McGraw-Hill Education Launches First-Ever Online Language Arts Program at NCTE's 2011 Annual Convention

CHICAGO, Nov. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- NCTE CONFERENCE (BOOTH #1000-1006) -- Today at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) 2011 Annual Convention, McGraw-Hill Education launched Glencoe Writer's Workspace, the company's first online language arts program for middle and high school students. The program offers students rigorous language arts instruction that meets the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), English language proficiency standards and college and career readiness standards in an exciting, interactive online environment. Piloted in Texas in 2010, Writer's Workspace is now available nationwide.

Writer's Workspace helps develop students' writing fluency and proficiency to handle the demands of high stakes assessments including the ACT and SAT and mastery of the Common Core State Standards. It also supports English Language Learners and students in need of intervention and provides personalized instruction to help all learners acquire the language usage skills necessary to be effective communicators.

"When we think about K-12 education and college and career readiness, there is perhaps no skill more important than writing," said Stephen Mico, senior vice president of McGraw-Hill School Education's Literacy and Humanities group. "New digital technology, such as real-time, online assessments, will push students to develop the foundational skills necessary to write skillfully -- from a research paper to a letter of application. Writer's Workspace will prepare them for a lifetime of academic and professional success."

The program engages students in the writing process through connected reading and writing lessons via a dynamic platform that is accessible anywhere, anytime. Before the writing lesson begins, students read literature and engage in interactive response activities. Students then build writing skills by completing short, focused writing activities. Next, students enhance writing skills through longer composition assignments that use online tools to guide them through the writing process. Online workshops and e-books -- both skills-based and writing-intensive -- help students develop their style and voice, and the integrated Online Essay Grader simplifies and streamlines the grading process, allowing teachers to track homework assignments, assess progress and provide immediate feedback on submissions.

In May 2011, Glencoe Writer's Workspace was named a finalist for two prestigious industry honors: The Software and Information Industry Association's (SIIA) CODiE Awards in the category of Education Technology: Best Reading/English Instructional Solution, and the Association of Educational Publishers' AEP Awards in the category of Curriculum: 9-12 Reading and Language Arts.

NCTE's 2011 Annual Convention offers hundreds of concurrent sessions and workshops focusing on all aspects of teaching and learning of English language arts. The theme for this year's convention is "Reading the Past, Writing the Future," and will be attended by more than 5,000 K-16 English language arts teachers from across the country and around the world, as well as librarians, reading specialists, administrators, consultants, and students studying to be teachers.

McGraw-Hill Education's presence at NCTE's 2011 Annual Convention, booth #1000-1006, includes demonstrations of Writer's Workspace, samples and information about the company's other language arts programs, special giveaways for booth visitors and an opportunity to enter a drawing to win an iPad. In addition, several prize drawings will be made available to McGraw-Hill Education followers on Twitter through a special Writer's Workspace handle, @writerswrkspace, where the company will be posting tweets from the conference under the hashtag #NCTE11. Also follow @MHEducation for more NCTE updates.

About McGraw-Hill Education

McGraw-Hill Education is a content, software and services-based education company that draws on its more than 100 years of educational expertise to offer solutions, which improve learning outcomes around the world. McGraw-Hill is the adaptive education technology leader with the vision for creating a highly personalized learning experience that prepares students of all ages for the world that awaits. The company has offices across North America, India, China, Europe, the Middle East and South America, and makes its learning solutions available in more than 65 languages. For additional information, visit http://www.mheducation.com/.

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