{"@attributes":{"version":"2.0"},"channel":{"title":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog","description":"The Otus Resource Center offers a wide range of content, including blogs, press releases, success stories, guides, videos, webinars, and product updates. It\u2019s a go-to hub for staying informed and accessing tools to maximize the benefits of the Otus platform.","language":"en-us","pubDate":"Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:11:55 GMT","item":[{"title":"5 Ways to Root Your Portrait of a Graduate in the Community","link":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/5-ways-to-root-your-portrait-of-a-graduate-in-the-community","description":"
\n \"5 <\/a> \n<\/div> \n

A Portrait of a Graduate is only as strong as the community behind it. When local employers, families, and partners help define what success looks like (and stay involved as students work toward it), the framework goes from a dusty document to a shared, living commitment.<\/span><\/p>","category":"Portrait of a Graduate","pubDate":"Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:11:55 GMT","guid":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/5-ways-to-root-your-portrait-of-a-graduate-in-the-community"},{"title":"Dr. Gregory Hutchings Jr. on Why Schools Need Comprehensive Data to End Inequities","link":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/dr-gregory-hutchings-jr.-on-why-schools-need-comprehensive-data-to-end-inequities","description":"

\n \"Dr. <\/a> \n<\/div> \n

The new <\/span>Otus Advisory Board<\/span><\/a> brings together nationally recognized education leaders to help shape the future of the platform. This profile is part of a series introducing each board member and highlighting their insights around edtech innovation and the future of teaching and learning.<\/span><\/p>","category":"Data-Driven Instruction","pubDate":"Tue, 23 Jun 2026 13:25:02 GMT","guid":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/dr-gregory-hutchings-jr.-on-why-schools-need-comprehensive-data-to-end-inequities"},{"title":"Why Academic Data Doesn\u2019t Tell the Whole Story","link":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/why-academic-data-doesnt-tell-the-whole-story","description":"

\n \"Why <\/a> \n<\/div> \n

When most people think of assessments, they think academic: formative, summative, and diagnostic<\/a>. But traditional academic data has a critical blind spot: it only measures what students have learned, not how they learn best. Without that piece, even the most data-driven educator is working with an incomplete picture.<\/span><\/p>","category":["Cognitive Skills","Whole Learner Insights"],"pubDate":"Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:59:24 GMT","guid":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/why-academic-data-doesnt-tell-the-whole-story"},{"title":"How to Build a PLC Culture That Lasts","link":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/how-to-build-a-plc-culture-that-lasts","description":"

\n \"How <\/a> \n<\/div> \n

A \u201cstrong PLC culture\u201d is the schoolwide belief that student learning improves when educators work together with a shared purpose and clear evidence.<\/span> In a school with a strong professional learning community culture, collaboration is central to teaching. Teams use their time together to better understand what students need and decide how to respond in the classroom.<\/span><\/p>","category":"PLCs","pubDate":"Thu, 11 Jun 2026 13:24:27 GMT","guid":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/how-to-build-a-plc-culture-that-lasts"},{"title":"3 Ways Otus Supports Smarter Tech Decisions with End-of-Year District Data","link":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/3-ways-otus-supports-smarter-tech-decisions-with-end-of-year-district-data","description":"

\n \"Three <\/a> \n<\/div> \n

With major district-level budget cut<\/span>s on the horizon, education technology is a prime target for scaling back spending. A 2025 survey of K-12 education leaders<\/a> found \u201cthe average rate of projected spending growth in the survey was 1.6 percent, far below historical levels.\u201d They expected to spend more on transportation, energy, food, and materials due to rising input costs and to spend less on student well-being across all categories, from social-emotional learning to physical health to behavior. <\/span><\/p>","category":"Edtech Tools","pubDate":"Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:00:02 GMT","guid":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/3-ways-otus-supports-smarter-tech-decisions-with-end-of-year-district-data"},{"title":"Teachers Spend Less Time on Assessments with AI","link":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/teachers-spend-less-time-on-assessments-with-ai","description":"

\n \"How <\/a> \n<\/div> \n

Originally featured on eSchool News.<\/a><\/p>","category":["AI in Education","Data-Driven Instruction","Advanced Assessments"],"pubDate":"Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:00:01 GMT","guid":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/teachers-spend-less-time-on-assessments-with-ai"},{"title":"Standards-Based Grading and Otus","link":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/standards-based-grading-and-otus","description":"

\n \"How <\/a> \n<\/div> \n

Standards-based grading (SBG) makes sense to many educators because they\u2019ve seen the shortcomings of traditional grading models firsthand. A student can earn a B while unknowingly missing an essential skill, or end up with a C because late work and early mistakes are still bogging down their average long after their learning has improved.<\/span><\/p>","category":"Standards-Based Grading","pubDate":"Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:00:01 GMT","guid":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/standards-based-grading-and-otus"},{"title":"The Standards-Based Grading Glossary","link":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/the-standards-based-grading-glossary","description":"

\n \"The <\/a> \n<\/div> \n

Standards-based grading isn\u2019t inherently confusing, but it does come with a lengthy list of terms, definitions, and subtle distinctions that can make the approach feel more complicated than it needs to be.<\/span><\/p>","category":"Standards-Based Grading","pubDate":"Fri, 29 May 2026 16:01:44 GMT","guid":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/the-standards-based-grading-glossary"},{"title":"What Are Whole Learner Insights?","link":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/what-are-whole-learner-insights","description":"

\n \"What <\/a> \n<\/div> \n

Insights into student learning are a critical piece of ensuring students can make progress, master concepts, and be successful in school. Often, those insights stop at the academic and behavioral level \u2013 missing a critical piece of student success: insights about how they learn, or cognitive insights. <\/span><\/p>","category":["Cognitive Skills","Whole Learner Insights"],"pubDate":"Fri, 22 May 2026 19:28:51 GMT","guid":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/what-are-whole-learner-insights"},{"title":"Florida Built the MTSS Framework. Here\u2019s What Districts Need to Do Now","link":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/florida-built-the-mtss-framework-heres-what-districts-need-to-do-now","description":"

\n \"Florida <\/a> \n<\/div> \n

Florida has managed to do something that quite a few states are still working toward: it\u2019s built a strong, statewide foundation for MTSS. <\/span><\/p>","category":"MTSS","pubDate":"Thu, 21 May 2026 17:53:09 GMT","guid":"https:\/\/otus.com\/resources\/blog\/florida-built-the-mtss-framework-heres-what-districts-need-to-do-now"}]}}