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Need for Oral Language Development in Early Literacy

Feb 16, 2023 | Early Literacy, Holistic Learning

Oral language forms the bedrock of early literacy.

It is one of the greatest predictors of a child’s success in school.

Oral language development plays a critical role in early literacy because it provides the foundation for reading and writing. 

As children acquire more words and learn to use them in meaningful ways, they are better able to understand and use written language.

Beyond the foundational role of oral language, early language skills are in fact predictive of later reading comprehension development. 

Grade 5 students with poor reading comprehension despite adequate word-reading skills – showed weak language skills as early as 15 months of age. 

Studies show that children with unresolved specific language impairment in kindergarten are at a higher risk for reading difficulties, particularly in phonological processing and reading comprehension.

Given the crucial stature of phonological awareness and reading comprehension in evidence-based literacy, mastering oral language early on is key to reading successfully!

 

How is Oral Language Acquired?

How is Oral Language Acquired?

Babies begin to acquire language within months of being born and by age five, they can master basic sound system structures and grammar. 

Young children develop their oral language skills through conversations with their caregivers, exposure to a rich vocabulary, and opportunities to practice their language in different contexts. 

Thus, for the acquisition of oral language, It’s important to provide high-quality early learning experiences which contain such interactions, exposure and opportunities to practice. 

Oral Language is a skill practiced all the time with teachers, educators, parents, peers and members of the community. If well-supported properly, it encourages reading and writing.

Thus, there also needs to be a high-level of parental involvement and community participation, where adults in the child’s life are taking the time to speak to them and encouraging them to speak also. 

Cultural relevance can make a huge difference in strengthening early learning, especially in how it promotes oral language acquisition. Culturally responsive content helps students to see themselves in what they are learning. Connecting with words and concepts is easier, and learning is more fluid.

Having understood the need for oral language in early literacy and its acquisition process, how do the aforementioned practices translate into practice?

 

What Should your Early Literacy Program Look Like?

What Should your Early Literacy Program Look Like?

Since few children entering kindergarten can read words, early literacy programs should look at oral language skills that develop word recognition and/or decoding ability. 

When taught in combination with language comprehension, concepts such as communication and vocabulary leads to reading comprehension.

Thus, whether it’s a program for preschool, kindergarten, or the early elementary grades, it is very important that early literacy programs teach both word recognition and language comprehension. 

Besides the actual teaching content focusing on oral language, the following considerations should also be made for maximizing oral language growth. 

 

Holistic Learning for Constant Exposure to Oral Language

Early learners should be exposed to oral language activities holistically, in all aspects of life. 

It’s important that an early literacy program engages caregivers as well. Students that have caregivers actively engaged in their learning do better in overall educational outcomes, grades and academic achievement.

Holistic learning is a large topic which Sprig has covered previously in multiple blog posts. It should be used in early literacy where a child has more than one person to practice oral language skills with, and more than one environment where such practice can take place.

 

Early Assessments to Gauge Oral Language Requirements

Assessments of oral language skills are important to identify children who are likely to need more intensive instruction to achieve reading success.

By identifying and working with students across all literacy levels early, educators can be proactive in ensuring that students meet or exceed academic expectations.

Early and frequent assessment of children’s oral language abilities provides educators and caregivers with a clearer picture of student learning. 

Holistic learning also plays an important role in early assessments of skills which digs deep into each student’s needs, strengths and interests.

Such assessments conducted regularly early on as these traits are being formed, are called formative assessments. It’s another topic that is covered extensively by Sprig. Holistic formative assessments are great for assessing oral language skills early and frequently.

 

Making the Connection Between Oral Language and Other Foundational Reading Skills

Oral language is paramount for early literacy, not just on its own accord, but because it has such strong ties to other foundational reading skills that result in reading proficiency. 

For example,

Children learn to recognize and manipulate speech sounds through activities such as rhyming and segmenting words into individual sounds. 

This is phonological awareness, and its development can be encouraged by teachers by encouraging children to play with sounds in oral language.

Also, children develop comprehension skills through conversations, discussions, and storytelling, where they learn to understand and interpret the meaning of oral language. 

Teachers can support reading comprehension development by asking open-ended questions about the text  and encouraging children to make predictions about what will happen next. 

These language comprehension skills come in very handy for reading comprehension. 

Similarly for vocabulary acquisition, children build their vocabulary knowledge by being exposed to a variety of words and phrases in different contexts in oral language.

