McGraw-Hill Education Raises the Ed-Tech Stakes at the 2014 ISTE Conference, Unveiling All-Digital Professional Development Platform for K-12 Teachers

ATLANTA, June 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- (ISTE booth #1532) – This week at the International Society of Technology in Education's (ISTE) annual conference, McGraw-Hill Education will unveil the Professional Learning Environment, an all-digital solution that allows teachers to master their own professional development. Accessible via McGraw-Hill Education's ConnectED learning management system, the Professional Learning Environment allows them to fit what they need to know into their already-packed schedules—quickly, and right from the start. The launch is part of McGraw-Hill Education's larger presence at ISTE, where the company will also showcase its transformational adaptive learning and assessment platforms as well as its digital product portfolio, all of which are designed to empower education through connected learning experiences.

Teachers today are busier than ever, constantly striving for ways to balance instructional planning, classroom management and building their own knowledge and skills. To meet their need for relevant, practical professional development resources that are directly connected to the programs they use in class, McGraw-Hill Education has introduced the Professional Learning Environment, a 24/7 accessible online space that features carefully tailored, easy-to-use tools that support teachers' instructional needs, and, by extension, the individual needs of students.

• "Quick Start" online courses that deliver weekly, video-based, moderated instruction to support program implementation for the first three-four weeks of use
• Interactive modules and media-rich instructional resources to enhance comprehensive program knowledge
• Discussion boards for teachers to collaborate and share experiences within communities and across districts
• Progress monitoring tools to track program-specific professional development

"We strongly believe that teachers are at the center of all learning, and that their power to influence student success surpasses that of any learning tool," said Peter Cohen, president of McGraw-Hill Education's School Group. "The launch of our available-anytime Professional Learning Environment reaffirms our commitment to that belief, and, like every one of our digital offerings, aims to support teachers with the best tools possible as they work to prepare students for the future."

Alongside the new Professional Learning Environment, McGraw-Hill Education will be showcasing a variety of other digital instruction and assessment solutions designed to facilitate connected learning experiences at ISTE conference booth #1532. These include:

• Engrade – An open, digital platform for K-12 education that unifies the data, curriculum and tools that teachers, schools leaders and administrators use every day by integrating all of a district's software and systems into one fully secure and easy-to-use cloud-based platform. Centralizing and managing the learning experience, Engrade's powerful single sign-on solution enhances district-wide communication, making it easier to plan and evaluate curricula, manage assessments and monitor student progress in real time.
• StudySync – An all-digital, unlimited access, cross-curricular platform for students in Grades 6-12 that was built in direct response to the Common Core State Standards. The platform brings together centuries of fiction and nonfiction texts with video and other multimedia elements to advance students' reading, writing and critical thinking skills.
• ALEKS - An adaptive, online math program that uses artificial intelligence and open-response questioning to identify precisely what each student knows and doesn't know. Through truly individualized learning and assessment, ALEKS delivers a personalized learning path on the exact topics each student is most ready to learn.
• LearnSmart – An adaptive study tool that personalizes learning by using algorithmic technology to continually assess students' knowledge and skill levels and design targeted study paths to help students improve in the areas where they need to the most. By allowing students to focus their study time on the topics and concepts that are most challenging to them, LearnSmart has been shown to help students study more efficiently, come to class prepared and earn better grades. 
• Time To Know – A data-driven, differentiated teaching and learning platform that delivers a deeply personalized education experience for students. The platform integrates McGraw-Hill Education's Common Core-aligned content and services for math and English Language Arts for Grades 4-7 and empowers teachers with real-time feedback to inform instruction to enable success for each student's unique learning habits.
• Acuity – A K-12 interim assessment solution by McGraw-Hill Education CTB, goes beyond traditional, multiple-choice assessment by helping educators focus on concepts that more deeply measure student mastery of the new college and career readiness standards. Using Acuity's latest assessment content, including Performance Tasks and Technology-Enhanced item types, educators can quickly understand student strengths and weaknesses and implement an effective, personalized intervention plan for each student. Beginning in the 2014/2015 school year, Acuity will offer the College and Career Readiness (CCR) assessment solution for Grades 3-8, available in online fixed form, adaptive, paper/pencil or a combination of all three, that provides educators with easy-to-use diagnostic reports that measure students' understanding of each new standard and their overall readiness for college and a career.

At the McGraw-Hill Education ISTE booth, visitors will have the opportunity to take part in a variety of activities, including product demonstrations, workshops and presentations by a variety of experts. McGraw-Hill Education also invites ISTE attendees to join the company for Ed-Tech Karaoke at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, June 30 at The Tabernacle in Atlanta. The company will also be posting live throughout the conference (#ISTE14) through Twitter (@MHEducation) and Facebook (McGraw-Hill Education).

About McGraw-Hill Education

McGraw-Hill Education is the digital learning experiences company intent on changing the world of education. Drawing on its rich heritage of educational expertise, the company offers highly personalized learning experiences that improve learning outcomes around the world. 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 more information, please visit mheducation.com  or find us on Facebook (facebook.com/mcgrawhilleducation) or Twitter (@MHEducation).

Contact:
Brian Belardi
McGraw-Hill Education
(646) 766-2951
brian.belardi@mheducation.com

SOURCE McGraw-Hill Education