At the 2016 iNACOL Blended & Online Learning Symposium, Oct. 25-28 in San Antonio, Pearson will preview Pearson Connexus, a new digital learning solution with a suite of tailored offerings that allows schools and districts to build K-12 online and blended learning programs to best fit their unique needs. With Pearson Connexus, schools and districts can choose from a wide range of courses and services to develop, fine-tune and scale digital learning programs on a platform designed specifically for grades K-12. Pearson Connexus supports personalized learning; creating future-ready, lifelong learners who are prepared for success in school, college and careers.

Available in 2017, Pearson Connexus offers more than 700 proven, standards-aligned K–12 courses at a variety of course levels including academic courses, student-driven as well as teacher-supported; foundation courses; honors and Advanced Placement; and credit recovery. The platform provides multiple instructional pathways such as prescriptive, flex and sequential in addition to a range of instructional settings including summer school; flipped learning; online and blended; and project-based. In addition, Pearson Connexus will provide schools and districts with instructional services; program management and support; and professional development and coaching.

In addition, through six Pearson presentations at the national symposium, educational experts from around the country will explore the power of online and blended learning to transform lives:

Charting Your Journey to Transformative Learning, Oct. 26, 4:15-5:15 p.m.

Presenters: Nathan S. Davis, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, MSD of Decatur Township, Indiana; Katherine Hadley, K-12 principal, Washoe County School District, Nevada; Dr. Donna Hutchison, senior vice president, Connections Education; Dr. Bernadette Ortiz-Brewster, College Park Academy Board of Directors & Executive Director of College Park Academy, Maryland; Dr. Megan Slocum, associate superintendent, Springdale School District, Arizona; and Dr. Marcia Smith, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning grades 6-12, Springdale Public Schools.

Exploring the 3 Cs of Building a Virtual School Community: Collaboration, Commitment, Connectedness, Oct. 27, 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Presenters: Melissa Brown, school leader, Indiana Connections Academy; Jodie Dean, school leader, New Mexico Connections Academy; Amanda Ebel, school leader, South Carolina Connections Academy; and David Potts, director of teaching services, Connections Learning.

Removing the “Risk” for At-Risk Students With Online and Blended Learning, Oct. 27, 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Presenters: Darren Calvert, principal, Irene L. Chavez Excel Academy, Texas; and Kevin Hogan, editorial director, Tech & Learning magazine.

Protecting Transgender Students' Rights in Traditional and Virtual Classrooms, Oct. 27, 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Moderator: Khoa Nguyen, board member, Human Rights Campaign, and marketing manager, International Connections Academy. Presenters: Elizabeth Krebs, middle school/high school advisor and special education, School District of Lancaster Cyber School Program; Tisha Green Rinker director of counseling, Connections Education; and Victoria Sulerzyski, director of school legal affairs, Connections Education.

A Global Dynamic: The New International Movement Toward Problem- and Competency-Based Learning, Oct. 27, 4:15-5:15 p.m.

Presenters: Laurie Forcier, manager, thought leadership, office of the chief education advisor, Pearson; Charles Leadbetter, independent author; and Mickey Revenaugh, director, new school models, Pearson.

Five Ways Digital Learning Will Accelerate College and Career Readiness, Oct. 28, 10-11 a.m.

Moderator: Mickey Revenaugh, director, new school models, Pearson.

Presenters: Robyn Bagley, director, Career Path High School, Utah; Michael Butler, principal, Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, School District #428; and Robert Eichorn, principal, New Directions Alternative Education Center, Virginia.

Visit the Pearson iNACOL Booth #147 and follow @PearsonNorthAm on Twitter, and use #iNACOL2016 and #LearningMakesUs to join the conversation.

For more information about Pearson and online and blended learning, go to pearsoned.com/transforming-learning.

About Pearson

Pearson is the world’s learning company, with expertise in educational courseware and assessment, and a range of teaching and learning services powered by technology. Our mission is to help people make progress through access to better learning. We believe that learning opens up opportunities, creating fulfilling careers and better lives.

Not-for-profit NWEA announces that its computer adaptive academic growth assessment Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) for Science has been aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Developed for grades 3-8, MAP for Science precisely measures each student’s growth toward understanding of the multidimensional NGSS performance expectations, or standards.

MAP is the leading assessment of student academic growth, cited in the federal education legislation ESSA as an important component when evaluating student achievement. Its precise, valid, and reliable data can be used to project proficiency on state assessments and inform how educators differentiate instruction, evaluate programs, and identify professional learning needs. Its computer adaptive design provides a unique testing experience for each child and measures academic growth regardless of a student’s grade level. It is an efficient and trusted tool that gives teachers actionable information on what each student is ready to learn, and administrators insight into systemic needs. MAP was named 2016 ISTE Best of Show winner by Tech & Learning magazine and 2015 Reader’s Choice Top Products by District Administrator magazine.