Teachers can support vocabulary acquisition by using rich and varied language in their own speech and reading aloud high-quality books that use sophisticated vocabulary.

 

How to Ensure Oral Language Development for Early Literacy

How to Ensure Oral Language Development for Early Literacy

Children who have strong oral language skills are more likely to develop strong reading and writing skills, while children who struggle with oral language development may experience difficulties with literacy. 

Therefore, it is important to provide young children with rich language experiences and opportunities to develop their oral language skills to support their early literacy development. 

Oral language development is an ongoing process that occurs over time, and it is best supported through a combination of explicit teaching, rich language experiences, and opportunities for children to engage in meaningful conversations and interactions.

Sprig Learning offers two solutions that deal with oral language development. 

Sprig Language does a deep dive on the fundamentals of oral language for Pre-K to Kindergarten students, working on things such as pragmatics and syntax. 

Sprig Reading also covers the fundamentals of oral language, but dovetails this one component of early learning with other foundational reading skills that are needed to turn a child into a confident and proficient reader by Grade 3. 

Go to Sprig Blog

Data in the Classroom—Efficient Practices for Growing Classrooms

Feb 9, 2023 | News and Announcements

As class sizes continue to grow and caps are removed, it’s never been more important to make the most of the personalized data available to educators. 

With the right tools and strategies, we can turn data into actionable insights that drive positive change for students in our classrooms.

Education administrators, teachers, and parents have the power to revolutionize the classroom. Don’t miss this opportunity to unlock the full potential of your students. Read on to learn more about effective data-driven education practices.

A new report by Sprig Learning reveals the power of data in the classroom. 

Learn how to harness the wealth of student information available to create a dynamic school culture that prioritizes personalization, supports individual learning styles, and drives positive outcomes. 

With the use of data, educators can streamline their workload and make informed decisions that benefit each student. 

Get the report now! Who’s Driving Who? Data-Informed Decision Making in Education. 

Some key findings are highlighted below:

 

The power of data-informed decision making in early education is irrefutable. 

  • To get the most out of this data, teachers need access to comprehensive student datasets. 
  • Over 96% of teachers find benefits from using EdTech, with 44% noting significant time savings.

 

In today’s classrooms, data management practices play a critical role in student success. 

  • Using data dashboards, whether digital or physical, helps administrators and educators to assess how they can best support their students. 
  • Designating specific “data days” provides teachers with the opportunity to review, interpret and apply data to enhance their instruction and differentiate it to better meet students’ individual needs.
  • Education technology solutions make it easier to collect, visualize and understand data, further streamlining data management practices in the classroom.

 

Example of data dashboard for teachers: Sprig Language

Example of data dashboard for teachers: Sprig Language

Example of data dashboard for teachers: Sprig Reading

Example of data dashboard for teachers: Sprig Reading

 

 Vince Hill, Principal in Grasslands School Division in rural Alberta experienced the benefits first-hand when data management practices were implemented in his school.

“I cannot stress enough how much time holistic, data-driven EdTech tools have saved our teachers and administrators since we first introduced them into our curricula,” says Hill. “The insight gained has an undeniably positive impact on student-teacher engagement and overall class progress. It also allows for continued development and growth at home, in the classroom and even within our surrounding communities.”

Jarrett Laughlin, Founder of Sprig Learning believes parents and caregivers have an important role to play. “Families are critical stakeholders for learning, and they need to and should be given the opportunity to understand how data is being used to inform the decisions regarding their child.”

The data collected is most effective when holistic learning methods and new-age data-driven EdTech work together in harmony. 

Sprig Learning has taken the necessary measures to ensure the data collected through its technology is safe, reliable and accessible for all teachers.

Education technology and data-informed decision-making are still in their early stages, so it’s crucial for schools and teachers to take the lead. 

By using innovative learning tools and programs, we can optimize instructional decisions and support student growth and success. 

Read the Full Report

About the Authors

Jarrett Laughlin, CEO & Founder, Sprig Learning

Jarrett has worked with educational organizations across the world developing holistic and innovative approaches to measuring success in education.

His recent passion involves mobilizing research into action through socially innovative, community-based projects through his educational technology company, Sprig Learning.

Vince Hill, Principal, Grasslands School Division

Vince has been involved in Indigenous education since 1991. His experiences have ranged from working in First Nation communities in the Northwest Territories and Northern Saskatchewan.

