ODYSSEYWARE is a revolutionary web-based learning management system that features a media-rich curriculum for elementary, middle, and high school students. Administrative and teaching tools give schools the solutions and flexibility they need to individualize instruction and manage student data. Automatic grading and lesson planning provide time-saving tools for teachers, allowing them to spend more time interacting with students to enrich their learning experiences. Administrators are also pleased with the positive budgetary impact of implementing this innovative technology-based curriculum as a customized solution for the following:
- Special or alternative education
- Credit recovery and accelerated learning
- Remediation/tutorial and dropout prevention
- Summer school
- Continuing and adult education
- Differentiated learning
Schools all over the country are discovering that ODYSSEYWARE expedites student mastery of 21st century skills by developing self-directed learning, time management, and personal responsibility.
Please refer to the following FAQs for answers to the most common questions about ODYSSEYWARE.
Q: Does ODYSSEYWARE offer a full curriculum correlated to state standards?
A: Yes. ODYSSEYWARE offers a full curriculum for students in grades 3-12 and includes the core subjects of math, history and geography, science, and language arts, as well as a variety of electives. All curriculum materials are correlated to state standards and are based on proven strategies to easily explain concepts, provide practical applications, and evaluate student performance.
Q: Does ODYSSEYWARE include components for student management that assist teachers with lesson planning, grading, and recordkeeping?
A: Yes. When schools implement ODYSSEYWARE, teachers spend more time engaging students and less time grading papers and planning lessons. Through the use of a customizable calendar, assessment tools, and other administrative applications, the majority of lessons are automatically assigned and graded. Teachers then have more time to review student progress, provide necessary adjustments, and attend to each individual student’s needs.
Q: Are there any tools to ensure appropriate grade level placement for students within the curriculum?
A: Yes. Through the use of ODYSSEYWARE's placement testing and analysis, teachers receive a snapshot of students' abilities, strengths, and weaknesses in all core subject areas.
Q: Does ODYSSEYWARE give teachers the ability to individualize a curriculum for specific students based on assessment outcomes?
A: Yes. ODYSSEYWARE is fully customizable, allowing teachers to mix and match lessons and content to meet individual student needs. The flexibility of ODYSSEYWARE makes it easy to accommodate the individualized learning plan of any student, including those in special and alternative programs.
Q: Can teachers control the pace at which students work through the ODYSSEYWARE curriculum?
A: Yes. ODYSSEYWARE incorporates mastery learning. Using this model, teachers set a threshold for each lesson that students must meet or exceed before moving forward with subsequent lessons. Since most lessons are graded automatically, students who reach or exceed the threshold can progress automatically, while others need to revisit the lesson several times if necessary. A lesson provides students multiple opportunities to work through instruction, answer questions, and solve problems. Because of this "focused learning" feature, students continue working until they master the material and earn a specific percentage score.
Students move through the material as quickly as they are able and may finish the course early. As an additional measure of control, teachers are able to set roadblocks at their discretion, preventing students from moving forward or beginning a test on their own.
Q: Does ODYSSEYWARE have an assessment component?
A: Yes. Throughout the multiple units in each ODYSSEYWARE course, quizzes, projects, and a comprehensive test assess student performance tied to unit concepts and skills. Not only does this save valuable time for teachers, but it also allows quick identification of potential areas of concern.
Q: Are printable versions of each ODYSSEYWARE lesson available?
A: Yes. All pages in the ODYSSEYWARE delivery system can be printed directly from the screen. This allows students to work either at or away from the computer. In fact, many projects by design are completed partially away from the computer.
Q: Does ODYSSEYWARE allow accommodations for users with special needs?
A: Yes. At ODYSSEYWARE we're committed to delivering curriculum to all students, no matter what challenges they may face. Our text-to-speech tool is a valuable innovation that allows students to highlight specific text and have it read back to them by the computer, facilitating individualized learning. Text translation tools, available in eight languages, help ELL students stay on course regardless of English proficiency.
