POWERED BY PLATO
Guide to
the Complete
Middle and High School
Curriculum
Language Arts
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Electives
Spanish
Everything Your Child
Needs For Middle Through
High School!
Welcome
Dear Valued Customer,
Welcome to the BrainstormUSA family,
and thank you for your recent purchase!
Congratulations on your family’s
subscription to BrainstormUSA Academy.
You have joined thousands of other very
satisfied families whose purchase from
BrainstormUSA has made a difference in
their children’s education.
Enclosed is your child’s EASYKEY access
card which has your student’s user name
and password for the BrainstormUSA
Academy. Log on and begin your journey
toward academic success.
Once you have finished with your initial
lesson plan, email us or call us at 800595-5561 to advance to your next set of
courses. Remember you have access to
courses that completely cover all aspects
of Middle and High School. If you have any
questions please call our Customer Service
Representative at 1-800-595-5561.
Thank you again for joining the
BrainstormUSA family. We appreciate your
commitment and effort in helping with your
child’s education.
Sincerely,
Joe Galluccio
President & CEO
1
Parents are
challenged with
finding solutions
designed
to engage,
motivate,
and improve
achievement for
their children.
Whether your student is above, below, or on
grade level, they must have a program that
takes into account their individual needs and
learning styles.
I’TS MOBILE!
Use The BrainstormUSA ACADEMY with any
Internet device, any time, any where.
Engages students with a combination of test
questions and educational games. Text-tospeech feature makes learning hard concepts
easy.
Considered less expensive than traditional after
school learning centers. Fun to use,
and it works!
Academy Guide is your
EASYKEY. It has your
to the complete curriculum
for Middle and High School.
163 exciting interactive
• Students who want higher test
scores
• At-risk students
• Advanced students
courses and titles that will
give you an educational
advantage. Use your
163 Online Courses
and Titles
Language Arts
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Spanish
Electives
Enclosed with your BrainstormUSA
passcodes for your subscription
BrainstormUSA’s Academy powered by Plato
Web-based Courseware is ideal for:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Unlock Your
Power with Your
EASYKEY!
EASYKEY and unlock the secrets for
success in school!
Helps with:
•
•
•
•
SAT/ACT Preparation
High School Exit Exams
State Standardized Tests
Common Core Standards
2
Let’s Get Started
Welcome to the BrainstormUSA Academy powered by Plato! We are excited to help you meet
your educational needs and become a star student. You’ll see how to log in to learn how to
complete different Online assignments.
We highly recommend you:
• Stay on track with your assigned courses.
• Complete assignments on time and to the best of your
abilities.
• Contact us whenever you have a question or a problem.
Step 1
GO TO BROWSER Open your web
browser and type the BrainstormUSA
Academy (powered by Plato) web
address found in your EASYKEY
Card and click enter.
Step 2
Your EASYKEY Card also has
your Login information for all your
BrainstormUSA Academy Courses.
Visit the BrainstormUSA Academy
site to open the courses log-in
screen:
1.Enter your Account Login, your
PLATO Name, and your password.
2.Click Login to access PLATO
courses.
Step 3
MY ASSIGNMENTS
Start using the BrainstormUSA Academy
by clicking the TestPacks Rx assigned to
you and receive targeted instruction or
choose the Full Course option to begin
learning the course.
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Step 4
COMPLETE ASSESSMENT Take
your time and answer all the questions
to complete the initial assessment
then click the “GradeTest” button.
Your assessment will be immediately
graded and lessons will be
automatically chosen for your specific
needs.
Step 5
HAVE FUN & LEARN Start at the
beginning and work your way through
your tailored, interactive and engaging
lesson plan.
Step 6
CONTACT US TO ADVANCE Once
you have finished with your initial
lesson plan, email us at techsupport@
brainstormusa.com or call us at 800595-5561 to advance to your next
set of courses. REMEMBER you
have access to courses that cover all
aspects of Middle and High school for
the duration of your subscription.
4
Orientation Toolkit
This Student Orientation Toolkit will guide you to the resources and
information that you’ll need to begin learning with our courses. This toolkit will
help you access and use the features of the BrainstormUSA Academy.
Assignments & Course
Activities
Tutorials
Tutorials are modules with direct instruction
and practice interactions. They include
engaging activities, such as videos,
animations, interactive timelines, and
hotspot graphics. Tutorials also have
practice interactions such as drag-anddrops, ordered problem solvers, multiple-
choice questions, and fill-in-the blank
questions that help you to check your
progress at mastering new concepts.
Some tutorials also include Web links to
informational sites, games, and videos,
which are designed to broaden your
access to information on the topic.
Mastery Tests
A mastery test is included in each module.
After completing the tutorial, you will
take this brief assessment to show you
whether you have mastered the objectives
in the lesson. Each test will explain the
requirements for mastery before you begin
answering questions. The results of these
tests are reported as either mastered or not
mastered.
If you do not master a test on your first
attempt, don’t worry. You can always go
back and try again.
