Category Archives: Uncategorized

Common Core Literacy Game Challenges Students to Find the Missing Agents

WestEd Interactive Courseware a Result of Partnership Between Rigorous Research and Nimble Innovation

San Francisco, California — October 11, 2013 — WestEd and Arcadia Apps are collaborating on an online, interactive courseware solution that supports 7th and 8th grade students in mastering the Common Core State Standards in literacy.

This collaboration between a small business and a national research organization is building “The Missing Agents,” interactive courseware that asks students to decipher clues and help locate four missing secret agents. “Where have the agents gone?” “What were they working on when they disappeared?” “What are the secrets of The Missing Agents?”

Students piece together clues to earn points and move through the ranks of the Agency to solve the mystery. They engage in authentic writing activities and access timely feedback throughout the game, all while under the guise of analyzing clues to solve the larger mystery.

Teachers receive timely feedback to help individualize instruction and address the specific needs of each student.

“Educational games need to be supported by quality research and curriculum development,” says Glen Harvey, CEO of WestEd. “Our work with Arcadia Apps will show how rigorous education tied to the Common Core State Standards can lead to compelling games for middle school students.”

Development of “The Missing Agents” is supported by a grant WestEd received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It is one of 29 competitive grants the foundation awarded for web-based courseware focused on literacy and the Common Core State Standards.

“The Missing Agents” is expected to be available for the 2014-15 school year. Watch this video to learn more about the game and how it functions for students and teachers to increase literacy.

###

About WestEd
WestEd, a national nonpartisan, nonprofit research, development, and service agency, works with education and other communities to promote excellence, achieve equity, and improve learning for children, youth, and adults. WestEd has 16 offices nationwide, from Washington and Boston to Arizona and California. Its corporate headquarters are in San Francisco. More information about WestEd is available at WestEd.org.

About Arcadia Apps
Arcadia Apps is a software company that makes an app publishing platform and a courseware management system that reduce the cost and time of creating and delivering interactive courses and assessment apps.  Founded and based in Los Altos, California, Arcadia Apps also provides professional services for the creation of highly-interactive tablet, smartphone, and web apps serving the education market. More information is available at Arcadia-Apps.com.

Contact Information

Wens Gerdyman
wens@arcadia-apps.com

Matthew Spaur
415.615.3219
mspaur@wested.org

The Computer Education Gazette has named Kaplan SAT Quiz U as the winner of the 2013 EDDIE Award for Best Test Preparation iPad App. The app’s content is provided by Kaplan Test Prep and the technology is developed by Arcadia Apps.

In their review, the editors said:

The iPad interface is elegant and intuitive: Large arrows move the user back and forth through study questions, and there is the opportunity to bookmark a problem and revisit it later. When answers are incorrect, the View Explanation button provides high quality audio tips on how to approach the problem and look for key ideas (often there are whiteboard notations). A toolbar includes a pen tool for solving problems, highlighting text, or eliminating answer choices. There is immediate feedback on overall progress, and the user can post a question on the discussion board and receive a timely answer from a Kaplan teacher.”

Arcadia Apps is proud of this achievement, jointly accomplished with the collaboration of a top notch partner like Kaplan Test Prep.