Here are some frequently asked questions about Epic Essentials. I hope this helps to clarify things!

What is Epic Essentials (EE)?

Epic Essentials (EE) is a program that is designed to help KG–11 students improve in math and reading. It is assigned on top of all other academic activities. It is best practice for these activities to be the first thing your student completes each day.

Is EE required?

Qualified students are automatically enrolled in the program. Parents do have the option to request a withdrawal consideration, but they must meet with their child’s teacher and principal to discuss the purpose of withdrawal and what other options will be put in place of the program. Withdrawals are rarely granted.

How do students “qualify” for EE?

If a KG–08 student scores below grade level on their Fall benchmark, they will automatically qualify for EE. High school students who score a 22 in ELA and/or math on a National ACT may be exempt from EE. However, be aware that the first ACT benchmarks will not be given until December for grade 09 and late October for grades 10 and 11, so all 09–11 students will be in EE unless they’ve taken the National ACT before the beginning of the school year and made at least a 22 in ELA and math.

What are the program options and costs in EE?

While only MindPlay and Dreambox were offered for the 2019–2020 school year, administration has added Freckle as another option for KG–08 students. ReadingPlus and ACe iT will be added to the HS EE curriculum. Freckle Math/ELA will NOT be an option after October 01.  You can find out more about each program below:

Grade	Reading	Math
KG–08	MindPlay Freckle ELA ($15)	Dreambox Freckle Math ($15)
09–11	ReadingPlus	ACe iT Dreambox (only if ACe iT is not possible)

What are the daily requirements of EE?

Please see the table below for the minimum requirements for EE engagement. Teachers have been instructed to only give credit when the full, weekly activity time has been achieved, so make sure that your students are prioritizing this program and doing them first before their core and other activities.

Program	Minimum Time Required
MindPlay	30 minutes per day (150 minutes per week)
Dreambox	5 lessons per week (25 lessons per week)
Freckle Math/ELA	30 minutes per day (150 minutes per week)
ReadingPlus	1 comprehension lesson and 4 vocabulary lessons per week
ACe iT	Activities take roughly 30 minutes per day

How is participation tracked?

Teachers will be checking daily to make sure that you are working in your assigned programs. Teachers are also assigning gradable assignments to each program, so you will be unable to remain enrolled if you have not been doing your EE assignments. You will need 72 gradable assignments per quarter. If you are doing reading and math EE, then those account for 2 of your recommended 8 gradable assignments per week. There are 9 weeks in each quarter, so that is 18 of the 72 assignments you need in order to stay on track.

What is ACe iT?

ACe iT is a program that helps students develop understanding in high school math with the intent of scoring well on the ACT and in their college math courses. It will be set up in Google Classroom, and there will be separate classes for each high school math level (i.e., Algebra I, Geometry, etc.). This is included in students’ grades as a supplement and counts toward their gradable assignment completion. It cannot be substituted for a core math course. ACe iT requires a TI-84 calculator in order to participate. Students who do not already own a calculator can rent one from their learning fund for $60/year, or they are welcome to purchase their own. Please take a look through the Calculator page for more information on purchasing one.

What about high school students doing concurrent enrollment (CE)?

Students in CE are NOT exempt from the EE program. CE enrollment does not equal reading and math proficiency. Students will need to score at least a 22 in the corresponding subjects on their ACT benchmarks or national exam to graduate out of EE.

What about students on IEPs?

We have had great success with the majority of our IEP students participating in EE, especially on the Dreambox and and ReadingPlus platforms. If you are concerned about your student’s abilities, please discuss this with your teacher and principal. We want to make sure all students have the best plan in place for them.

 

I will be adding more questions and answers as I get them!