Assessments
Every Pre-test, Post-test, and End-ofSemester Test contains a unique set of
questions. Assessments may include these
types of questions:
Multiple Choice – A question is displayed
at the top of the screen. If a question
has a passage, the passage appears in
a separate window. All possible answer
options are listed and labeled with a letter.
You will be asked to click the correct
answer.
Essay Questions – A question is
displayed and a blank text area is provided
for you to type in your answer. Click the
Save button to save your choices.
Grid Response – A grid is displayed with
a text box at the top. When you select an
option, the option is displayed in the text
box. The Clear button clears the text in the
box.
Click a test link to open an assessment.
Keep in mind that once you have attempted
all the questions, the test is locked and you
will not be able to open that assessment
again.
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The Assessment Screen includes the
following information:
Total Number of Questions – The total
number of questions will be listed at the
top of the screen, along with what question
you are currently viewing. All questions that
have been answered will show up in red at
the bottom of the screen.
Submit Answer or Next – Click the Submit
Answer or go to the next question in the
assessment.
Save & Exit – You can save your
test and continue at a later time.
To save, click OK when prompted. It will list
how many questions you have answered,
questions left unanswered, and time spent
on the test.
Grade Test – click the Grade Test button
to submit your test responses for grading.
You will be informed whether all questions
have been answered before completing
this process.
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View Progress
Reports
The View Progress report allows you to
monitor your progress on an assignment.
When you click the View Progress link,
the screen displays the Learner Progress
Report for the selected assignment.
Mastery – Displays an icon that indicates
whether you have mastered a module’s
objectives.
Completion Date – The date that mastery
of a module is completed.
Printable View – Clicking this button allows
you to print the report.
# of Tries – Displays the number of
attempts made to achieve mastery.
Title – Displays the assignment name
followed by the unit, modules, and activities First Use Date – The date when you first
within the modules. You can navigate
launched the activity.
through the assignment by clicking the
+ and – icons to expand and contract
Last Use Date – The last date when you
sections of the report.
launched the activity.
Completion – Displays the legend icon
corresponding to the progress made on
the assignment: not started, in progress, or
completed.
Exemption – Displays an icon if you are
exempted from taking that assignment.
Time on Task – Displays the time in hours
and minutes that you have spent on an
activity.
Score – Displays a score in terms of
percentage where applicable.
Spanish-English
Reader Support
The reader support feature is available at
the top left corner of the screen.
Clicking the Reader Support button gives
you the option of listening to, translating,
or defining any text you enter into the text
area of the tool. You can type directly into
this field or copy and paste text from a
lesson.
The Define option provides definitions in
English and in Spanish.
Technical Readiness
Pop-up blockers must be disabled
or configured properly in order to run
BrainstormUSA Academy courseware
successfully. Pop-up blockers or stoppers
are used to prevent additional windows,
typically advertisements, from opening
within the Web browser.
Pop-up blocking software disables
JavaScript™ pop-up ads, but it also
disables legitimate site functionality using
JavaScript. The procedures to disable or
configure pop-up blockers vary, depending
on the software used.
Help
When problems or questions arise
access the 24/7 self-service support link.
Clicking the help button will take you to
the BrainstormUSA Academy Learning
support site, which contains general
information and answers to many
common questions.
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BrainstormUSA Academy Uses Innovative
Learning Strategies Proven To Engage
Adolescents
Mastered
Diagnostic
Pre-Test
Personalized
Curriculum
Interactive
Tutorials
Next
Module
Mastery
Test
Not
Mastered
PARENTS HAVE A CHOICE: Start From The
Beginning And Take A Full Course Or Get Targeted
Instruction with TestPacks Rx.
BrainstormUSA Academy’s diagnostic
and formative assessments evaluate
learners and prepare them through
a personalized learning path. This
allows students to bypass objectives
they have already mastered, gain
confidence, and focus on topics that
challenge them for a more relevant
and satisfying learning experience.
BrainstormUSA Academy’s
TestPacks, when coupled with
Plato Courseware, are ideal for
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remediation, intervention, and
acceleration programs. The
assessments provide an evaluation
of your child’s progress and prescribe
specific curriculum to fill learning
gaps with personalized instruction.
Consistent alignment between test
items and our rigorous curriculum
assures that each learner receives
an individual learning path that meets
his/her needs.
You can choose a full course or
you can choose TestPacks Rx for a
targeted approach.
Once you login to BrainstormUSA
Academy your Home page will load.
Click the green “Assignments” button
in the upper left side of the page to
reveal your selected assignments.
Once on the assignments page you
can choose either the full course
choose ( identified by a blue folder
Icon). Or you may choose the
TestPacks Rx course.
Note: Test Packs courses do not have
a “blue folder” icon.
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Here’s Your Complete
Curriculum
22 Language Arts
Courses
These online courses are designed to
teach learners to become skilled readers
and writers. The courses use a central
theme to teach reading, writing, grammar
and mechanics, providing learners with
a cohesive and connected learning
experience. Research strongly supports
the use of connections to increase learner
achievement. Learners are expected
to respond to writing prompts, analyze
both fiction and nonfiction pieces, utilize
the Internet to research, and create
presentations to share information.
