THE Journal — Special Needs Students
Georgia Approves Fast ForWord, Reading Assistant for K-8 Instruction
The Georgia Department of Education has recently approved Scientific Learning's Fast ForWord and Reading Assistant family of programs for use in K-8 Language Arts and Reading instruction.
(12/3/2008)
Adobe Foundation To Launch Technology Programs for Students, Teachers
The Adobe Foundation is expanding its Adobe Youth Voices program into new areas in 2009. These include new initiatives to train teachers and students on the use of technologies, as well as a partnership with the Ad Council to collaborate on a dropout prevention campaign called "Boost."
(11/6/2008)
Online Resource Targets FCAT Writing Improvement
Educational technology developer LearningExpress is launching a new program tailored specifically for the writing portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). The FCAT eFolio program is an online tool designed to help improve student writing and prepare for the FCAT Writing+ exam.
(10/15/2008)
K-12 Intervention System Moves into the Home
Gemm Learning is taking its K-12 learning intervention program into students' homes with the launch of its Gemm-at-Home learning package.
(10/9/2008)
Alaska District Adopts Online Language Arts Program
Anchorage School District in Alaska has brought the MY Access! language arts program from Vantage Learning into its curriculum for the 2008-2009 school year. The district has deployed the online solution for use with about 6,500 students and supplied training for teachers who are using the system.
(9/24/2008)
Hawaii Schools Expand EdisonLearning Partnerships
EdisonLearning has announced an expanded partnership with Hawaii schools, nearly tripling the total number of schools served throughout the state.
(9/15/2008)
Miami-Dade Adopts Web-based High School Reading Intervention
Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida is implementing a new online reading intervention program for its high school students. The district, the fourth-largest in the United States, has signed on with Glencoe/McGraw-Hill to deploy the company's Jamestown Reading Navigator.
(9/12/2008)
Curriki Partners with Somatic for eTouchBook Suite
Curriki and Somatic Digital have confirmed a distribution partnership that will make educational materials hosted on the Curriki platform available with Somatic Digital's eTouchBook Suite.
(8/25/2008)
4 Texas Districts Implement Encore Special Ed Software
Four school districts in Texas are adopting special education management software called Encore from Spectrum K12 School Solutions, according to information released this week by the company.
(8/6/2008)
Utah Signs On for Technology-Based K-5 Reading Programs
The Utah State Board of Education has signed a five-year contract with Scientific Learning to deploy that company's Fast ForWord and Reading Assistant lines of technology-assisted reading programs.
(8/4/2008)
Atomic Debuts Training Modules for Assistive Technologies
Atomic Learning has launched a new series of online training materials for a range of assistive technologies used in education used by special ed instructors, parents, and other stakeholders.
(8/4/2008)
Alaska District Takes Independent Study Online
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District in Alaska is replacing its traditional independent study program with an online program offering more than 90 courses free to students enrolled in the district. Dubbed "Building Educational Success Together" (BEST), the program is aimed at advanced students, homeschooled students, students in need of credit recovery, and others who choose to learn in a non-traditional environment.
(7/31/2008)
Vantage Upgrades MY Access! School Edition
Vantage Learning has released an upgraded version of MY Access! School Edition, an online writing program. The new version now aligns with curriculum standards for all 50 states and includes new usability and functionality enhancements.
(7/30/2008)
Teachers & Technology: June Weston
It's one thing--a difficult thing, at that--to teach a class of high school students one particular subject. But what about teaching a class of special education students a variety of subjects at a variety of teaching levels? That was the responsibility of June Weston, and she accomplished it with good software and exceptional pedagogy.
(7/24/2008)
Penn State Launches Teacher Training for Special Needs Students
Pennsylvania State University is launching a new teacher professional development program aimed at helping teachers address the needs of disabled students in general education classrooms. With Internet-delivered video lectures and online collaboration tools for participants, the program is open to current and prospective teachers around the country.
(7/14/2008)
Serotek Offers Free K-12 Computing Tool for Blind
Software developer Serotek Corp. has announced a new program for blind and visually impaired students called Keys for K-12. The program provides the company's System Access Mobile software for text to speech and screen magnification free of charge through an annual licensing program.
(7/14/2008)
TEA Adds Academy of Reading to Intensive Reading Instruction Grant
AutoSkill International announced last week that its Academy of Reading has been selected by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for inclusion in its Intensive Reading Instruction grant. The announcement will allow schools eligible for the grant to choose AutoSkill's reading intervention solution for use in their programs.
(7/7/2008)
Spectrum K12 Debuts Response to Intervention Solution
At the NECC 2008 conference this week, Spectrum K12 School Solutions debuted a new software solution for managing individualized learning called Exceed/RTI ("response to intervention").
(6/30/2008)
Students with Disabilities: Software and Learning Support for Math (Part 2)
Students who have physical, cognitive, sensory, and learning disabilities might find learning mathematics particularly challenging. Appropriate accommodations and technology can help them learn and demonstrate their mastery of mathematics just like anyone else. Unfortunately, software might lack features and learning supports that make it fully accessible to all learners.
(6/26/2008)
Districts Deploy SunGard SIS, Special Ed Management
Five school districts announced this week that they're deploying student information systems and special education management systems from SunGard Public Sector.
(6/26/2008)
Addressing the Needs of Students with Disabilities in Math (Part 1)
Students can have a range of physical, cognitive, sensory, and learning disabilities that affect their entire lives. Any of these might pose unique academic challenges, particularly when learning mathematics. The good news is that technology is removing barriers for the education of students with disabilities in regular classrooms. Unfortunately, not all software is based on principles of universal design.
(6/19/2008)
California Schools Receive Math Software Grants
Seventy schools in Orange County, California will be receiving free math instructional software and professional development, thanks to a $10 million, five-year program from the Orange County Math Initiative.
(6/6/2008)
Metro Nashville Public Schools Adopts Alternative High School Program
Metro Nashville Public Schools in Tennessee this week announced that it's adopting an alternative high school program. The district voted to contract with Educational Services of America for its technology-assisted educational program, Ombudsman, as part of its goal of reaching 100 percent graduation by 2014.
(6/4/2008)
Struggling Readers Perk Up under New Program
"These students just blossomed.... We saw their self-esteem go through the roof." That's Trena Nave, a reading specialist at Carbondale Middle School in Illinois, talking about a group of 12 seventh-graders in self-contained special education who last year benefited from a new, partly computer-based reading program.
(5/29/2008)
Los Angeles USD Adopts Technology-Based Math Curriculum
Los Angeles Unified School District announced last week that it's adopting Pearson's enVisionMath California for all of its K-5 students. The district has 436 elementary schools and 27 independent elementary charter schools and centers, serving more than 302,000 elementary students.
(5/19/2008)
