McGraw-Hill Education Solutions Nominated for Two 2010 CODiE Awards

NEW YORK, March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- McGraw-Hill Education, a global education company,  today announced that two of its learning solutions, GradeGuru.com and Acuity® InFormative™ Assessment, are nominated for a Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) CODiE Award in Education.

GradeGuru (www.GradeGuru.com) is a free knowledge sharing network where college students can share their study materials, engage in collaborative learning and get peer-feedback while building their online academic profiles for internships and career opportunities. GradeGuru's university and class specific communities are providing a relevant and intuitive social learning environment for thousands of students from more than 300 universities.

GradeGuru is one of three finalists for the Best Educational Use of a Technology Device, which recognizes the best educational software solution, either curriculum or administrative, designed for technology hardware devices. The nominees in this category were selected by a number of university professors and education technology experts.

"This is such a great honor for us, and all the more important because experienced educators, who know what it takes to engage students, judged GradeGuru a worthy finalist," said Emily Sawtell, director of student innovations for McGraw-Hill Education.

Acuity InFormative Assessment is a CTB/McGraw-Hill (www.acuityforschool.com) solution featuring easy-to-use assessments, reports, instructional resources, and customization tools aligned to a state's standards and designed to help educators boost student achievement. Acuity Assessments can be easily delivered online, via paper and pencil, or using student response devices with the new Acuity UnWired™ software. Test items also can be automatically imported from ExamView® Item Banks.

This powerful, formative and interim system is a finalist for the Best Student Assessment Solution, which awards the best stand-alone, computer-based, or online solution for high-stakes assessments/preparation for high-stakes tests at the K-12 or postsecondary levels.

"As our industry evolves and new digital tools are introduced to help make learning more engaging, effective and efficient, online, formative assessment has never been more important," said Ellen Haley, president of CTB/McGraw-Hill. "Educators and their school districts need to understand the progression of individual student achievement, as well as achievement as a whole, to develop the most specialized instructional programs possible while meeting the standards set forth by their state."

The nominees will be reviewed by members of SIIA, who will vote on the winners beginning on Tuesday, March 2nd. Winners will be announced at a special CODiE Awards dinner on May 24, 2010, which will be held in conjunction with the 2010 Ed Tech Industry Summit in San Francisco.

"This is the twenty-fifth year we have recognized excellence through the CODiE Awards program," noted Ken Wasch, president of SIIA. "In this economic climate, companies are doing even more to innovate. GradeGuru and Acuity InFormative Assessment have 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 candidates, and I wish them the best in the final round of voting."

About McGraw-Hill Education

McGraw-Hill Education (http://www.mheducation.com), a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is a premier provider of teaching and learning solutions for the  21st century.  Through a comprehensive range of traditional and digital education content and tools, McGraw-Hill Education empowers educators and prepares professionals and students of all ages to connect, learn and succeed in the global economy. McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), has offices in 33 countries and publishes in more than 65 languages. Additional information is

About SIIA

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade associations 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 McGraw-Hill Education; GradeGuru.com