Pearson's Web-Based Tool Will Help Students Build Writing and Reading Comprehension Skills
BOULDER, Colo., April 8, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Pearson announced today that students at two Minnesota high schools are now using WriteToLearn(TM) to develop writing and reading comprehension skills. Both schools are using the award-winning Web-based learning tool to help students build literacy skills and prepare for the new Minnesota writing assessment.
The schools are Dunwoody Academy High School, a new technical charter school in north Minneapolis administered by Dunwoody College, and Robbinsdale Cooper High School, part of Robbinsdale Area Schools in New Hope, Minn.
With WriteToLearn, students practice essay writing and summarization skills, and their efforts are measured by Pearson's state-of-the-art Knowledge Analysis Technologies(TM) (KAT) engine. The KAT engine is a unique automated assessment technology that evaluates the meaning of text by examining whole passages, not just grammatical correctness or spelling.
"WriteToLearn is an awesome program that gives each student feedback right away, which is something a teacher cannot possibly have time to do," said Duane Dutrieuille, dean of Academic and Student Affairs at Dunwoody Academy High School.
Dunwoody Academy, which offers eight-hour days and a 210-day school year, provides career-focused training in four industries -- automotive, construction, health care and manufacturing -- as well as core subjects for its 150 students. Reading and writing skills are vital parts of the curriculum, said Dutrieuille, and WriteToLearn is an important tool in improving student achievement. "Our students now know what to write and understand the structure of a paragraph. They are gaining skills and confidence and are really enjoying using WriteToLearn. I would recommend it to any school," he said.
At Robbinsdale Cooper High school, which serves more than 2,000 students in grades nine through 12 in a northwest suburb of Minneapolis, ninth graders are just getting started with WriteToLearn. Teachers and administrators will use it to prepare for both the state writing and reading assessments and have high hopes for success.
"We are excited about the possibilities," said Jill Kind, Robbinsdale Cooper social studies teacher. Students will use WriteToLearn in language arts, social studies, science and even physical education, where teachers spend a portion of the session on writing and reading. "The immediate feedback for the students will be great, as well as the knowledge we'll gain. We'll be able to see areas where students need help so we'll be better able to individualize instruction," she said.
These Minnesota adoptions come closely on the heels of the launch of WriteToLearn 5.0, which debuted with a number of new capabilities. They include new text-to-speech capabilities that allow students to have hundreds of reading passages read aloud to them, an added dictionary and spot word translation ability, and a new teacher comment feature that takes the assessment tool to the next level.
More information about WriteToLearn is available at http://www.writetolearn.net/.
About Pearson
Pearson is the global leader in educational publishing, assessment, information and services, helping people of all ages to learn at their own pace, in their own way. For students preK-12, Pearson provides effective and innovative curriculum products in all available media, educational assessment and measurement for students and teachers, student information systems, and teacher professional development and certification programs. The company's respected brands include Summary Street(R), WriteToLearn, Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, AGS, PowerSchool, SuccessMaker, TeacherVision and many others. Pearson's comprehensive offerings help inform targeted instruction and intervention so that success is within reach of every student. Pearson's other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.
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