McGraw-Hill and Align, Assess, Achieve to Offer Educational Services That Prepare Schools to Meet Common Core State Standards

NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- To assist states and school districts as they adapt to the new Common Core State Standards, McGraw-Hill Education today announced a collaboration with professional development provider Align, Assess, Achieve to offer teachers resources specifically designed to guide them through the transition. The collaboration will set the stage for effective standards-based instruction in language arts, mathematics and literacy in history, social studies, science and technical subjects.

The implementation of the Common Core State Standards represents one of largest challenges, as well as opportunities facing educators today and in the years ahead. Adopted at the state level over the past year and a half, the standards align K-12 learning expectations in states across the country to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare students for post-secondary success.

Through the collaboration, McGraw-Hill Education will provide teachers with Align, Assess, Achieve's series of grade level-specific flipbooks which outline strategies for addressing all of the Common Core State Standards during the school year. The series, entitled The Common Core: Clarifying Expectations for Teachers and Students, K-12 Math and ELA, also helps teachers reinforce and assess student understanding of the concepts behind each standard.

Also available, for students in grades K-2, are Achievement Rings, which are designed to be taken home to communicate with parents and allow them to reinforce a new key skill each week. Each grade contains 36 key skills, students need, to master the Common Core State Standards. These resources can be used in conjunction with McGraw-Hill programs and other programs as well.

"Adapting to the Common Core State Standards represents an enormous challenge for teachers and administrators, and McGraw-Hill Education is committed to providing them with the support and direction they need," said Mary Russick, vice president and executive director of McGraw-Hill Education's Center for Comprehensive School Improvement. "Our collaboration with Align, Assess, Achieve will allow us to work even more closely with schools to help them deliver the effective standards-based instruction needed to prepare students for success in college and their careers."

In addition to the teacher flipbook, McGraw-Hill Education will provide schools with Align, Assess, Achieve's professional development resources in the areas of formative assessment, questioning strategies and curriculum mapping.

"We believe that when educators are provided with the right tools and methods, academic growth is achievable for each and every student," said Katy Bainbridge, co-founder of Align, Assess, Achieve, LLC. "By working with McGraw-Hill Education, we hope to help an even greater number of schools drive student achievement through effective standards-based instruction."

In March, McGraw-Hill Education announced that every one of its core math, reading and language arts programs fully aligned with the Common Core State Standards. In total, McGraw-Hill has developed more than a dozen Common Core-aligned programs across all of its core product lines, including Everyday Mathematics, which has been aligned since 2010, Treasures, Imagine It!, LEAD21, Literature and Math Connects.

For more information on McGraw-Hill's Common Core-ready programs, professional development support and supplemental materials, visit http://www.commoncoresolutions.com/.

About McGraw-Hill School Education

McGraw-Hill School Education, a unit of McGraw-Hill Education, is a leading global innovator in the development of 21st century teaching and learning solutions for K-12 education markets, offering traditional and digital instructional, assessment, and reference content and tools for teachers and students. McGraw-Hill School Education addresses critical areas in primary and secondary education through Learning Solutions Centers focused on improving student learning outcomes and promoting digital innovation in literacy, STEM, college and career readiness, and intervention and special needs education. All of McGraw-Hill's content for elementary schools and secondary schools is available in digital form. 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 Align, Assess, Achieve:

Align, Assess, Achieve provides hands-on professional development for teachers and administrators and products for educators, students, and parents. Their training and products are research based and classroom tested. Their expertise is in Formative Assessment; designing Enduring Understanding, Essential Questions and clear Learning Targets; Curriculum Mapping; Differentiating; Sound Grading Practices; Content Literacy and 21st Century Instructional Strategies & Assessment.

Contact:
Tom Stanton
McGraw-Hill Education
(212) 904-3214
tom_stanton@mcgraw-hill.com

SOURCE McGraw-Hill Education

SOURCE: McGraw-Hill Education

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