“MAP Science for use with the NGSS gives teachers and students valuable information about three-dimensional teaching and learning,” said Roy Beven, M.Ed., NWEA Science Test Supervisor, and recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching. “Students show their growth in understanding core scientific ideas while demonstrating their abilities in the practices of science and engineering. Students also show understanding of concepts that cut across disciplines as reported in NWEA’s multidimensional learning statements.”

The NGSS were developed in 2012–13 by a collaboration among 26 lead states, Achieve, and science education experts NGSS and guided by a new research document titled A Framework for K–12 Science Education (2012 National Research Council) that described the three dimensions needed for student understanding of science and engineering: Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs); Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs); and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs). 


About NWEA

NWEA is a global not-for-profit educational services organization with nearly 40 years of expertise in providing innovative assessment solutions, including our flagship interim growth assessment, Measures of Academic Progress (MAP); our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, Skills Navigator; and the OECD Test for Schools (based on PISA). More than 8,500 schools, school districts, and education agencies in the US and abroad trust us to offer pre-K – 12 assessments that accurately measure student growth and inform instruction; professional development that fosters educators’ ability to accelerate student learning; and research that supports assessment validity and data interpretation. Educators currently use NWEA assessments with over nine million students worldwide. Visit NWEA.org to find out how NWEA can partner with you to help all kids learn.

NextFlex, together with Lincoln High School, Jabil, Inc., the City of San Jose, Evergreen Valley College and Work2Future have launched a novel month-long mentoring project to introduce high school students to the world of flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) and advanced manufacturing. Starting this month, eight 11th and 12th-grade students from Lincoln High School will learn more about the career opportunities and educational pathways to pursue in order to enter into this exciting industry.

NextFlex is one of nine manufacturing Institutes developed in the past few years designed to revitalize US manufacturing. NextFlex's mission is to drive acceleration and adoption of FHE—combining the ability to add electronics to new and unique materials that are part of our everyday lives with the power of silicon ICs. The result is lightweight, low-cost, flexible, conformable and stretchable smart products to solve new problems and advance the efficiency of our world. To that end, for this industry to take root, an influx of new talent, primed to view FHE manufacturing as an exciting, viable profession, will be necessary. This is what NextFlex aims to achieve with this pilot program at Lincoln, with the intent to learn how to scale this program regionally and nationally in the near future.

Brynt Parmeter, Director of Workforce Development, Education & Training at NextFlex, noted, "This mentorship program is the first-of-its-kind for this growing field, and is a natural fit for us at NextFlex. Through our Workforce Development Initiative, we're helping develop the talent pipelines into FHE, which involves working closely with member companies and local high school and colleges, universities and certificate-issuing organizations to educate and build excitement among students and turn them into the next-generation of FHE researchers, technicians, engineers and professionals." Parmeter added that NextFlex's workforce development initiative also is geared toward women, veterans and other underrepresented populations to help build marketable/transferable skills for these groups wishing to return to the workforce, augment their education or change their career path.

Commenting on the project, Matt Hewitson, Principal for Lincoln High School, said, "We are very excited to partner with NextFlex to provide deeper learning opportunities that will help prepare our students to join the 21st century workforce. As a Project-Based Learning school, Lincoln challenges our students to apply their learning in real-world contexts through rigorous interdisciplinary projects that include critical thinking, collaboration, and presentations before a public audience. We are grateful for this opportunity to work with industry and civic leaders, like NextFlex and Mayor Liccardo, to provide students with the skills, inspiration, and pathways to thrive in our global workforce."

The program will require the participants – eight upper-class students from Lincoln's Capstone Course to work in teams, each guided by a NextFlex mentor, to develop and pitch a business model idea associated with an advanced manufactured human health or performance-monitoring device. The program will kick off on October 21 with a tour of Jabil in the morning and an afternoon session at NextFlex, where the students will be briefed on the program and FHE technology, and will be provided an overview of entrepreneurship and the business model canvas.

In the weeks to follow, the students will visit Evergreen Community College and tour the school's state-of-the-art automotive technical training facility and observe the college's students participating in its advanced manufacturing/technical programs. They'll also receive information from San Jose Work2Future on paid internship opportunities with local area manufacturers, and they will finalize and present their business model ideas during class. The program will conclude in November when the students will present their business model ideas and conduct a meet and greet with San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo.

About Flexible Hybrid Electronics

Once in full production, FHE will usher in a new era of "electronics on everything." Intelligence will be taken out of the "boxes" or packages associated with traditional electronics like PCs, smartphones and tablets, and transplanted directly onto a variety of surfaces including the human body, enabling an entirely new breed of defense and commercial applications we haven't imagined. But to develop these enabling FHEs, new manufacturing solutions are required and they come with significant integration challenges. Working alone, it would take years, perhaps decades, and unprecedented amounts of capital for a company to create the infrastructure to support mass production of FHEs. NextFlex, along with its members, is working to rapidly uncover and solve the complex manufacturing issues associated with production of flexible hybrid electronics, and ultimately create a manufacturing infrastructure that can efficiently be spun out to private industry.

