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Ten New York Districts Win Reading First Grants with Waterford Early Reading Program Mesa, AZ – April 7, 2004 - The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Reading First grants to school districts and charter schools across New York state. In ten of those districts, the technology-based Waterford Early Reading Program™ from Pearson Digital Learning will provide supplemental intervention to the core reading programs. Reading First, which was created under the No Child Left Behind Act, provides about $1 billion a year in state grants to help raise reading achievement in the nation's neediest schools. The program requires state and local grant recipients to use "scientifically based" instructional methods and materials and to be able to demonstrate improvements in student achievement. "Ten New York districts selected Waterford as a key component of their Reading First strategies. That's a strong vote of confidence in Waterford’s scientific research base and its success rate around the country," said Dr. Tony Thrall, director of research and measurement at Pearson Digital. "Fourteen schools in all will use Waterford in their efforts to become Reading First 'models of instruction' in New York. We look forward to working with them to reach their academic goals." Successful applicants for Reading First funding proved that they could deliver systematic instruction in the following five components necessary for learning to read well: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency and reading comprehension strategies. The Waterford Early Reading Program aligns with these Reading First standards and integrates classroom-based assessments as also required by the initiative. In addition to the New York honor, Waterford Early Reading Program was recently selected by the U.S. Department of Education for a study on using technology to improve teaching and learning. The study, entitled “Evaluation of Educational Technology Interventions,” will provide information for policymakers and educators on how educational technology can improve student achievement in reading and math, as well as on the conditions and practices under which the technologies are most effective. The Waterford Early Reading Program was one of three Pearson Digital Learning solutions selected for the study, along with SuccessMaker® Enterprise educational courseware, and the KnowledgeBox® digital learning system. Individuals interested in how the Waterford Early Reading Program fulfills the requirements of Reading First can find more information online at: http://nclb.pearsondigital.com/technologies/readingfirst_werp.cfm About the Waterford Early Reading Program™ Developed by PDL’s distinguished partner, the nonprofit Waterford Institute, the Waterford Early Reading Program is a comprehensive early reading curriculum designed to help children learn to read through the use of state-of-the-art technology. Based on 10 years of research, the program contains three levels for emergent, beginning, and fluent readers, combining to provide 225 hours of individualized reading instruction. WERP is used in over 4,200 elementary school classrooms by approximately 347,000 students nationwide. About Pearson Digital Learning Working side by side with educators for over 40 years, Pearson Digital Learning is the leader in proven, comprehensive technologies for preK-12 education. Our mission is to provide innovative, research-based digital learning solutions that elevate the art and science of teaching, and inspire children to reach their greatest potential. Reaching more than 20 million students annually, our products include the SuccessMaker® Enterprise and NovaNET® educational courseware, KnowledgeBox® Digital Learning System, Concert™ Instruction & Assessment, and SASIxp™ student information system. Pearson Digital Learning is also the exclusive distributor for the Waterford Early Reading Program™ and Waterford Early Math & Science™, adaptive computer-based instruction developed by the Waterford Institute. Pearson Digital Learning is part of Pearson Education (NYSE: PSO), the world's leading integrated education company. More information can be found at www.PearsonDigital.com. Media Contact |
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