McGraw-Hill Education Promotes College and Career Readiness Through First-of-Its-Kind AP Course Prep Program

NEW YORK, April 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to meet the needs of the nearly 50 percent of high school students who do not pass Advanced Placement (AP) exams, McGraw-Hill Education today announced the launch of the ONboard Series for Advanced Placement, an all-digital learning solution designed to improve students' performance in AP classes and on exams by developing the skills they need to succeed before they enter the course. The first program of its kind on the market, ONboard further establishes McGraw-Hill Education's leadership in innovation as well as its commitment to promoting college and career readiness.

"While AP enrollments are on the rise, the reality is that the vast majority of new AP class takers are not becoming AP exam passers. These students are unprepared for the rigors of college level coursework in high school," says Jeff Livingston, senior vice president of College and Career Readiness at McGraw-Hill Education. "Nearly half of students who take AP exams fail, and an additional percentage of students who take the course never make it to the exam at all. The goal of ONboard is to better prepare students for their AP courses by providing them with the skills and background knowledge they need to be successful."

Developed with extensive input from an AP Expert Advisory panel, which consists of experienced AP teachers, workshop leaders and College Board consultants, ONboard is a robust, research-based program that is appropriate for students taking AP courses and for all students as an introduction or review of core topics. The program is available to schools via subscription and can also be purchased for individual student use. Seven courses are available starting today:

    --  AP* Biology
    --  AP* Economics
    --  AP* Environmental Science
    --  AP* Psychology
    --  AP* United States Government and Politics
    --  AP* United States History
    --  AP* World History

Each ONboard course includes a series of interactive online modules that provide students with multiple ways to master content and improve preparedness. With its modular format, ONboard allows students to learn at their own pace and revisit challenging topics and concepts as needed to prepare them to make relevant content connections to their AP coursework. The program is designed so that teachers and school districts can assign modules during the summer to give motivated students the opportunity to complete work independently prior to the start of their AP course.

The seven ONboard courses can be accessed on any Flash-enabled device. All courses will be iOS compatible by fall of 2013.

For more information, please visit: www.onboard.mcgraw-hill.com.

*Advanced Placement Program and AP are registered trademarks of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, these products.

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
212-904-3214
tom_stanton@mcgraw-hill.com

SOURCE McGraw-Hill Education

SOURCE: McGraw-Hill Education

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