English 6 Semesters 1 & 2
English 7 Semesters 1 & 2
English 8 Semesters 1 & 2
English 9 Semesters 1 & 2
English 10 Semesters 1 & 2
English 11 Semesters 1 & 2
American Literature Semesters 1 & 2
Advanced English - AP Semesters 1 & 2
English 12 Semesters 1 & 2
British Literature Semesters 1 & 2
World Literature Semesters 1 & 2
Plus 15
Additional Titles
Reading Explorations
Essential Reading Skills
Fundamental Reading Strategies
Intermediate Reading Strategies
Vocabulary & Reading Comprehension
Workplace Writing
Communication Skills
Miscellaneous Language Arts Resource
Advanced Read Strategies
Essential Writing Process & Practice
Fundamental Writing Process & Practice
Intermediate Writing Process & Practice
Advanced Writing Process & Practice
Writing Series
Informational Reading
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20 Math
Courses
The best way to learn mathematics is to do
mathematics. Our hands-on exploration,
often with objects that can be manipulated,
facilitates understanding of mathematical
concepts and principles. BrainstormUSA
Academy challenges students to think
mathematically and solve complex
problems, learners need to understand
the concepts and principles. Our courses
embed mathematics in realistic contexts
that helps learners recognize and build on
relationships among various mathematical
ideas. Further, it helps learners understand
that mathematics is useful and worthwhile,
providing a rationale for doing the work.
Math 6 Semesters 1 & 2
Math 7 Semesters 1 & 2
Pre-Algebra Semesters 1 & 2
Algebra 1 Semesters 1 & 2
Algebra 2 Semesters 1 & 2
Geometry Semesters 1 & 2
Integrated Math Semesters 1 & 2
Pre-Calculus Semesters 1 & 2
Advanced Calculus Semesters 1 & 2
Probability and Statistics
Consumer Mathematics
Plus 12
Additional Titles
Math Expeditions
Foundational Math
Math Problem Solving
Miscellaneous Math Resource
Algebra 1, Part 1
Algebra 1, Part 2
Algebra 2, Part 1
Algebra 2, Part 2
Consumer Mathematics
Trigonometry Skills
Geometry 1
Geometry 2
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23 Science
Courses & Titles
53 Social Studies
Courses & Titles
Life Science Semesters 1 & 2
Biology Semesters 1 & 2
Physical Science Semesters 1 & 2
Earth and Space Science Semesters 1 & 2
Integrated Physics and Chemistry Semesters 1& 2
Advanced Chemistry- AP Edition Semesters 1&2
Physics Semesters 1 & 2
Advanced Biology- AP Edition Semesters 1 & 2
Chemistry Semesters 1 & 2
Earth & Space Science
Life Science
Physical Science
Biology
Chemistry
Middle School World History Basic American History I
Semesters 1 & 2
Basic American History II
Semesters 1 & 2
American History 1
Semesters 1 & 2
American History 2
Semesters 1 & 2
World History Semesters 1 & 2
Middle School U.S. History
Semesters 1 & 2
U.S. Government
Semesters 1 & 2
Geography Semesters 1 & 2
Economics Semesters 1 & 2
World History Before 1815
Semesters 1 & 2
World History Since 1815
Semesters 1 & 2
World History Since 1500
Semesters 1 & 2
Native American Studies:
Historical Perspectives
Native American Studies:
Contemporary Perspectives
African American Studies
Civics Semesters 1 & 2
Advanced US History
Semesters 1 & 2
American Government
Semesters 1 & 2
Basic American History I
Basic American History II
African Global Studies
Each comprehensive award-winning
course delivers up-to-date, spiraling
science instruction that builds upon
previously introduced information and
correlates to specific standards and
objectives. Animated graphics and
interactions illustrate questions to specific
science objectives to help ensure mastery
of the standards. Students apply their
new knowledge and concepts learned
to theme-based scenarios in hands-on
learning applications.
18 Elective
Courses &Titles
Students enjoy a well-rounded education
with BrainstormUSA Academy electives.
Learn a plethora of useful information
while achieving academic success.
Computer Applications and
Technology
Health
Physical Education
Personal Finances
Art History and Appreciation
Social Issues
Career Explorations
Spanish 1
Spanish 2
Technology Fundamentals
Art History & Appreciation
Computer Applications & Technology
Health
Business Skills
Basic Skills For The Real World
Job Skills For The Real World
Data Skills For Today
English For Spanish Speakers
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Make history come alive. Our learners
have opportunity to think critically and
to gain factual knowledge about US and
World history.
Students will learn to analyze and
critique historical materials and evaluate
historical interpretations presented in
research. These courses will help learners
acquire the necessary skills to come to
conclusions based on informed judgments
and provide sound reasoning and
evidence for those judgments.
Latin American Global Studies
World History I
World History II
World History III
World History IV
East Asia Global Studies
Middle East Global Studies
South & SE Asia Global Studies
Civics
Geography
Economics
American History I
American History II
European History I
European History II
US Government
14
8800 Roswell Rd., Suite 200
Atlanta, GA 30350
800- 595-5561
www.brainstormusa.com
techsupport@brainstormusa.com POWERED BY PLATO
AG-0214