Headlines
Iowa City Community School District Selects the Psychological Coprorations AIMSweb Prpgress Monitoring System
Product will assist the District to track the progress of students participating in a Response to Intervention program
SAN ANTONIO, August 31, 2007 - The Psychological Corporation, a division of Harcourt Assessment, Inc., announced today that the Iowa City Community School District school district has selected its AIMSweb® Progress Monitoring System, as a solution for identifying and tracking the progress of struggling students. AIMSweb is a three tier assessment, intervention and progress monitoring system that informs the teaching and learning process by providing continuous student performance data.
AIMSweb is the most comprehensive progress monitoring solution available today," said Psychological Corporation President Dr. Aurelio Prifitera. "We are excited Iowa City Community School district has chosen AIMSweb and are confident it will provide them with the knowledge they need to ensure students are achieving to their highest potential."
"In evaluating the solutions that are available on the market today, AIMSweb clearly stood out as the most comprehensive solution that would provide our teachers with the knowledge they need to maximize learning in the classroom," said Mark Cannon, Special Education Staff Development Facilitator.
The Iowa City Community School District is the fifth largest, and one of the fastest growing, public school systems in Iowa. The district covers more than 130 square miles and includes 18 elementary schools, three junior high schools, two high schools and one alternative school, serving a multi-cultured student population of more than 11,000 students.
For more information on Harcourt Assessment's products, visit http://www.HarcourtAssessment.com
About Harcourt Assessment, Inc.
Based in San Antonio, Harcourt Assessment, Inc. is a leading provider of high-quality assessment instruments and testing programs published under two brand names -- Harcourt Assessment and PsychCorpTM. For more than 85 years, Harcourt Assessment has been providing insight about children and adults; informing instruction, curricula, and clinical practice; collaborating with educators and clinical professionals; assisting human resources, admissions and credential professionals; and creating assessment innovations, in order to provide the most effective assessment solutions for the success of all individuals.
The company is a unit of Harcourt Education, a global education provider serving students and teachers in PreK through grade 12, adult learners, and readers of all ages. Harcourt Education is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc. (www.reedelsevier.com), a world-leading publisher and information provider. It is owned equally by Reed Elsevier PLC (NYSE: RUK) and Reed Elsevier NV (NYSE: ENL).
Garland Independent School District Selects The Psychological Corporations AIMSweb Progress Monitoring System
Product will assist the district to track the progress of student learning in special education classrooms.
San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) September 27, 2007 -- The Psychological Corporation, a division of Harcourt Assessment, Inc., announced today that Garland Independent School District, located in the Dallas, Texas metropolitan area, has selected its AIMSweb® Progress Monitoring System, as a solution for tracking the progress of students in their special education and special programs departments. AIMSweb is a three tier assessment, intervention and progress monitoring system that informs the teaching and learning process by providing continuous student performance data and reporting to students, parents, teachers and administrators.
"AIMSweb® is the most comprehensive progress monitoring solution available today," said Psychological Corporation President Dr. Aurelio Prifitera. "We are excited Garland ISD has chosen AIMSweb® and are confident it will provide them with the knowledge needed to ensure students are learning to their highest potential."
"We are excited about implementing AIMSweb®. We had been looking for a product that would allow our special education teachers to do progress monitoring of their students without taking large amounts of time out of instruction. We believe AIMSweb® will make that happen. We are excited to have this tracking piece and the ability for the administrators to have access to the data. We know it will improve the instruction in our special education classrooms in Garland ISD." Said Montez Tice, Garland ISD Director of Special Education
At the heart of AIMSweb® is Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM), the method of monitoring student progress through direct, continuous assessment of basic skills. AIMSweb®'s CBM assessment practices are based on more than a quarter century of scientific research, providing valid and reliable assessments of students' basic skills.
AIMSweb® is a three-tiered assessment, intervention and progress monitoring system. In the first tier, teachers use AIMSweb® to establish benchmarks three times per year for all students using grade-level assessment probes. Reports identify students at risk, help individualize instruction, evaluate student progress and serve as an accountability tool.
In the second tier, AIMSweb® serves as a strategic monitor, providing monthly monitoring of at-risk students. This component provides schools with the option to increase assessment frequency for students who have been identified as at-risk during the Benchmark process. Use of the AIMSweb® Strategic Monitor allows for assessment intervals of up to once per month. Increasing the assessment frequency with at-risk students allows teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional changes and to verify student achievement levels.
In the third tier, teachers utilize AIMSweb® to continuously monitor the progress of at-risk students or those with severe needs. Created specifically for teachers, AIMSweb® Progress Monitor provides powerful reports about students' current general needs and their progress ranging from daily to weekly and monthly intervals. Based on Individualized Education Plans (IEP) or other goals, expected rates of progress are prescribed and compared to actual progress. Reports from the Progress Monitor evaluate student progress, prescribe the need for program changes and revisions, monitor the effects of interventions and serve as an accountability tool.
AIMSweb® serves as a comprehensive Response to Intervention (RTI) solution. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004), the process for determining special education service eligibility is evolving. AIMSweb® helps educators and administrators to ensure they are providing the level of service and documentation required under the new regulations.
Garland ISD is one of the largest public school systems in Texas. The district consists of 68 schools, including 45 elementary schools, 13 middle schools, seven high schools and three alternative schools, serving a multi-cultured student population of more than 57,000 students.
For more information on Harcourt Assessment's products, visit http://www.HarcourtAssessment.com
About Harcourt Assessment, Inc.
Based in San Antonio, Harcourt Assessment, Inc. is a leading provider of high-quality assessment instruments and testing programs published under two brand names -- Harcourt Assessment and The Psychological Corporation. For more than 85 years, Harcourt Assessment and The Psychological Corporation have been providing insight about children and adults; informing instruction, curricula, and clinical practice; collaborating with educators and clinical professionals; assisting human resources, admissions and credential professionals; and creating assessment innovations, in order to provide the most effective assessment solutions for the success of all individuals.
The company is a unit of Harcourt Education, a global education provider serving students and teachers in PreK through grade 12, adult learners, and readers of all ages. Harcourt Education is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc. (www.reedelsevier.com), a world-leading publisher and information provider. It is owned equally by Reed Elsevier PLC (NYSE: RUK) and Reed Elsevier NV (NYSE: ENL).
Pearson, the international education and information company, today announced it had completed the previously announced acquisition of Harcourt Assessment from Reed Elsevier. The acquisition had received U.S. Department of Justice clearance Jan. 24, subject to the sale by Pearson of several diagnostic assessment tests.
The acquisition extends Pearson's position as the world's leading education company by adding new capabilities, complementary products and international reach. Harcourt Assessment brings an extensive catalog of respected, research-based education tests such as the Stanford Achievement Test and the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test, market-leading clinical assessments such as the Wechsler family of intelligence tests, the Beck scales, the Preschool Language Scale and a host of other psychological, occupational therapy and speech assessments. Additionally, Harcourt Assessment brings educational testing contracts to the organization in more than a dozen states and school districts.
Harcourt Assessment will become part of the Assessment & Information group of Pearson, which includes businesses in educational measurement and assessment, clinical assessment, student information systems, knowledge technologies and teacher certification.
Harcourt Assessment's existing facility in San Antonio at 19500 Bulverde Road will become a Pearson facility and its 950 employees will remain at that location.
About Pearson
Pearson is the global leader in educational publishing, assessment, information and services, helping people of all ages to learn at their own pace, in their own way. Pearson's comprehensive offerings help inform targeted instruction and intervention so that success is within reach of every student. Pearson's other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.
Contact:
David Hakensen, Pearson, (952) 681-3040