Currently, he is principal in rural Alberta at Bassano School.

Traditional Early Years Assessments VS Holistic Assessments

Feb 2, 2023 | Formative Assessment, Holistic Learning

Student assessment is one of the most critical aspects of early learning. So critical in fact, that Sprig has dedicated an article to just assessments in early childhood education.

Educators who consistently use formative assessment strategies are shown to double the speed of learning for students in their classroom. 

While the link between assessment and early learning is clear, there is a lot left to be desired with the data that is being collected.

Traditional assessments only capture two perspectives: the teacher and the student. This leaves a gap in our understanding of early learning that occurs outside of the classroom unidentified. 

They are also prone to bias which has a negative impact on learning during the formative early years of learning.

There are many key people supporting student learning outside of school, so how can these perspectives be included and understood?

How can the potential of biased data be mitigated?

Holistic learning provides an answer to both of these questions, by way of holistic formative assessments.

Holistic learning integrates multiple learning components in its thinking, focusing on the whole learner. It pays significant attention to experiential learning and aims to help students reach their maximum potential. 

Holistic assessment engages key actors and can inspire communities and caregivers to participate in a child’s learning so that children can reach their greatest potential. This benefits both students and educators by promoting caregiver and community participation.

 

What Does Holistic Assessment Mean for Future Learning?

What Does Holistic Assessment Mean for Future Learning?

A child’s early life experiences are proven to have a lasting impact on their development and future learning success. For this reason, early years assessment data needs to be collected accurately and holistically.

Every stakeholder in a child’s learning benefits from comprehensive assessments. 

Caregivers are empowered to help their children learn well, and instructors benefit from caregiver and community support while receiving access to better data that enhances instruction.

True personalized learning can finally be realized with improved data, an ambitious goal that education institutions throughout the world are aiming to meet. 

With personalized learning still in its early stages, a comprehensive approach to assessments can hasten its progress. 

In order for personalized learning to be effective, accurate and comprehensive information is required to define the needs of the learner. 

A holistic approach to assessment enables this in three ways.

 

Increased Breadth of Information

First, by broadening its scope to identify learning in the home, community, land (and school), holistic assessment always provides new insights into a child’s learning. New information emerges about each learner that may have never been asked or identified, and supports instruction in the classroom.

 

Mitigation of Bias

Second, a holistic assessment provides more accurate information through its more natural and formative approaches. Through the provision of culturally enabling tools and implementation, holistic assessments are able to break down explicit and implicit biases during the assessment, creating a more natural and supportive environment for students to demonstrate their skills and abilities.

 

Coverage of All Foundational Skills

Third, holistic assessments not only include learning from multiple places and from multiple perspectives, but it also focuses on the essential skills, which greatly enhance student performance. 

Literacy and numeracy, for example, are foundational; thus, holistic assessments look at all of the foundational skill sets that go into language, reading and math acquisition.

 

What Research Supports Holistic Education?

What Research Supports Holistic Education?

The holistic approach is rooted in Canadian First Nations teachings and the lifelong learning model – both products of research from the Canadian Council on Learning. 

Indigenous people in Canada have long understood the role that learning plays in building healthy, thriving communities and despite significant cultural and historical differences, Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis people share a vision of learning as a holistic, lifelong process.

 

“We have constantly measured the wrong things against a different paradigm — leading inevitably to an assessment of failure.” – Canadian Council on Learning

Though developed with and for Indigenous peoples in Canada, the holistic approach can be applied to students of all cultural backgrounds. 

 

In fact, two of the top performing education systems in the world thrive using aspects of the holistic approach and lifelong learning model. 

Education systems everywhere are teaching a lifelong learning mindset so students can keep up in a fast-paced, digital world. It’s perhaps time learning systems adopt the same mentality for early years assessment.

Technology is an important component in ensuring that a holistic approach to assessment and learning is applied effectively. Technology makes it simple for teachers, caregivers, and community members to stay up to date on where and how their students are learning. Assessment findings may be aggregated and curated by technology, making them conveniently available to all learning influencers.

Furthermore, from the standpoint of a student, connecting with technology in early assessment is critical to establishing the digital literacy that is necessary for future academic, social and economic success.

 

Why Should Teachers Advocate a Holistic Approach to Early Years Assessment?

Why Should Teachers Advocate a Holistic Approach to Early Years Assessment?

