Internet-based educational framework for the correlation of lessons, resources and assessments to state standards

• US 8,632,340 B1
• Filed: 01/08/2002
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EdGate Correlation Services, LLC
• Original Assignee: EdGate Correlation Services, LLC
• Inventors: Schugren, Sandra, Mitrovich, Mark, Beasley, Benjamin, Nangle, Richard E.
• Primary Examiner(s): DEODHAR, OMKAR A
• Application Number:
  US10/041,655
• Time in Patent Office: 4,396 Days
• Field of Search: 434/118, 434/365, 434/350, 434/362, 434/322, 434/323
• US Class Current: 434/118
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student

Abstract

An apparatus assists educators in selecting achievement tools to meet an applicable one of a plurality of sets of educational standards. A first table holds a plurality of educational standards and a plurality of linked keywords. A second table holds a plurality of achievement tools, such as lesson plans, assessments and resources, and a plurality of linked keywords. A table manipulator program permits an educator to select an educational standard and shows achievement tools applicable to the selected educational standard by having a matching of keywords linked to the achievement tools to keywords linked to the educational standards.

Claims

1. An apparatus for assisting educators in selecting achievement tools for use in the education of students to meet an applicable one of a plurality of sets of educational standards comprising:

a plurality of predetermined keywords stored in memory;

a plurality of educational standards that are stored in memory and defined by discrete jurisdictions to apply to educational processes within those jurisdictions, wherein each of the plurality of educational standards has assigned thereto at least selected ones of the plurality of predetermined keywords and the assignments of predetermined keywords to the educational standards are stored in memory;

a plurality of achievement tools stored in memory, wherein each of the plurality of achievement tools has assigned thereto at least selected ones of the plurality of predetermined keywords and the assignments of predetermined keywords to achievement tools are stored in memory;

a program stored in memory adapted to permit an educator to select an educational standard and to provide to the educator a set of achievement tools applicable to the selected educational standard by identifying each achievement tool having at least one predetermined keyword in the at least selected ones of the plurality of predetermined keywords assigned to the achievement tool that is also within the at least selected ones of the plurality of predetermined keywords assigned to the selected educational standard;

wherein a jurisdiction also corresponds to a geographic region;

wherein the plurality of educational standards are identified in memory by jurisdiction and include at least one educational standard for at least two jurisdictions;

wherein the apparatus maintains, across all users, centralized storage of the plurality of predetermined keywords, the plurality of educational standards, and the plurality of achievement tools and is accessible to users over a network; and

wherein the educational standards are defined by states to apply to educational processes within those states.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein achievement tools are selected from the group consisting of one or more of lesson plans, assessments and resources.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the educational standards of one jurisdiction have similarities to the educational standards of a different jurisdiction and the keywords assigned to such similar educational standards are the same.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein some achievement tools are generated by educators in diverse jurisdictions having differing educational standards and stored in memory with the plurality of achievement tools.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein as an educational tool is submitted by an educator for an educational standard, keywords assigned to that standard are automatically also assigned to the submitted educational tool.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein means are provided for revising the keywords assigned to a submitted educational tool subsequent to submission.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a data entry means for permitting a user of the apparatus to input a rating for achievement tools and for storage of the input rating for display in association with the rated educational tool.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a website user interface for enabling a user to access the apparatus over the network.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a user interface that enables an administrator to select only educational standards pertinent to a user for use by the user.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a user interface that enables a user to log in with a unique identifier, and filtering so that the user is provided only educational standards pertinent to that user.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a user interface that enables a user to log in with a unique identifier indicating an affiliation with one of the jurisdictions and filtering so that the user is provided only educational standards pertinent to that jurisdiction.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an administrative system which allows the addition and modification of local learning standards to the educational standards.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a lesson plan builder that contains data entry fields, the ability to add active links to web sites and data files, searching features for appropriate standards, and an electronic rubric creator.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a search facility permitting searching by grade, subject, by selecting from a predefined list of keywords or by typing in a word or phrase to be searched.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the keywords include grade level indicators.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the educational standards of one jurisdiction have similarities to the educational standards of a different jurisdiction and the keywords associated with similar educational standards are the same.

