Summertime and the Learning is Easy

NEW YORK, July 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Shouts of triumph and excitement have been heard outside Southport Middle School over the past few weeks. Excitement at summer school? Yes, for 26 sixth graders and their teachers in Perry Township, Indiana, where students are learning and strengthening essential math skills in a fascinating pilot program that may very well have the power to transform primary education.

Perry Township is the first district to pilot the Power of U – a digital learning platform. The platform was developed through the district's partnership with McGraw-Hill Education and SynapticMash, a company that offers learning management systems and programs. Power of U is designed to improve learning outcomes by providing highly individualized instruction and assessment. Students were specifically chosen for the pilot because they struggled in math during the regular school year. The Perry Township School District and McGraw-Hill Education developed the data and learning management system to tie instruction and assessment together.

"It is an honor and benefit for Perry Township Schools to participate in the Power of U pilot with McGraw-Hill Education because student engagement and performance are among our greatest priorities," said Robert Bohannon, the principal of Southport Middle School. "Our partnership has provided an unprecedented opportunity for our students to be exposed to an effective, technology-driven program that is helping them improve their affinity for and achievement in math, preparing them for the upcoming school year and long-term academic success."

During the pilot, students are participating in three instructional periods, essentially replicating what would have been 12 weeks worth of instruction in a traditional school environment. The Power of U digital platform matches students with teachers and lessons focused on specific math skills. These skills are taught using the most appropriate instructional method (e.g., teacher-led instruction, small group instruction, one-on-one tutoring and independent study).

At the end of each day, instructional data generated by each student is collected. Based on that data, a new schedule is created for each student and teacher for the following day. Mid-way through the four-week program, each student has successfully mastered at least 13 different skills and some have mastered as many as 31. Skills range from plotting numbers on a number line to simplifying equations. In a traditional school setting, a high-performing student typically masters about 10 skills.

The Power of U platform enhances the teacher's ability to guide students through the effective use of real-time data to inform and tailor instruction. The platform expands on and completely automates the 2009 School of One pilot in New York City, of which McGraw-Hill Education was a major partner and content provider.

Perry Township School District submitted the pilot for a federal "Investing in Innovation" grant.  If the grant is awarded, Perry Township School District will expand the Power of U to five classrooms in the spring of 2011 and to 10 classrooms during the full 2011-2012 school year.  

About McGraw-Hill Education:

McGraw-Hill Education is a premier provider of teaching and learning solutions for 21st century post-secondary and education markets worldwide.  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 available at http://www.mheducation.com/.

About SynapticMash

SynapticMash, Inc., offers learning management systems and programs based on its LearningQube platform that empowers schools with an environment for creative expression, curriculum management, data collection, as well as intelligent research results through virtual classrooms, assessments, gradebooks, and attendance record-keeping; and infrastructure services. SynapticMash, Inc., was founded in 2007 and is based in Seattle. SynapticMash was acquired by Promethean World Plc (LSE: PRW) on July 20, 2010.

About Promethean

Promethean - Lighting the flame of learning

Promethean's aim is to unlock the potential of human achievement in education and training at all ages around the world.  It does so by creating, developing, supplying and supporting leading edge, interactive learning technology and by encouraging the growth of the world's largest online teacher community in this field.  In these ways, Promethean is helping bring to life the promise of 21st century learning, improving engagement and results for learners and teachers alike.

The market for interactive learning technology is fast growing and global. In this market, Promethean is a world leader.  Developed for teachers, Promethean's ActivClassroom brings together its interactive display systems (ActivBoard), its learner response systems (ActiVote and ActivExpression), and its suite of specialised teaching software (ActivInspire). They change how teachers and classes engage and interact, how students learn and how they are monitored and assessed.

Beyond the classroom, Promethean provides comprehensive training and support and, with over 600,000 members, the rapidly growing Promethean Planet (www.prometheanplanet.com) is the world's largest online community for users of interactive display system technology, providing user-generated and premium content, and is a forum for teachers to exchange ideas and experience.

Headquartered in the UK and listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange as Promethean World Plc (ticker symbol 'PRW'), Promethean's technology is today helping educate over 12 million individuals in over 500,000 classrooms in some 100 countries.  www.prometheanworld.com.

SOURCE McGraw-Hill Education