With more comprehensive and accurate information available, a holistic approach assists in identifying each student’s learning strengths. 

It encourages instructors to help students in using their talents to overcome their obstacles in various educational settings. This enables instructors to differentiate instruction for every child.

A holistic approach to assessment yields better results and distributes the responsibility of educators by engaging caregivers. 

In fact, the positive impact of caregiver involvement has long shown to produce higher student achievement. 

By connecting caregivers and the community to learning in the classroom, caregivers are able to complement the child’s learning path with community and home-based activities.

For more information about a holistic approach to assessment or holistic education, send us an email at letstalk@spriglearning.com.

Go to Sprig Blog

15 Essential Terms in Early Childhood Educational Equity

Jan 26, 2023 | Early Literacy, Equity in Education

Achieving equity in education is a crucial goal for all organizations. 

Sprig Learning is one among many. Our ultimate mission and purpose is to provide every child with a fair shot at success, by uncovering and supporting their unique learning strengths, needs and interests. 

However, navigating the field of early childhood education can be challenging, with a constantly evolving lexicon of terms and concepts.

Words have power. 

Researchers, professors, administrators, and practitioners in early childhood education use hundreds of terms that shape the discourse on equity in education, and ultimately lead to policies that drive change. 

New words and concepts are constantly emerging, but it can be difficult to understand their meaning and relevance.

It’s important to understand the relevant terms and concepts used in the field of equity in education. 

By having a clear understanding of these terms, it becomes easier to find the right tools, resources and solutions.

Want to know more about the relevant terms and concepts? This article goes over 15 essential terms in early childhood educational equity. Let’s dive in.

 

The Essential Terms To Advance Equity in Early Childhood Education

These terms will focus on early education, and not early childcare. While they are often grouped together, there are distinct differences between the two.

Words like “child-care access” and “community-based child care” focus on the practical aspect of finding caregivers, rather than on learning.

Ensuring equal access to opportunities is important, but it is the delivery of the program to each child that ensures equity. 

Quality programs are those that provide proper differentiated instruction and leave no child behind.

These terms focus on achieving equity in early learning by increasing the quality of programs.

 

1. Accommodation.

Refers to the adjustments made in standards and assessment tools to allow certain students to learn and demonstrate their learning in their own way. 

However, the content of learning is not changed for them, it follows a curriculum. Rather, the process of learning is adapted to suit the student’s needs, such as difficulty with the English language.

When deciding on a tool to improve early learning quality, it’s best to see how it differentiates instruction from the teacher’s point of view, and personalizes learning from the child’s point of view. Both are equally important. 

 

2. Adult-child ratio.

Refers to the appropriate number of early education educators for a certain class size.

 The Administration For Children & Families in the US recommends 1 trained adult for 6-10 preschoolers (aged 3-5) and 1 trained adult for 10-12 school age children (aged 5 and above). 

It also recommends a maximum class size of 12 and 24 students for the two categories above, meaning each class should be managed by two educators. 

The Canadian Child Care Federation recommends a 1:8 ratio of adults to preschoolers.

The preferred scenario is smaller class sizes, where each educator can devote their full attention to the students.

As the adult-to-child ratio is so crucial, it’s beneficial to have a tool that will lessen some of the administrative duties for teachers working in large classrooms.  

It’s also important to understand how any technology or resource will be used by the lead teacher and the co-teacher. 

Ask yourself, how is a tool suited to any of these 6 styles of co-teaching?

 

3. After School Program.

Refers to programs serving school children outside of school hours, also known as out-of-school time programs. 

Childhood is a valuable time. 

It can be said that too many organized after school programs such as recreational activities, mentoring or social clubs can unnecessarily tax the development of young children. 

Afterall, the school is supposed to be a place to work on other developmental domains besides just cognition and language. Physical and socio-emotional development cannot be relegated to other programs. 

But, depending on the strategy of each school district, certain support systems may be created outside of school hours that make it easier for the parents to manage their child’s schedules and ensure they are developing holistically. 

When choosing a resource or platform to increase the quality of early learning, it’s best to understand how its usage transitions from the school to the home. 

 

4. At Risk.

Refers to those students who may need additional support for their child development and learning. 

It’s important to identify children “at risk” early on, so necessary interventions, supports and measures can be taken. 

Most brain development happens between birth and age 8, so it’s crucial to provide support at this stage early on.

