The Texas State Board of Education has voted to make McGraw-Hill Education's CINCH Science programme available state-wide for use in Grades 5-12. The decision comes as the state works to find affordable digital solutions that meet its latest educational standards and prepare students for new state assessments.
While CINCH Science will be used in a supplemental role in Texas alongside the traditional print textbooks already in classrooms, the programme and its companion, CINCH Math, are the first comprehensive all-digital curricula available for the K-12 market. The programmes launched at last month's International Society for Technology in Education conference, and will be available for use in Texas schools beginning next month.
A cloud-based curriculum, CINCH Science claims to be the first programme of its kind compatible with most tablets, computers or mobile devices, allowing students to extend the learning experience by accessing content inside or outside the classroom. With educational games and social networking elements - such as the ability to highlight content and spark a discussion that appears like a Facebook comment thread - CINCH Science offers teachers a number of ways to engage students that go beyond what's offered by a 'traditional' digital textbook.
CINCH Science is fully customisable from the district down to the teacher level. The programme will help prepare Texas students for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), to be administered for the first time in the 2011-2012 school year.
Search for more Digital learning tools/solutions
To access our daily STM news feed through your iPhone, iPad, or other smartphones, please visit www.myscoope.com for a mobile friendly reading experience.
