WAVE II Next Generation Learning Challenges Announced

WAVE II of Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) funding was recently announced at the end of January. As we explained when the first wave of funding was announced, NGLC is a collaboration of philanthropists, educators, and those in fields of technological innovation, that is focused on scaling creative and innovative IT solutions to improve college readiness and completion, particularly for low-income young adults. Wave II focuses on a single challenge: how can technology-enabled instructional and assessment materials significantly improve mastery of 7th-9th grade level Common Core State Standards-aligned content to further build the learning competencies that are critical to college and career readiness. As the Wave II RFP explains, one way to increase college readiness is to change and expand the ways students learn and gain feedback during the learning process. Therefore, this second wave of the NGLC asks for technological solutions that address 1) next generation approaches to student learning of content wand 2) next generation assessments. Winning projects will be structured as modules, with a clear identification of how such modules might fit into larger learning sequences and capture Common Core standards-based performance data. Data captured will feed back to both support students in their learning process and support teachers in better understanding and addressing students’ needs. For more information, read the Wave II Request for Proposals. Preproposal submissions are due March 4, 2011.