McGraw-Hill Education Launches Adaptive, Common Core-Aligned High School Equivalency Test Prep Program

NEW YORK, July 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- McGraw-Hill Education today announced the launch of Common Core Achieve, the first fully adaptive study program for adult learners who are preparing to take high school equivalency tests. Common Core Achieve, which supports any high school equivalency test on the market, builds directly on McGraw-Hill Education's longstanding involvement in the adult education and high school equivalency fields. This includes the recent launch of the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (the TASC™), a national Common Core-aligned high school equivalency assessment developed by CTB/McGraw-Hill that was adopted by New York State earlier this year.

"With more than 700,000 adults taking high school equivalency exams annually and pass rates well below 70 percent in many states, ensuring success on these tests is not only crucial to the personal and professional success of adult learners taking them – it's also vital to the continued strength of our national workforce and economy," says Peter Cohen, president of McGraw-Hill School Education Group. "We've always sought to meet students where they stand and to deliver the best possible solutions for each individual learner, and Common Core Achieve embodies that philosophy. The program's adaptive technology provides learners with a highly personalized experience that enables them to prepare effectively for high school equivalency exams at their own pace and in their own way."

Featuring both print and digital components, Common Core Achieve provides in-depth, high school-level instruction in four subject areas: literacy, mathematics, social studies and science. The digital component of the tool guides students through the material using the same proven adaptive learning software that powers McGraw-Hill LearnSmart®, which helps students to study smarter, not longer, by directing them to the material that they need most. In addition to a set of print books that deliver the core content instruction needed for all 2014 high school equivalency exams, Achieve includes test-specific practice workbooks for the 2014 GED®, the TASC and HiSET™, designed to provide scaffolded instruction and practice that supports increased depth of knowledge. Unlike other high school equivalency prep programs, Achieve also provides a complete instructor lesson plan to accompany each student lesson, allowing learners to reach a significantly deeper understanding of the specific expectations for high school equivalency within each subject area.

Also available this month is Common Core Basics, a sister program to Common Core Achieve that focuses on middle school-level material, designed to address the needs of adult learners who require more comprehensive support in the fundamentals of each subject area before beginning Achieve. In order to ensure that all students have a solid foundation in English, Basics addresses reading and writing as separate literacy components, across a total of five subject areas: reading, writing, mathematics, social studies and science. Additionally, Basics features a computer and typing skills module to ensure that students are comfortable with newer computer-based high school equivalency tests, which will become standard in 2014.

The online literacy and mathematics sections of Common Core Achieve will be available in September, and the remaining online subject modules and print modules will be available by January 2014. Common Core Basics will be available this month.

For more information about how McGraw-Hill Education supports students and adult learners preparing for high school equivalency tests, please visit: www.mheducation.com.

About McGraw-Hill Education
McGraw-Hill Education is a digital learning company that draws on its more than 100 years of educational expertise to offer solutions that improve learning outcomes around the world. McGraw-Hill Education 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 60 languages. For additional information, visit www.mheducation.com.

Contact:
Brian Belardi
McGraw-Hill Education
(212) 904-4827
brian.belardi@mheducation.com

SOURCE McGraw-Hill Education