planning and how-to resources:  

• Formative Assessment Workbook: Build a formative assessment program that supports teaching and learning throughout the school year.  
• Blended Learning How-to Guide: Plan for a successful integration of education technology school- and/or district-wide. 

Remember, as the year ramps up, we’re here to support you each step of the way. Visit our back-to-school page to learn more about what’s new, register for a webinar, and make the most of all of your Edmentum programs.