Three
Interesting Articles:
NYTimes.com Article: A Second Report Shows Charter School Students Not Performing as Well as Other Students
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/16/education/16charter.html?ex=1104173009
NYTimes.com Article: Can For-Profit Schools Pass an Ethics Test?
WSJ.com - To Improve Education, We Need
Clinical Trials To Show What Works
WSJ.com - To Improve Education, We Need Clinical Trials To Show
What Works*
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 26, 2004
Waukesha, WI and Portland, OR. KC
Distance Learning (KCDL), a leading provider of online education for high
school students, announced today the formation of iQ Academies. iQ
Academies will operate a network of public virtual high schools. The
first such school, iQ Academies at Wisconsin, was announced today in Waukesha,
WI as a joint effort between KCDL and the Waukesha School District. The
school is chartered through the Waukesha District. KC Distance Learning
is headquartered in Portland, OR.
Making the announcement was David Schmidt, Superintendent of the Waukesha
School District, Heidi Laabs, Interim Director of IQ Academies at Wisconsin,
and Keith Oelrich, President and CEO of KCDL.
“We’re very focused on delivering a quality education, but we realize we can’t
meet the needs of all students through the traditional high school setting,”
said Superintendent Schmidt. “That’s why we’re very excited to be
partnering with KC Distance Learning in establishing this new school; they’ve
brought a great track record and expertise in delivering quality home education
for high school students.”
iQ Academies delivers dynamic interactive virtual learning to students and
their families who, for various reasons, need or are seeking a different kind
of high school environment. “There are lots of students for whom the
traditional high school setting isn’t appropriate. Our mission is to make
a quality, public education a possibility for those students. We help
students achieve their learning goals and constantly follow their dreams,” said
Mr. Oelrich.
iQ Academies has partnered with six diverse curriculum providers, all meeting
iQ’s high standards for quality, content and delivery. Together, the
curriculum partners have over 140 years experience in delivering
distance-learning home education programs. “During that time, our
partners have enriched the lives of over 650,000 students in all 50 states”,
said Oelrich.
iQ Academies provides students with everything they need to deliver a quality,
public education at home. iQ Academies at Wisconsin will provide students
with a laptop computer and internet access, a broad online curriculum, support
from certified, subject-matter expert teachers, together with a range of school
and community support programs. iQ Academies students can select from
over 150 courses, including some specialized courses that many traditional high
schools are unable to offer. By combining core academics with Fast Traq
honors and AP courses, adding a generous dose of foreign language, arts and
humanities, and topping off with tech-savvy courses, iQ brings an exciting
educational journey home.
“At iQ Academies, your student’s education experience goes beyond the (virtual)
classroom. We will provide many school and community program
opportunities, including scholarships, job and career counseling and programs,
community activities, gatherings and field trips, an Honor Society, and a
variety of school clubs,” said Heidi Laabs. “We are truly looking at
helping students realize their full potential.”
Media Contact Information: KC Distance Learning, Inc.
Contact: Keith Oelrich, President & CEO
Phone: 503-872-1729
FAX: 503-872-1578
Email: info@iqacademies.com
Website: www.go2iq.com
###
Organization Contact:
Media Contact:
Allan Olson, Executive Director
Ellen Berg
Northwest Evaluation Association
Young & Roehr Group
(503) 624-1951
(503) 222-0626 Ext. 713
allan@nwea.org
eberg@young-roehr.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Northwest Evaluation Association Releases Comprehensive 14-State Report on
State Education Standards
NWEA report confirms that large variations exist in K-12 standards across the
United States.
PORTLAND, ORE., Nov. 24 — The Northwest Evaluation Association,
non-profit membership organization , today released the results of a
comprehensive, 14-state study that demonstrates there is a profound difference
in what’s expected of students across the United States. The nonprofit
association set out to determine how students in member districts are doing
relative to standards in their states. In addition to answering this question,
the NWEA researchers found startling differences in how ‘proficient’ is defined,
even within states.
“We weren’t surprised to see differing proficiency levels, other research has
shown that. We were surprised, however, to see the degree to which these levels
differ,” said Allan Olson, NWEA’s executive director. “We are concerned these
major differences could lead to unwarranted consequences for states trying to
meet the mandates of NCLB.”
NWEA researchers also showed that state education standards don’t always agree
within states from grade to grade, which means a student could exceed a
standard in grade three, but not in grade four, where the standard is
significantly more difficult. In addition, the researchers showed large subject
area inconsistencies from state to state and within states. For example,
the standard for math might be higher than most states, while the standard for
reading is lower.
The NWEA study goes beyond other studies that have examined state proficiency
levels because researchers examined results based on a common measurement
scale. That scale enabled researchers to make comparisons among states and
within each state across grades or subject areas.
The data are student-specific, and also give a clear picture at the
building-level. The study data included 1,000 or more students in each grade
from each state. Only those students who took the mandated state test and a
second NWEA test within a month were included in the sample.
