CTB/McGraw-Hill's Acuity Wins Second Consecutive CODiE Award

MONTEREY, Calif., May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- CTB/McGraw-Hill, a leader in K–12 and adult education, today announced that the Company's Acuity® solution has won "Best Student Assessment Solution" for the second consecutive year in the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) CODiE Award program. The announcement came at a special CODiE Awards reception held in San Francisco, California, on May 24, 2010.

Acuity is a groundbreaking online InFormative Assessment™ solution designed to help teachers gauge student performance and deliver targeted classroom instruction. In addition to diagnostic and predictive assessments with immediate scoring and reporting, Acuity provides instructional resources such as extra practice and homework for all students.

"This is the twenty-fifth year we have recognized excellence in the software, education and information industries through the CODiE Awards program," noted Ken Wasch, president of SIIA. "In this economic climate, companies are doing even more to innovate. CTB has demonstrated a commitment to innovation and quality that is reflected in their selection as a finalist for the CODiE Awards. I am pleased and proud to have them listed among the winners."

CODiE Awards are the education industry's only peer-reviewed awards, and are highly influential in the educational technology market. Showcasing the finest software and information technology products and services, CODiE Awards have raised the standard for excellence, and are recognized as a prestigious representation of outstanding achievement and vision in the software and information industry.

CODiE finalists were selected from more than 785 nominations submitted by 374 companies. Nominated products underwent an intensive review by subject matter experts, analysts, journalists, and others with deep experience in the field. Thirty-four winners for the 2010 CODiE Awards were announced today. A listing of winners is available on the CODiE Awards Website at www.siia.net/codies/2010/.

The "Best Student Assessment Solution" awards the best stand-alone, computer-based or online solution for K-12 assessments. The Acuity features evaluated by the CODiE judges included:

• Appropriate for students with diverse learning styles and abilities
• Overall visual/program aesthetics
• Provides teacher support for use in the classroom
• Student receives feedback and reinforcement in the process of building their test-taking skills and strategies
• Teachers and administrators receive useful reports

"We are honored that Acuity has received the CODiE Award for the second year in a row," said Ellen Haley, president of CTB/McGraw-Hill. "We very much appreciate the industry's recognition that Acuity is the best available formative assessment solution, and we are pleased that our assessment software provides innovative, classroom-practical educational technology and high-quality assessment content that helps teachers enhance the classroom learning experience for their students."

About Acuity

The groundbreaking Acuity solution helps teachers gauge student performance and deliver tailored instruction for every student. Used by more than 65,000 teachers and 1.5 million students nationwide, Acuity heralds a new generation of assessment, enabling educators to deliver true data-driven instruction. Acuity contains four elements of a comprehensive assessment system: ongoing skills measurement, in-depth reporting, data analysis, and resources for individual instruction and intervention. CTB/McGraw-Hill also offers comprehensive professional development, online community forums, implementation, and support services. Acuity is recognized by Outsell Research as a "rising star" in their 2009 K-12 Testing and Assessment Review. For more information, visit AcuityforSchool.com or call (800) 538-9547 to schedule a live presentation.

About CTB/McGraw-Hill

CTB/McGraw-Hill has an 84-year record of innovation and excellence in assessment, and serves more than 18 million students in all 50 states and in 46 countries. One of the first American publishers to introduce objective, standardized achievement tests to schools, today CTB/McGraw-Hill is a leader in testing with recognized products for online formative, adult, and language proficiency assessment. Dedicated to advancing the use of student performance data to inform instructional decision making, CTB/McGraw-Hill's innovation continues today with technologies that include Web-based assessment and reporting, student response device (clicker) software, and artificial intelligence for automated scoring of student essays. CTB/McGraw-Hill is part of McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP). McGraw-Hill Education is a leading global provider of instructional, assessment and reference solutions that empower professionals and students of all ages. For more information, visit www.CTB.com.

About SIIA

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to 500 leading software and information companies. For further information, visit www.siia.net.

SOURCE CTB/McGraw-Hill