The document summarizes the Next Generation Learning Challenges Wave II grant program which funded 19 digital learning modules for 7th-9th grade core subjects aligned with Common Core standards. The winning projects included online simulations that immersed students in real-world experiences across subjects like civics, and games that integrated literacy and math concepts. Over a year, the grantees refined their innovations and gathered in December 2012 to share their work and plans going forward, having served over 47,000 students during the grant period.

1. Building Blocks for College Readiness
An Overview of NGLC Wave II Grantees
In January 2011, Next Generation Learning Challenges put
out a call for interactive, digital content and tools aligned
to the forthcoming Common Core Standards. Wave II,
“Building Blocks for College Readiness,” challenged
innovators and developers to create and refine learning
modules for 7th – 9th grade core content that could be
mixed and matched as part of a larger curriculum. More
than 230 people applied, describing games, simulations,
online curriculum, and assessment tools for teachers and
students. Of them, NGLC selected 19 final winners in June
2011.
The winning grant projects include online simulations that immerse students in authentic, real-world
experiences (helping them draft political arguments, run sports networks, or work on a virtual power
grid) and games that weave math and literacy into engaging scenarios such as a health mystery on an
island, an alien invasion, or an epic quest. They include platforms to help teachers create and share
Common Core-aligned content and assessment tools for providing feedback and support to both
teachers and students.
For more than a year, these grantees have worked to refine, test, and further scale their innovations. In
December 2012, we gathered them together to learn more about their work, their challenges, and their
plans for the future. The following images are from posters they each developed to showcase their
innovations at the convening.
By the Numbers:
• 47,439 Students served by Wave II innovations during the
grant period
• 11 Projects that target math, primarily
• 3 Projects that target math (physics and engineering),
primarily
• 3 Projects that target literacy, primarily
• 1 Project that targets civics
• 10 “Proof of concept” projects
• 9 “early stage adoption” projects To read individual grantee profiles,
scan the QR code above.