“We used the same procedural and statistical methodology in each state, and
used test data from a common measurement scale, enabling us to provide directly
comparable results,” said Director of Research G. Gage Kingsbury. “As a result
we were able to add more insight into the questions raised by other researchers
on this subject.”
The study evaluated student proficiency standards that have been established by
14 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana,
Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. The
full report is available at http://www.nwea.org/research/statestudy.html.
About NWEA
The Northwest Evaluation Association serves more than 1,100 member districts
representing more than 3 million students across the United States. Education,
curriculum and assessment experts at NWEA work in partnership with school
districts and education policymakers, and provide professional training,
consulting services, and ongoing research in assessment and related issues.
Formally organized in 1977, the Northwest Evaluation Association is located in
Portland, Oregon. More information about the organization is available at
http://www.nwea.org.
# # #
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
(612) 798-7220
(800) 999-4859
@mediarelations.com
How can you immunize your child now against reading difficulty later?
Reading difficulty in the U.S. is an epidemic problem that can have
catastrophic consequences. A solution, based on years of comprehensive
research, is finally available.
Did you know that despite decades of huge government spending increases on
literacy, reading performance has not improved in the last 20 years? In an
average fourth grade classroom of 35 kids, 14 of them may already be struggling
to keep up with their classmates because they can’t read their text books. As
many as 10 million children have trouble treading. Sadly, until now most
attempts to help these children prevent this struggle have fallen short.
“Kids who can’t read suffer educationally, socially and emotionally. It can
lead to catastrophic consequences later in life. And the worst part of this
scenario is that we know how to prevent the problem, but too few parents are
aware of the solution,” says Deme Clainos, President and CEO of StudyDog,
a new comprehensive learning system designed specifically to help prevent
children from becoming struggling readers. “With the right stimulation between
the ages of four and six, most children can significantly improve their early
reading skills and their chances of becoming successful readers.”
The innovative StudyDog online reading system, which targets kids between
kindergarten and second grade, is based on two important sources. In 2000, the
National Reading Panel, charged by Congress with consolidating valid research
on how children learn to read, issued its report on what constitutes the most
effective reading instruction. Second, recent brain research by Yale
neuroscientists has shown that with the right stimulation over a period of time
at an early age, even children diagnosed with dyslexia can make the necessary
connections in the brain to read successfully.
The StudyDog online reading system is sold directly to parents. Unlike
pre-packaged software systems, StudyDog uses a patent pending technology and
analyzes an individual child’s reading level and skills, then modifies the
manner in which the curriculum is administered and presented. The program uses
video game-like graphics and compelling storylines to deliver its Five Keys for
Reading Success™ in a unique way so that children stick with the program for an
extended period – long enough to master the skills being taught.
The StudyDog system has been tested in elementary schools in Washington and
Oregon, where participating children showed significant improvement in their
reading skills. In the study, every child completing the StudyDog reading
program improved reading skills, and in most skill areas every child achieved
mastery. In most cases, a child can learn to improve their reading by one
full grade level in eight to 12 weeks.
“Engaging children so they are motivated to stick with StudyDog over a period
of months without placing an additional burden on parents is a unique
advantage,” explains Dean Arrasmith, Ed.D, the company’s chief learning
officer. “This occurs not only because the lessons are entertaining, but
because the program is personalized for each child.”
Through an initial reading assessment, StudyDog tailors the course so that the
instruction is just right for the child’s reading level and skills. Although
the online lessons are self-contained and children use them independently, each
child also is assigned a StudyDog Reading Specialist to be their advocate,
monitoring performance, adapting the course as needed, and giving weekly
progress reports to parents and teachers. Children earn prizes as they
progress, that can be ordered from an online store and mailed to their home.
“Parents are delighted with StudyDog not only because of its
effectiveness, but because it actually fits into their busy lives,” says
Clainos. “Because it is online, StudyDog is available any time and any place
where there is internet access. Lessons are focused and are brief enough to fit
into a tight schedule, taking just 15 minutes to complete each of three to five
new lessons per week.”
“This type of reading help cannot be found in CDs and other software,” adds
Arrasmith. “StudyDog doesn’t just hand materials to the parents. It maintains
the responsibility for teaching each child, engaging them in lessons they can
do independently, and assigning a reading specialist. The only other real
alternative is a reading tutor, which can be time consuming and cost hundreds
of dollars each month.”
By contrast, the StudyDog Reading Essentials program costs just $79.95 per
month for beginning readers to prevent later struggles, or $495 for the Reading
Rescue program to remediate struggling readers who are currently more than one
year behind their grade level. Parents purchase these programs directly
from the StudyDog Web site. Because StudyDog and its corporate partners
want to help all children succeed, a limited number of StudyDog scholarships
are available to low income families. Teachers may submit a simple application
on a child’s behalf through the StudyDog Web site, www.studydog.com. “We are
fully committed to helping struggling readers at all income levels. We encourage
corporations to support our scholarship program and help wipe out illiteracy in
the United States one child at a time,” says Clainos.
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