Risk factors include lower soci-economic status, community conditions and experiences, and lack of access to high-quality education. 

By choosing to improve the quality of early learning, the at-risk factors can be mitigated to some degree. 

 More holistic and comprehensive screening and assessment tools can also support young at-risk learners.   Such tools can help  apply a 360 degree account of the students needs, interests and challenges that reflect multiple learning environments. 

 

5. Attachment.

Refers to the deep emotional connection between a parent or caregiver, and a child. 

Human connections contribute to the child’s overall sense of wellbeing. It is an indicator of healthy child development and learning. 

Technology is a poor substitute for the emotional bonding that can happen between an adult and a child in their formative years. That being said, the context matters in which a particular tool or resource is being used. There are 4 attachment styles, of which secured attachment is the best. 

Technology can also be used to encourage parental involvement or promote activities that work on establishing secure attachment between the child and the people who care for, and  educate them. 

 

6. Continuity of Care.

This is a term that is more commonly associated with child care and it refers to the transitions from one person or setting to another person or setting. 

However, it can also be applied to early education. Preschool programs are a type of setting where the young student spends a considerable amount of time. 

Maintaining constancy in the kind of individuals and environments with which the child interacts during his or her early years enhances brain growth and learning.

When deciding tools and resources that  improve quality in early childhood education, see if they focus on maintaining this continuity where educators, parents and any other caregivers are able to collaborate on the best outcome for the child. 

 

7. Cultural Competence.

Refers to the incorporation of cultural knowledge, customs and language of a particular group of people into the educational standards, policies and practices. 

Classes are more diverse than ever before. 

Thus the need for cultural competence is at an all time high. Understanding the community of learners and their contexts can support the development of appropriate culturally responsive materials. 

In order to advance quality in early learning programs, it’s best to confirm if culturally appropriate learning materials are available that are reflective of the student body.

 

8. Curriculum.

Refers to an outline of what children will be learning, and the learning materials and processes available to them to achieve those learning outcomes. 

Having a set outline, course content and process for learning seems straightforward, but often, only general guidelines are released. This leaves a lot of room for flexibility when it comes to implementing the curriculum. 

The learning outcomes are perhaps the most rigid aspect of the curriculum, because they are developed and agreed upon by the local, regional or national governing bodies on education. However, such curriculum guides can be general in nature. There is much room for input from the school board, directors of curriculum, and building-level teachers and administrators.

Solution providers can step in to make this “top-down but flexible” process easier on the schools. 

It’s good to understand if the solution has actually made their own version of the curriculum, or if it promises to align to the local, state or provincial curriculum. 

 

9. Developmental Domains.

The wide range of research defines somewhere between four to seven developmental domains, which refer to the specific aspects of growth and change in young children. 

Attached to these developmental domains are developmental milestones. 

They allow educators, parents and caregivers to keep track of appropriate development or intervene when there is a cause for concern. 

A lot of research has been conducted that connects reaching the developmental milestones to success in later life in what is known as developmental outcomes. 

There are other determinants as well such as family income and health, but developmentally appropriate early education is certainly a leading indicator of success. 

It’s best to find a tool that has mechanisms in place to understand the unique personality of every child, their learning style and their family background. Activities, practices, settings and behaviors can be modified to match the learning needs of the student. 

While language, cognitive, physical and socio-emotional development are standard domains, adaptive/self-help and spiritual/moral domains are more rare. A holistic learning approach considers all of the above. 

 

10. Executive Function.

Refers to cognitive skills that help children regulate their behavior such as their ability to focus, remember instruction and control certain inhibitions to complete a task.

Executive function is extremely important in early childhood education as there is a strong connection to both academic and social success. 

Before choosing a learning solution or resources, it’s a good idea to ask what activities or exercises are offered to promote executive function. 

 

11. Bias.

Bias in early childhood education can be both implicit and explicit. 

Implicit bias is an automatic or unconscious reaction someone has toward other people. With explicit bias, individuals are aware of their prejudices and attitudes toward certain groups.

While it’s not possible to get rid of bias completely, there are measures that can be taken to mitigate it. Using more culturally responsive assessments and having an assessment process that considers more viewpoints are great tactics in the battle against bias in early learning.

When picking a tool or platform, it helps to know how inclusive and culturally responsive the assessment process is. 

Perhaps it’s not an out-of-the-box solution due to the level of customization that is needed, but it is definitely reassuring to know if such arrangements can be made. 

