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Scantron to Integrate Web-based Assessment Solutions with netTrekker
Search Engine to Provide Educators with Direct Access to Thousands
of Standards-based Online Resources
According to a May 2006 report(1) by Eduventures, the leading
information services company for the education market, in the 2004-05
school year more than 6 million K-12 students benefited from the use
of "formative instruction," an instructional approach that combines
three distinct phases: assessment, diagnosis, and prescription.
Although this figure represents an increase of approximately 13
percent from the previous year, the number is still surprisingly low,
given the recent influx of sophisticated "solutions" designed to help
educators with all three phases.
So why don't more students experience the full benefit of the
formative instruction process? The answer, according to the report, is
that the link between the assessment and diagnosis phases, and
prescriptive action is often unclear. In other words, once you assess
and diagnose student performance, how do you put those findings into
action? Where do you go to directly address student needs?
Blazing a new trail in formative instruction, Scantron(R), a
leading provider of formative and diagnostic assessment solutions for
K-12 education, and Thinkronize Inc., developer of the award-winning
netTrekker suite of safe educational search products, today announce a
new partnership to provide educators with a clear and direct link from
assessment and diagnosis to prescriptive action. Through this
partnership, Scantron will integrate its Web-based diagnostic and
formative assessment solutions with the netTrekker d.i. safe Internet
search engine -- providing a complete solution for formative
instruction. As a result, K-12 schools and districts that employ
Scantron's Performance Series(TM) or Achievement Series(TM) solutions
will be able to instantly link to standards-based online resources
using netTrekker d.i. and match those resources to student learning
needs at the individual, classroom and school levels.
"K-12 administrators told us quite clearly that the 'marriage' of
two best-of-breed solutions is exactly what they're looking for to
help implement the formative instruction process," said Tim Wiley,
senior analyst for K-12 solutions at Eduventures, and author of the
study. "Since the hallmark of formative instruction is the systematic
integration of the assessment, diagnosis, and prescription into the
course of learning, it is exciting to see two companies such as
Scantron and Thinkronize, who are very well known in the K-12
industry, partner to integrate their solutions to help educators
achieve their mission."
Performance Series(TM) from Scantron is a computer-adaptive
diagnostic test that allows educators to quickly pinpoint students'
proficiency levels, across a range of subjects, corresponding to
specific state standards. Through this collaboration, educators will
soon be able to click on an icon next to a specific standard on a
Performance Series report and instantly link to netTrekker d.i. to
access educational resources to directly address students' needs in
that standard. Designed to support differentiated instruction,
netTrekker d.i. provides educators with fast and easy access to more
than 180,000 educator-selected, standards-based online resources.
Educators using Scantron's Achievement Series, a content-neutral
flexible testing platform, to develop and administer online and paper
tests, capture results, and produce standards-based reports will have
the same capabilities. For example, if an educator uses Achievement
Series to develop and administer a district benchmark assessment and
sees that an individual or group of students is struggling to meet a
particular standard, through the use of netTrekker d.i. the educator
can quickly locate lessons, learning exercises, videos or any number
of resources that specifically address student confusion and help them
master the standard.
"At Cobb County our teachers have access to two terrific
applications: assessment data through the Scantron systems and
instructional resources from netTrekker. To make it even easier for
teachers to maximize this value, we'd love a solution that connects
the pieces," said Linda Morrell, director of instructional technology
for Cobb County School District in Georgia. "We are very pleased to
know that two market-leading companies like Scantron and Thinkronize
have teamed up to provide a tight link between assessments and
teaching tools that will help teachers quickly and easily turn the
data into action."
About Thinkronize
Thinkronize, an Internet developer of award-winning K-12
educational products, was founded in 1999 and grew out of a passion
and commitment to enhancing teaching and learning with the Internet
and standards-based online resources. The company's flagship product,
netTrekker classic, was launched in October 2000 and has won 11
industry awards for excellence since its inception. Thinkronize
currently serves over 8.3 million students in 48 states, including
adoptions by key districts and states nationwide, making it one of the
fastest growing companies in the education industry. In recent years,
the company has expanded the netTrekker product line to include
two-time award-winning netTrekker d.i., designed for use in schools to
help educators meet individual students' learning needs, and
netTrekker home, available for purchase by parents whose district or
school has not yet purchased a netTrekker school subscription. For
more information visit http://www.thinkronize.com or phone
877-517-1125.
About Scantron Corporation
Scantron Corp. (http://www.scantron.com) is headquartered in
Irvine, Calif., and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based John
H. Harland Company (NYSE:JH). Scantron is a leading provider of
software services and systems for the collection, management and
interpretation of data to the educational, financial and commercial
markets. For more information call 1-800-722-6876.
About Harland
Atlanta-based John H. Harland Company (NYSE:JH)
(http://www.harland.net) is a leading provider of software and printed
products to the financial and educational markets. Harland Financial
Solutions, Inc. (http://www.harlandfinancialsolutions.com), a wholly
owned subsidiary, supplies software and services, including customer
relationship management, deposit and loan origination, core systems
and mortgage services to thousands of financial institutions of all
sizes. Harland Printed Products' offerings include checks, direct
marketing and financial forms. Scantron Corporation
(http://www.scantron.com), a wholly owned subsidiary, is a leading
provider of both paper and electronic-based services and systems for
the collection, management and interpretation of data to the
financial, commercial and educational markets.
This press release contains statements, which may constitute
"forward-looking statements." These statements include statements
regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of John H.
Harland Company and members of its respective management, as well as
the assumptions on which such statements are based. Prospective
investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are
not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and
uncertainties and that actual results may differ materially from those
contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Reference is made to
the Risk Factors and Cautionary Statements in Harland's Form 10-K and
Form 10-Q filed under the Securities Exchange Act.
(1) Tim Wiley, (May 2006). "Formative Instruction and the Quest
for the Killer Application." Eduventures, Boston, MA.