Caliber Schools operates Beta Academy in Richmond, California and is seeking approval for a second campus in Vallejo. The nonprofit's educational model prepares students for college admission and success through an emphasis on computer literacy and blended learning. Newsela builds reading comprehension using current news stories, while Read Well provides personalized literacy instruction for young students. ThinkCERCA supports language arts, science, and social studies learning across grades 4 through 12 by having students explore topics like social responsibility and technology.

1. By Pete Briger

2.  Dedicated to providing rigorous college
preparatory education to K-8 students in the San
Francisco Bay Area, Caliber schools operates Beta
Academy in Richmond, California, and is
currently seeking approval to launch a second
campus in Vallejo. The nonprofit charter
management organization’s innovative
educational model is aimed at preparing students
not only to gain admission to college but also to
excel in higher education. Its learning strategies
emphasize computer literacy and therefore
integrate a number of online tools to facilitate
blended learning.

3.  One such learning resource, Newsela, uses current
events to build reading comprehension skills. By
providing a collection of daily news stories from
major media sources, it introduces students to
nonfiction reading comprehension while engaging
them with current events.
Read Well, a Voyager Sopris Learning tool designed
for students from kindergarten to third grade,
combines technology with whole-class education,
individual practice, and small-group activities to
deliver personalized language arts instruction. A
research-based program, Read Well allows teachers
to evaluate students’ individual skill levels and tailor
their teaching strategies accordingly.

4.  Aligning with both Common Core and ACT
College Readiness standards, ThinkCERCA
promotes skill development across language
arts, science, and social studies. Through
lesson plans for grade levels four through 12,
the program encourages students to explore
topics such as social responsibility, policy
and debate, culture and change, and
technology and society.