 

12. Motor Skills.

Refers to fine motor skills and gross motor skills. 

Fine motor skills involve control of the small muscles in the body to complete activities like drawing or writing. Gross motor skills involve control of the large muscles in the body for activities such as running and jumping.

Motor skills are absolutely crucial for early education because physical development is a big part of growth. Cognitive and socio-emotional skills enable early learners to conceptualize and solve problems or acquire early literacy and numeracy, but in order to perform certain activities that show those skills, motor skills are needed.

Also, young students have a lot of energy, which is why play-based learning has emerged as one of the most popular learning styles in preschools and kindergartens. 

To boost quality in early learning programs, it cannot be all desk-based or stationary activities. There has to be a healthy mix of mobile activities, both inside and outside the classroom. 

 

13. Observational Tools.

Refers to instruments that are used to assess and communicate the level of quality in early education programs. 

Classroom assessment scoring systems and environment rating scales are used in the US to improve the quality of teacher effectiveness and learning environment respectively. The Federal Secretariat on Early Learning in Canada also recommends these two scales to measure quality.

If you plan to use observational methods at your school, it’s helpful to know the degree of quality and the sort of quality that will be measured. For example, 30 years of research papers on the subject were reviewed to reveal that good staff-to-child interactions and development-focused curricula were the best drivers of process quality.

14. Parent Involvement.

Refers to the active participation of the parents in the child’s education. 

It requires communication between the parents and the child’s educators. When this communication extends to a relationship with regular interactions, it is known as family engagement. 

It’s ideal if a quality improvement platform is able to measure parental involvement. 

 

15. Protective Factors.

Refers to the characteristics that counteract the effects of risk factors in early learning. One in six children face developmental problems at school entry. 

To minimize this risk, protective factors include community and social support and knowledge of parenting and child development.

Examine whether your solution uses a strengths-based approach, which aims to emphasize all of the positive aspects of healthy development rather than focusing on the downsides.

Of course, at-risk factors will exist for some children. However, it is the reaction to those risk variables that will determine the final outcome.

 

The Short of It — Internalizing All The Terms

There were plenty of terms that were left out in this document because of their overly technical nature. These include: terms relating to funds, or terms related to the various types of child care that do not specifically speak to any educational quality component. 

At the end of the day, achieving equity is a long-term oriented goal.

To begin the arduous task of closing opportunity gaps, it’s helpful to understand the relevant terms that determine the quality of education in an early childhood setting. 

Only when these concepts are properly understood, they can be fine-tuned in an existing program or included in a new program. The end result is quality enhancement.  

When the quality of early childhood education is raised, there is a higher chance of any existing accessibility and equality translating into equity.

Sprig Learning builds culturally relevant resources and assessments to provide a holistic learning experience to all students. To learn more about how your program can address inequity in early learning, give us a shout.

Go to Sprig Blog

Importance of Cybersecurity in Schools. What you Need to Know.

Jan 19, 2023 | Equity in Education, Student Privacy and Security

Cybersecurity for schools is a growing area of interest due to 1) the increased adoption of instructional technology tools, and 2) increases in cyber attacks against both the software vendor and users of these platforms. 

Data privacy and data security are especially important anytime students are using technology due the potential data at risk. Sprig Learning has written on this topic, offering tips on protecting children’s data online on computers and mobile devices. 

This article is dedicated to teacher’s use of technology. 

The majority of early learners may not use computers, tablets and phones in schools, but their teachers use these devices to manage planning, instructional and assessment data. 

Thus it’s very important to understand the importance of cybersecurity in schools. 

 

What Is the Importance of Cybersecurity in Schools?

What is the importance of cybersecurity in schools

 

As the number of students enrolled in schools continues to grow and online learning expands, the safety and protection of student data is crucial.

 

Increased Threat

Last year, the number of cyberattacks on schools jumped by 75% with over a 1000 schools experiencing ransomware attacks.

According to data from Check Point Research, the education/research sector suffers the greatest number of weekly cybersecurity threats. 

With the threat of such attacks looming in the K12 education sector, it is important to take necessary measures.

With the growing prominence of cybersecurity, it’s not just the CIO who should be in roundtable discussions on how to best mitigate such risks, but other school district leaders and educators at all levels must have a base understanding of the threats and the right course of action.

