Students within the Poplarville High School Career and Development Center will prepare for future state assessments by utilizing educational online tools. Recently, the Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation awarded a $2,835 grant to the Poplarville School District to purchase the USA Test Prep Curriculum, according to a press release from the foundation.

Clyde Dease, the foundation’s president, said the curriculum exposes students to technology through online videos, puzzles and games.

“The vast majority of tests have become computerized and we feel like it would give students an advantage to practice on the technology that they will use for testing in high school and higher education,” Dease said.

The curriculum will be offered to students participating in one or more of the center’s numerous programs, which include agriculture and environmental science technology, culinary arts, digital media, health sciences, marketing and the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, Dease said.

“Technology provides tools for different learning styles, for repetitive, interactive, visual online activities that are helpful to students who need more time to learn the material,” said Ann Bosworth, student services coordinator at the center, in the press release.

Students will be able to access the curriculum at school, home or on their mobile devices. Through the grant, the center will be able to offer the curriculum to students for the next three years, Dease said.

The online curriculum will expose students to numerous subjects, including English II, biology and U.S. history, according to the release.

“We will continue talking to administrators and superintendents in Poplarville, the county and Picayune to discuss potential projects in the future that will continue moving education forward in Mississippi,” Dease said.