THE Journal — Special Needs Students
Vocabulary System Adds Differentiated Instruction
Curriculum developer Dynamic Literacy has expanded its WordBuild Elements vocabulary building system with the introduction of new materials to provide differentiated instruction for students who are either lagging or excelling.
(5/9/2008)
Report: Half of High School Classes Could Be Online by 2019
Low-cost delivery and tailored learning opportunities could drive up to half of all high school courses online by 2019, according to a report from researchers that's set to appear in the summer issue of Education Next, published out of the Hoover Institution, the public policy research center at Stanford University.
(5/7/2008)
In2Books To Be Free for Economically Disadvantaged Schools
ePals this week announced that it will make its In2Books series of digital literacy tools available to Title I schools at no charge beginning in fall 2008. The company has also announced some enhancements to the 2008-2009 classroom edition of In2Books.
(5/6/2008)
Online Writing Remediation Program Targets High School Seniors
Ed tech developer Vantage Learning has launched a new edition of its writing remediation program, targeting high school seniors and incoming college freshmen. My Access! College Edition extends the standard "School Edition," designed for K-12, with greater emphasis on analysis and interpretation, as well as additional features.
(5/1/2008)
Pittsburgh Public Schools Adopts Special Ed Management and Tracking
Pittsburgh Public Schools will use Spectrum K12 School Solutions' special education IEP software product Encore to create a system of administrative reporting and tracking for students who need special services throughout the district.
(4/23/2008)
Lit Program Brings Differentiated Instruction to 6-12 Reading
Glencoe/McGraw-Hill has debuted a new literature series that incorporates online learning modules, DVD-based professional development, and targeted differentiated instruction for grades 6 to 12.
(4/21/2008)
Alternative High School Program Expands in Georgia
A technology-assisted program for helping student attain high school diplomas is expanding in Georgia. Educational Services of America said that nine new districts are signing up for its Ombudsman Educational Services, bringing the total in Georgia to 17 districts.
(4/21/2008)
MN Schools Adopt WriteToLearn for State Assessments
Students at two Minnesota high schools are using Pearson's WriteToLearn to develop writing and reading comprehension skills.
(4/17/2008)
Whitley County Deploys $95,000 Math Program
The Whitley County School System in southeast Kentucky is adopting Carnegie Learning's Bridge to Algebra and Geometry programs to help improve math scores and graduation rates for its students. The $95,000 investment in software, textbooks, and professional development services was made with federal Title I funds.
(4/16/2008)
Arkansas District Implements Math and Reading Interventions
Plato Learning, a provider of K-adult computer-based learning solutions, is working with the Texarkana School District in Arkansas to implement Plato Test Packs with Prescriptions on the Plato Learning Environment and Plato Exam Intervention for its middle and high school intervention, credit recovery and acceleration programs.
(4/7/2008)
Autism Center Bolsters Data Backup with HYDRAstor
In an effort to consolidate its business continuity/data recovery operations, the Anderson Center for Autism in Staatsburg, NY has deployed a storage backup and archive system from NEC called HYDRAstor HS8, replacing the school's "antiquated" mixed backup solution.
(4/3/2008)
Palm Springs USD Rolls Out Instructional Writing Program
Southern California's Palm Springs Unified School District is rolling out an online writing program called MY Access! from Vantage Learning. The rollout will begin in elementary and middle schools in the first year and expand to high schools beginning in the second. The full deployment, expected within three years, will run $800,000.
(3/20/2008)
Fast ForWord Makes Gains in Florida, Texas
Florida's Department of Education has approved Scientific Learning's Fast ForWord family of reading improvement software for use as K-12 supplemental intervention reading programs in schools throughout the state. Fast ForWord has also made gains in Texas, where the Dallas Independent School District recently released a study showing improvements on state tests after using the tool.
(3/12/2008)
Gov. Schwarzenegger Promises Reprieve to California Homeschoolers
In late February, California's Second District Court of Appeals issued a ruling that effectively banned every form of homeschooling in the state--whether coordinated through a public school district, combined with online schooling, or otherwise administered in a way that does not include full-time, in-person instruction from a credentialed teacher. It was a ruling with widespread implications for every homeschooling parent in the state, and one that is now being challenged on two fronts: by homeschool advocates and by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger himself.
(3/10/2008)
'Foundations' Series Aims To Boost Elementary Reading Comprehension
Education developer Dynamic Literacy has released Foundations, the latest series in its WordBuild Vocabulary Development System. Foundations teaches "morphics," a term the company uses to differentiate its morphological instruction from phonics-based approaches. The system is targeted toward students in grades 3 through 5, though it can also be used in interventions for students in grades 6 and up.
(2/28/2008)
North Dakota To Roll Out Special Ed Management System
The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) has signed on with Maximus for a $1 million state-wide implementation of TIENET, a special education case management system.
(2/22/2008)
ALEKS Debuts Online Math System
Education technology developer ALEKS has debuted a new online math tool called QuickTables. Targeted toward grade 3 and up, the system is designed to provide math practice coupled with individualized assessments for immediate remediation.
(2/12/2008)
Accessible eLearning: School for Deaf Deploys D2L
Washington School for the Deaf in Vancouver, WA is making the move to provide educational services to deaf and hard of hearing students regardless of location. The statewide educational agency has adopted the Desire2Learn learning management system in an effort to provide direct instruction to students from around the state.
(2/6/2008)
Orchard Taps PracticePlanet for Intervention Strategies
Education software developer Siboney Learning Group has updated Orchard, the company's targeted instruction software for math, language arts, and science for K-9. Enhancements to the software include expanded platform support, a variety of design tweaks, and a new technology that ties in the company's PracticePlanet service to help generate data for developing intervention strategies.
(2/1/2008)
NetRTI Monitors Achievement for Struggling Learners
Education technology developer Netchemia earlier this month released netRTI, a response to intervention program targeted at struggling learners and special needs students.
(1/28/2008)
Adaptive Curriculum Launches Math and Science Activities
Sebit this week launched a new online educational resource focused on math and science: Adaptive Curriculum. The resource provides a library of math and science activities aligned to state and national standards. It's on display at the FETC show in Orlando, FL.
(1/24/2008)
FETC Brief: Pearson Expands Online Math Remediation
At the FETC show in Orlando, FL Tuesday, Pearson announced that it's expanded its online math remediation tool, Pearson Perspective, to include video tutorials from Video Math Tutor.
(1/23/2008)
Omtool, eSped Partner for Special Ed Document Management
Technology providers Omtool and eSped have partnered to develop a new document management solution for special education in K-12 schools. eSped is a developer of Web-based solutions for special ed, while Omtool is a document capture and management technology provider. The new solution combines the two technologies to help capture, organize, manage, and distribute documents related to special education cases.
(1/9/2008)
Scientific Learning To Buy Out Soliloquy
Scientific Learning Corp. has announced that it will acquire Soliloquy Learning from JTT Holdings. Both Scientific Learning and Soliloquy provide technology solutions for education. The acquisition will cost SLC about $11 million and is expected to be completed this month. (A definitive agreement to acquire the company was reached in late December.)
(1/3/2008)
Georgia District Adopts Gaming Suite for PreK
The Henry County School District in Georgia has brought educational gaming its its preK and special education students. This semester, the district purchased 21 copies of AT KidSystems' Cosmo's Learning Systems--a combination of hardware and software targeted toward 2- to 8-year-olds.
(12/5/2007)