 

K12 Cybersecurity Act

The K-12 Cybersecurity Act was signed into law in 2021, which aims to strengthen the cybersecurity of the United States’ K-12 educational institutions by conducting a study in cybersecurity risks, presenting the findings, and developing an online training kit for officials.

The cybersecurity toolkits published thus far offer some general guidelines, but a lot is still left up to the schools regarding how they want to set their cybersecurity strategy. 

 

Cybersecurity Budget for Schools

District Administration reports that 20% of schools out there spend less than 1% of their IT budget on security, the rest spending 8% of their IT budget on average on cybersecurity. 

For schools who have not prioritized cybersecurity yet, what are some best uses of the IT budget which will minimize risks, threats, and create a robust infrastructure for the future?

  1. Awareness training to the risks and how they are mitigated;
  2. Anti-malware software to detect the potential presence of malware;
  3. Anti-phishing software on email services to detect attempts to capture information, or even suspicious emails;
  4. Performing threat and risk assessments (TRA) against all new software or technologies being used. This should include a privacy impact assessment (PIA) for any platforms holding PII data of students or staff;
  5. SLA’s with providers that account for data breaches and course of action including notifications during and after an incident;
  6. Create a governance model that will allocate resources to ensure security and privacy are ongoing tasks across the organization’s operations.

 

Cybersecurity for School Districts

Cybersecurity for Schools

What are some things instructional technology should possess which will keep student’s data safe and secure?

Cybersecurity for school districts consists of keeping student data private and secure. Sprig has previously written on data privacy and data safety before. Please refer to those articles for a more in-depth explanation of what it takes to keep student data private and secure.

Information from those articles are presented here in a questionnaire format. To develop a top-notch cybersecurity strategy and successfully implement it, the following questions have to be asked.

 

Has your Instructional Technology Provider Completed Assessments on Threats, Risks and Privacy?

A governance model or framework makes it easy to perform both a Threat and Risk Assessment and a Privacy Impact Assessment – two critical components in developing and maintaining a safe platform.

A Threat and Risk Assessment allows us to discover any potential flaws in our digital assets and address each one to reduce risk.

The Privacy Impact Assessment assists in the identification and recording of any components of our system related to personal or student data that may be at risk, and then developing a plan to manage and mitigate those risks.

 

Does your Instructional Technology Provider have Failsafes? Does it train itself to get better?

Assessment and documentation cycles help to develop a Secure Development Lifecycle (SDLC) that decreases our platform’s overall attack surface. Maintaining a secure platform is an ongoing activity that does not end after development is completed. 

Servers must be monitored constantly for any indication of risk. Multi-layered system should assure that even if the web server is compromised, the student data is safe.

Penetration testing should be conducted to ensure that no internal errors are made on the code or on the server.

 

Is there sufficient understanding of the data policy and culture of the instructional technology provider?

First and foremost, schools should partner with EdTech companies that care about students. From pedagogy to platform and privacy, your tech partners need to put students first. 

Ask for a copy of the company’s privacy policy and make sure it looks something like this. If an EdTech company values the best interests of students, they will not sell data to advertisers or any other external 3rd party providers.

 

Is there enough information about cybersecurity and collaboration amongst different stakeholders to keep student data safe and secure?

The fact is, there is only one way to fight the sale of information: with information itself. Staying informed is the only way to protect student data and the onus is on caregivers and educators to learn with students in mind.

Caregivers and educators need to work together to protect student data inside and outside of the classroom and educate themselves so that they can understand the technology their children use. It takes two to keep student data safe, make sure your education partners are in it for the right reasons.

 

The Sprig Difference

All Sprig software and platform services have affirmative answers to the questions posed in the prior section. They are held to high specifications using regulatory regulations and ISO cybersecurity standards to ensure student data is safe and that privacy is assured. 

Sprig values student privacy, and as such, we do not sell or advertise any student data to third parties.  Nor will we ever, as it it is not part of our business model.

 For our product development, we use a governance model that includes a Secure Development Lifecycle (SDLC) to keep track of every component, identify potential risks, and carefully resolve each one.

Sprig has partnered with TwelveDot Security as its development partner to further emphasize the need for privacy. TwelveDot creates all of Sprig’s platforms using the most recent digital security safeguards and criteria. TwelveDot has been a global leader in cybersecurity for the last twelve years, assessing and defending enterprises against data breaches and cyber threats.

Do you have questions related to data privacy or cybersecurity? Don’t hesitate to reach out to us. 

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