CTB/McGraw-Hill and Battelle For Kids Collaborate to Promote Professional Development Related to the Acuity Informative Assessment Solution

MONTEREY, Calif., Nov. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- CTB/McGraw-Hill, a leading provider of PreK-12 and adult education assessments, today announced that the company has entered into a strategic alliance with Battelle for Kids, a national, not-for-profit organization that provides strategic counsel and innovative solutions to educational institutions. The companies will collaborate to provide educators with both CTB's award-winning Acuity® InFormative Assessment™ solution and Battelle for Kids' online courses.

"This combination of offerings leverages both Battelle for Kids and CTB's strengths in school improvement, formative assessment, and professional development," said Ellen Haley, president of CTB/McGraw-Hill. "Our objective is to help educators, and ultimately students, by informing instruction in a meaningful way that leads to improved student performance."

Developed by Battelle for Kids and grounded in leading experts' assessment for learning principles, the two formative instruction online courses, Clear Learning Targets and Sound Assessment Design that are now available with the award-winning Acuity InFormative Assessment solution, will help educators to develop clear learning targets and match them with the best assessments forming the foundation of sound formative instruction.

This collaboration represents a dynamic combination of industry knowledge and expertise. CTB has an 85-year record of educational assessment innovation and excellence, starting with being the first to introduce objective, standardized, achievement tests. Acuity, recognized for valid, reliable predictive and diagnostic assessments, provides educators with resources to target instruction and deliver interventions that help students remain on the right track to success. For nearly a decade, Battelle for Kids has been partnering with state departments of education and school districts across the country to build their capacity to use multiple data sources, such as value-added analysis, in combination with formative instructional practices, to improve teaching and accelerate students' academic progress.

"Working with schools across the country, we have learned that the use of strong formative instructional strategies in the hands of a competent and caring teacher can do more to raise academic gain rates for students than nearly anything," said Jim Mahoney, Executive Director of Battelle for Kids. "The combination of our online courses with Acuity's state-of-the-art assessment platform offers schools a cost-effective solution to build educators' skills to immediately begin applying formative instructional practices in the classroom."

About Acuity

The groundbreaking Acuity InFormative Assessment 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 won the CODiE award in 2009 and 2010 for Best Student Assessment Solution and 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 Battelle for Kids' Formative Instruction Learning Path and BFK--Learn™ Solution

The Clear Learning Targets and Sound Assessment Design online courses now offered with Acuity are part of a comprehensive formative instruction learning path comprised of eight online courses (26 hours of learning) developed by Battelle for Kids. This learning path is offered to school districts and state departments of education through the BFK--Learn™ solution, Battelle for Kids' online learning management system. This solution is designed to empower instructional leaders to assign, monitor and manage their staff members' professional learning experience in a district or building. Leaders can oversee staff learning, enroll staff in activities, implement Professional Learning Teams, set target completion dates, send e-mail alerts and more.

About Battelle for Kids

Battelle for Kids is a national, not-for-profit organization that provides strategic counsel and innovative solutions for today's complex educational-improvement challenges. Our mission-driven team of education, technology, communications and business professionals specializes in creating strategies that advance the development of human capital, the use of strategic measures, and the implementation of effective practices in schools. We partner with state departments of education, school districts and education-focused organizations to advance these strategies with the shared goals of: improving teaching effectiveness and student progress; informing instructional practice in real time; recognizing and rewarding teaching excellence; and aligning goals and maximizing impact in schools. For more information, visit www.BattelleforKids.org.

About CTB/McGraw-Hill

CTB/McGraw-Hill has an 85-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 CTB.com.

    Media Inquiries
    Brandon Engle
    Communications Manager
    Phone: 916.933.1291
    Brandon_Engle@ctb.com

SOURCE CTB/McGraw-Hill

SOURCE: CTB/McGraw-Hill

CONTACT: Brandon Engle, Communications Manager, +1-916-933-1291, Brandon_Engle@ctb.com

Web Site: http://www.CTB.com