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Pearson Digital Learning’s NOVANET® System Helps Districts Realize Return On Investment NovaNET Helps Districts Increase Graduation Rates and Generate Revenue Mesa, Ariz. — Oct. 25, 2004 – As states continue to make progress toward meeting No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements, high school graduation rates are emerging as a top concern. Provisions of NCLB require that public school districts be held accountable for graduating students on time, and that states include graduation rates for high schools in their calculation of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). To help more students complete high school on time, many school districts are turning to technology and realizing a positive return on their investment — both in the revenue generated by increased attendance in school and in the number of students graduating. One such technology system is Pearson Digital Learning’s NovaNET® comprehensive, standards-based online curriculum. Designed for grades 6-12, NovaNET delivers thousands of hours of standards-based curriculum, integrated assessment and student recordkeeping. Hundreds of thousands of learners and educators use NovaNET in over 2,000 schools and educational programs for a variety of purposes, including credit recovery in core curriculum areas, credit accrual, state and standardized test preparation, and distance learning. "NovaNET has a long and distinguished history of helping school districts to increase their graduation rates and decrease their dropout rates by providing flexible, targeted instruction that meets the individual needs of learners, including those who have not experienced success in traditional classrooms,” said Kelly Goodrich, vice president of marketing for Pearson Digital Learning. "Recently, we’ve begun to see that in district after district, schools are also realizing a positive financial return on their investment in NovaNET. In such areas as dropout recovery and prevention, credit recovery, homebound instruction, and test preparation, for example, NovaNET provides schools with a cost-effective alternative to traditional instruction that can pay for itself over time and, in some cases, even generate revenue for the school district.” Toledo Education Center The Toledo Education Center offers its students flexible access to the NovaNET system through both on-site and distance learning opportunities. The center also uses the NovaNET system to offer distance learning opportunities to students enrolled in high schools throughout the district, and to home school families. In 2004, the Toledo Education Center signed a three-year contract with Pearson Digital Learning for more than $500,000 to expand its NovaNET implementation. According to Earl Apgar, principal of the Toledo Education Center, the center is realizing a return on its investment in NovaNET thanks to the average daily attendance (ADA) dollars generated for recovered full-time-equivalent (FTE) students. "With our increased enrollment, the district may realize a profit of up to a million dollars this year,” said Apgar. "It's a nice 'bonus' on top of the real reward of helping so many students succeed." In 2003-04, more than 20 students were able to graduate from the Toledo Education Center thanks to the credits they earned using the NovaNET system. This year, Apgar anticipates more than 75 students will be able to graduate. Putnam County School District Located in a rural community in northeast Florida, the Putnam County School District enrolls more than 12,500 preK-12 students, 64 percent of whom receive free or reduced-price lunches. Since December 1999, the district has implemented NovaNET in a variety of programs to help middle and high school students develop the knowledge and skills they needed to graduate. It uses NovaNET to help students earn and recover credits in core academic areas; provide opportunities for grade forgiveness after school; offer ACT and SAT preparation; provide Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) preparation, practice and remediation; allow teen parents and homebound students to take classes from home over the Internet; and help students in Adult Basic Education (ABE) and General Educational Development (GED) programs earn diplomas. One of the GED programs, for example, is the GED Exit Option Program. It provides at-risk students with the opportunity to earn a standard diploma from their high school by passing the GED and both sections of the FCAT, and earning three high school career and technical credits in one program of study. Since 1999, 217 students have enrolled in the program as full-time equivalent students and graduated, thanks to their use of the NovaNET program. With Putnam County School District’s per pupil expenditure of approximately $6,106, the district has earned more than $1.3 million from that program alone. "While NovaNET has helped us to increase funding by attracting and engaging at-risk students in school, it has provided much more than a financial return for the district,” said Grace Smith, director of career, technical and adult education, and director of management information systems and media for the Putnam County School District. "Thanks to NovaNET and the dedication of our teachers, staff and students, our district went from having the worst graduation and dropout rates in the state in 1995 to surpassing the state average. Putnam County has proven that a district can challenge low socioeconomic conditions and provide a platform for at-risk students to graduate from high school and avoid the many barriers attached to being a high school dropout.” From 1995 to 2003, the district’s graduation rates climbed from a low of 49.5 percent to an all-time high of 79.5 percent, surpassing the state average of 69 percent. Dropout rates also steadily decreased from 7.9 percent in 1995 to 1.5 percent in 2003, dipping below the state average of 3 percent. About the NovaNET System About Pearson Digital Learning Pearson Digital Learning is part of Pearson Education (NYSE: PSO), the world’s leading integrated education company. More information can be found at: http://www.PearsonDigital.com/. Contact: |
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