17. An apparatus for assisting educators in selecting achievement tools for use in the education of students to meet an applicable one of a plurality of sets of educational standards comprising:

a plurality of predetermined keywords stored in memory;

a plurality of educational standards defined by discrete jurisdictions to apply to educational processes within those jurisdictions that are stored in memory, each of the plurality of educational standards having assigned thereto at least selected ones of the plurality of predetermined keywords stored in memory, wherein the educational standards of one jurisdiction have similarities to the educational standards of a different jurisdiction and the keywords for such similar educational standards are the same;

a plurality of achievement tools, stored in memory, selected from the group consisting of one or more of lesson plans, assessments and resources, each of the plurality of achievement tools having assigned thereto at least selected ones of the plurality of predetermined keywords;

wherein at least some of the plurality of predetermined keywords include grade level indicators;

a manipulator program stored in memory and adapted to permit an educator to select an educational standard and to provide to the educator a set of achievement tools applicable to the selected educational standard by identifying each achievement tool having at least one keyword in the at least selected ones of the plurality of predetermined keywords assigned to the achievement tool that is also within the at least selected ones of the plurality of predetermined keywords assigned to the selected educational standard and having a website user interface for enabling a user to log in with a unique identifier indicating an affiliation with one of the jurisdictions and filtering so that the user is provided only educational standards pertinent to that jurisdiction;

wherein the assignments of predetermined to keywords to educational standards and the assignments of predetermined keywords to achievement tools are stored in memory;

wherein a jurisdiction also corresponds to a geographic region;

wherein the plurality of educational standards are identified in memory by jurisdiction and include at least one educational standard for at least two jurisdictions; and

wherein the apparatus maintains, across all users, centralized storage of the plurality of predetermined keywords, the plurality of educational standards, and the plurality of achievement tools and is accessible to users over a network.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein

some achievement tools are generated by educators in diverse jurisdictions having differing educational standards and are stored in memory with the plurality of achievement tools,

when an educational tool is submitted by an educator for an educational standard, keywords for that standard are automatically assigned to the submitted educational tool, and

means are provided for revising the keywords to a submitted educational tool subsequent to submission.

19. A computer-implemented method of assisting educators in selecting achievement tools for use in the education of students to meet an applicable one of a plurality of sets of educational standards comprising:

storing in a computer readable storage medium an assignment of selected ones of a plurality of predetermined keywords to each of a plurality of educational standards defined by discrete jurisdictions to apply to educational processes within those jurisdictions;

storing in the computer readable storage medium an assignment of selected ones of the plurality of predetermined keywords to each of a plurality of achievement tools;

associating with a computing device educational standards with achievement tools by identifying, for each of the plurality of educational standards, each achievement tool having at least one predetermined keyword in the selected ones of the plurality of keywords assigned to the achievement tool that is also within the selected ones of the plurality of keywords assigned to the educational standard;

wherein a jurisdiction also corresponds to a geographic region;

wherein the plurality of educational standards are identified in the computer readable storage medium by jurisdiction and include at least one educational standard for at least two jurisdictions; and

wherein the computer readable storage medium contains, across all users, centralized storage of the plurality of predetermined keywords, the plurality of educational standards, and the plurality of achievement tools and is accessible to users over a network.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19 wherein achievement tools are selected from the group consisting of one or more of lesson plans, assessments and resources.

21. A method as claimed in claim 19 further comprising adding achievement tools generated by educators in diverse jurisdictions having differing educational standards and storing the added achievement tools in the computer readable storage medium with the plurality of achievement tools.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21 further comprising as an educational tool is added by an educator for an educational standard, automatically associating keywords for that standard with the added educational tool.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22 further comprising revising the keywords to an added educational tool subsequent to its addition.

24. A method as claimed in claim 19 further comprising rating achievement tools and storing rating for display in association with the rated educational tool.

25. A method as claimed in claim 19 further comprising making the associated educational standards and achievement tools available over the Internet.

26. A method as claimed in claim 25 further comprising permitting a user to log in with a unique identifier, and filtering so that the user is provided only educational standards pertinent to that user.

27. A method as claimed in claim 19 further comprising selecting only educational standards pertinent to a user for use by the user.

28. A method as claimed in claim 19 further comprising

enabling a user to access the associated educational standards and achievement tools with a unique identifier indicating an affiliation with one of the jurisdictions and

filtering so that the user is provided only educational standards pertinent to that jurisdiction.

29. A method as claimed in claim 19 further comprising adding to or modifying local learning standards to the educational standards.

30. A method as claimed in claim 19 further comprising building a lesson plan including adding active links to web sites and data files, searching features for appropriate standards, and creating a rubric.

31. A method as claimed in claim 19 further comprising searching the associated educational standards and achievement tools including searching by grade, subject, by selecting from a predefined list of keywords or by typing in a word or phrase to be searched.

32. A method as claimed in claim 19 wherein the keywords include grade level indicators.