Release Notes 7.25.2024
- Meet Our New Waterford Characters!
- Encouraging Consistent Learning with Upstart Tracker Update
- Improved Tablet Functionality for 24 More Waterford Activities
- New Waterford Upstart Learner Homepage
- Streamlined School Course Assignment for District Administrators
- 4 New Activity Book PDFs for Families and Educators
- "The Teeny Tiny Boat" Sets Sail as a Downloadable PDF
- Teach Key Reading Skills with 2 New Resources
- Gain Student Insights with Usage & Milestones Resource
- Track Progress with Updated, Character-Filled Sheets
Waterford.org will release an automatic software update on July 25, 2024. See the list below for details.
If you have any questions or feedback, visit the Help Center for more information.
Meet Our New Waterford Characters!
Affects: Waterford Reading Academy, Waterford Upstart, Waterford Mentor
Get ready for a more engaging and tailored learning journey! Our friendly new Waterford characters are here to guide and motivate students throughout their daily lessons. These delightful learning buddies will greet learners at key moments, like in the loading screens between activities and the stop page after completing daily sessions.
The steps to start and finish a learning session have not changed for students, but the visual changes will make the digital learning experience more inviting and encouraging for young learners.
Encouraging Consistent Learning with Upstart Tracker Update
Affects: Waterford Upstart
Use the redesigned Upstart Learning Time Tracker to track ongoing learning! The new design emphasizes cumulative progress, encouraging learners to continue their educational journey beyond initial goals.
Improved Tablet Functionality for 24 More Waterford Activities
Affects: Waterford Reading Academy, Waterford Upstart, Waterford Mentor
Waterford is continually optimizing digital activities to craft a better tablet experience for users. Updates to some activities include: a more modern, refreshed look and feel, enhanced audio updates, and new Spanish language support. Waterford strives to improve digital activities to encourage increased use and drive learner engagement.
Digital Activity Update Progress: 55% of all activities have been updated (up from 46% in June 2024)
Look for visual and/or audio updates to the following Waterford activities:
- Word Blending
- Missing Pictures
- Recall Details
- Word Blending
New Waterford Upstart Learner Homepage
Affects: Waterford Upstart
Waterford Upstart families will enjoy an engaging learning experience through the new profile selection menu and learner homepage! After logging in to Waterford Upstart, caregivers will choose between their name and their children’s names from a profile selection menu.
Learners can start their activities from an interactive new homepage, with a cast of Waterford characters that will welcome them through their learning sessions. Caregivers can access their Waterford Upstart account as usual by selecting their name from the profile menu.
Follow the Help Site link here to learn more about the new homepage and how to guide your children through learning sessions.
Streamlined School Course Assignment for District Administrators
Affects: Waterford Reading Academy
District administrators will now experience a significantly reduced setup time for the upcoming year through the new schoolwide course assignment option. You can now assign courses to an entire school with just a few clicks, allowing you to focus more on leadership and less on technical details.
The school assignment process will take on average 15 minutes to complete. Additionally, if you assign a course to a school, you will be unable to complete other Waterford tasks such as adjusting goals, adding or editing staff/student and school/district information, and changing profile settings, until it is finished. The process for individual and class assignments will remain the same and will complete immediately.
4 New Activity Book PDFs for Families and Educators
Affects: Waterford Reading Academy, Waterford Upstart, Waterford Mentor
Engage young learners with downloadable Upstart Activity Book and Camp Consonant Activity Books! Now available in both English and Spanish through the Resources & Activities tab, these valuable resources are accessible for all educators and families for home and classroom use.
Camp Consonant Activity Book:
Waterford Upstart Activity Book:
"The Teeny Tiny Boat" Sets Sail as a Downloadable PDF
Affects: Waterford Reading Academy, Waterford Upstart, Waterford Mentor
Bring the "Sing a Rhyme" series into your learning space for activities guided by the science of reading! “The Teeny Tiny Boat" song is now available as a downloadable PDF book in both English and Spanish. This resource supports print awareness and early literacy skills in a fun, interactive format.
Downloadable PDF:
Foldable Book:
Teach Key Reading Skills with 2 New Resources
Affects: Waterford Reading Academy, Waterford Mentor, Waterford Upstart
Add two new research-aligned instructional resources to your teacher or family toolkit for engaging learning activities.
I Spy: A fun way to build phonological awareness as students identify rhymes, beginning sounds, and syllables.
Sequence Game: Strengthen comprehension skills with a picture-based storytelling activity.
Both are accessible through the Resources & Activities tab.
Gain Student Insights with Usage & Milestones Resource
Affects: Waterford Reading Academy
Understanding student progress just got easier! Our updated Usage & Milestones resource provides clearer insights into learning time, progress, and grade-level preparedness. This improved resource helps educators and families better track each learner's journey.
Track Progress with Updated, Character-Filled Sheets
Affects: Waterford Reading Academy
Motivate students with redesigned progress sheets featuring beloved Waterford characters. These five-day trackers make daily session monitoring more engaging for both educators and learners.
