Top
  1. confidentlearners
  2. News
  3. News

September 2024 Confident Learners Release Notes

Exciting Confident Learners Updates for the New School Year

Learn about the exciting updates to Progress Monitor, Becoming a Reader classroom materials, the Phonics Advantage Reading Assessment (PARA), and the Learning Management System (LMS) that will make your work easier.

Easier Navigation and Refreshed Look

Updated Website Domains

Our website domains are now more consistent and easier to use. No worries about your old bookmarks – they will still work! Here are the new links:

Progress Monitor

LMS

Knowledge Base

Refreshed Look and Feel

Both Progress Monitor and the LMS have a fresh new design that is inspired by Confident Learners. You’ll notice a cleaner and more intuitive experience when you log in.

The updated LMS login page.
The updated LMS login page.

The new LMS course dashboard.
The new LMS course dashboard.

The Progress Monitor login page.
The Progress Monitor login page.

Progress Monitor Updates

Landing Page

Now, when you open Progress Monitor, you’ll see important student data at a glance. This will help you quickly find what you need and stay on top of student progress.

The new Progress Monitor landing page.
The new Progress Monitor landing page.

Notification System

We’ve added a notification system to keep you informed of updates and improvements. Check back often to stay up to date!

The new notification system.
The new notification system.

3-Phase Classroom Tables

All three phases of student progress are now shown on the same page. No more drop-down menus – just click the Phase title to open or close the class list. This makes it easier for you to see and print the progress of all students in one view.

The new classroom tables, with all three Phases collapsed.
The new classroom tables, with all three Phases collapsed.

The new classroom tables showing Phase I.
The new classroom tables showing Phase I.

Sort Classroom Table by Challenge

You can now sort the classroom table by individual challenges, or by their progress across all challenges. This will help you group students who are working on similar skills, making planning easier and more effective.

Click on an individual Challenge to sort students who have completed this Challenge (challenge #4 in this example).
Click on an individual Challenge to sort students who have completed this Challenge (challenge #4 in this example).

Click on the main Challenges header to sort all students based on the number of Challenges they’ve completed.
Click on the main Challenges header to sort all students based on the number of Challenges they’ve completed.

Becoming a Reader

Phase 3 Becoming an Expert Reader Complete

All 15 modules and over 60 lessons are now available in the LMS. These new materials will support you in guiding your students as they become expert readers.

Becoming an Expert Reader classroom materials.
Becoming an Expert Reader classroom materials.

Combined Becoming a Reader Content

To make navigation simpler, we’ve combined all three phases – Becoming a Reader, Becoming a Skilled Reader, and Becoming an Expert Reader – into one place. This will save you time as you plan your lessons.

Phases I-III combined – Becoming a Reader, Becoming a Skilled Reader, and Becoming an Expert Reader.
Phases I-III combined – Becoming a Reader, Becoming a Skilled Reader, and Becoming an Expert Reader.

Scope and Sequence Guides

We’ve added quick reference guides for each phase. These resources will help you better understand the scope and sequence of Confident Learners and support your teaching.

Phase I Scope and Sequence is located in the Getting Started module of the Becoming a Reader (Phases I-III) course.
Phase I Scope and Sequence is located in the Getting Started module of the Becoming a Reader (Phases I-III) course.

PARA

PARA III complete

All 25 challenges of PARA III are now available in the LMS. The remaining Challenges (6-25) have been added. Along with some cosmetic improvements, there is one update to Challenge 2 – Vocabulary.

All 25 Challenges of PARA III are now available in the LMS.
All 25 Challenges of PARA III are now available in the LMS.

Combined PARA Course

Much like Becoming a Reader, we’ve combined the PARA phases to make locating and navigating them easier. We’ve also included the standard PARA training module with the assessments.

Phases I-III combined – PARA I, PARA II, and PARA III.
Phases I-III combined – PARA I, PARA II, and PARA III.

PARA III Vocabulary Challenges Simplified

Based on your feedback, we’ve reduced the number of words students need to define from 9 to 5 in Challenge 2. No need to reassess students who have already completed this challenge!

The updated Challenge 2 with 5 words instead of 9.
The updated Challenge 2 with 5 words instead of 9.

New PARA I Detailed Scoring Sheet

A detailed scoring sheet has been added to PARA I, allowing you to track where students make mistakes during assessments. You can access the new scoring sheet in the Resources section of the combined PARA course. The simple scoring sheet is still available if you prefer it.

Example page of the detailed scoring sheet for PARA I.
Example page of the detailed scoring sheet for PARA I.

Systematic Reading Instruction

NEW Course

We’re introducing a new Systematic Reading Instruction course that provides more in-depth support aligned with Confident Learners’ 3-phase model. This course replaces the previous Science of Reading course, offering you even more tools and strategies to help your students succeed. Review the Course Overview article for further details!

How to Access the New Features

Log in to the LMS and to Progress Monitor as usual:

If you have any difficulties logging in, or have any questions please contact us by email at cl-support@thelearningbar.com or by phone at 1-877-840-2424 ext. 1.

We hope these updates make your teaching experience even smoother and more effective.

Have a fantastic start to the school year!

Article is closed for comments.