About NextFlex

NextFlex was founded on August 28, 2015, through the execution of a Cooperative Agreement between the U.S. Department of Defense and FlexTech Alliance. A public-private partnership, NextFlex is the seventh Manufacturing Innovation Institute funded through Manufacturing USA to create, showcase, and deploy new capabilities and new manufacturing processes. More information about NextFlex, can be found at www.nextflex.us.

Utah Valley University (UVU), Utah's largest institution of higher learning and Utah Education Network (UEN), a nationally recognized innovator in broadband and broadcast delivery of educational services for educators and students, today announced plans to create companion curriculum and field trips to accompany the Roots of Knowledge stained glass undertaking soon to be a fixture on the UVU campus. The bold and large-scale permanent public art installation will debut Nov. 18 and mark the culminating moment of UVU's 75th anniversary celebration. Tapping the ancient storytelling art form of stained glass, while uniquely adapting it for a modern, secular setting, UVU is creating both a singular artistic landmark on campus and a powerful engaged learning model for the state.

Roots of Knowledge will be comprised of 80 individual panes that will span an epic 10 feet in height and 200 feet in length when completed. A fusion of art, education, and public space, Roots of Knowledge starts with the dawn of humanity and ends with the present day. The series of stained glass windows chronicles the human quest for intellectual advancement and progress. The panes are vibrantly colored glass paintings and interpretations of world history, including major inventions such as the Mayan Calendar and the printing press; important figures such as Joan of Arc and the Kangxi Emperor; and the American Civil Rights Movement; and thousands of other historical figures, tools and events. The sweeping panorama begins with a life-size depiction of one of the oldest living trees, the bristlecone pine Methuselah, in spring, and its roots and branches travel chronologically, interlacing like the strands of a DNA chain across all 80 panes. Altogether, Roots of Knowledge incorporates 60,000 pieces of glass, as well as actual rock, fossils, coins, meteorite, petrified wood and coral.

Conceived by Utah artist and former UVU student Tom Holdman and UVU President Matthew Holland, Roots of Knowledge combines the work and guidance of 40+ professional artists, 26 UVU scholars and more than 350 UVU students.

"Roots of Knowledge is an extraordinary blend of art, education and history and we immediately recognized its potential as a learning platform for teachers and students," said Laura G. Hunter, Chief Operating Officer for UEN. "In our role as an aggregator and producer of curriculum resources, we are honored to join with UVU to extend the reach of Roots of Knowledge through rich educational materials and field trip opportunities for students and teachers across Utah. Our approach in creating curriculum builds on the wonderful engaged-learning model behind the creation of Roots of Knowledge and embodied at UVU."

The UEN curriculum will be tailored to a variety of subjects – such as social studies, math, science and language arts – and will include coursework related to field trips to view the Roots of Knowledge windows. The Roots of Knowledge curriculum will include lesson plans and discussion activities to help students understand the purpose of this art project as well as the history it depicts.

"As one of the nation's premier education networks, UEN will be an invaluable partner in helping UVU bring the myriad educational lessons encapsulated in Roots of Knowledge to millions of Utah's students," said President Holland. "We believe that this major art project, which has been in the works for over a decade, will not just teach students about world history, but will also help them understand the contribution each and every one of them can make to this world."

The partnership between UEN and Roots of Knowledge exemplifies UVU's engaged learning philosophy. As one of the four core themes of UVU, engaged learning immerses students in real-world contexts within their curriculum and activities outside the classroom. UEN, which provides broadband infrastructure and support to Utah public education, higher education and libraries, will be providing web-based educational outreach, including video clips, virtual tours and other resources, to complement the Roots of Knowledge installation. Distance education programs will also be developed for students unable to visit the campus.

Roots of Knowledge Fast Facts:

• 80 panes
• 60,000 pieces of individual glass
• Combines the work and knowledge of more than 40 professional artists and 26 UVU scholars
• 350+ UVU students participated in the project, as painters, project managers, programmers, designers and artists

Additional Resources:

• Roots of Knowledge: http://www.uvu.edu/rootsofknowledge/
• UVU Twitter: https://twitter.com/UVU
• UVU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UVUwolverines/
• Utah Education Network: http://www.uen.org/

About Utah Valley University

Utah Valley University is located in Orem, Utah, and is home to nearly 35,000 students. UVU began as a vocational school during World War II, and in the seven decades since has evolved into a technical school, community college, state college, and, finally, a comprehensive regional teaching university. UVU is one of Utah's largest institutions of higher learning and offers programs ranging from career training to high-demand master degrees, with emphasis on undergraduate education and engaged learning.

About Utah Education Network

The Utah Education Network (UEN) is a statewide broadband and broadcast network established by the Utah Legislature in 1989 that offers a scope of Broadband Infrastructure, Interactive Video Conferencing and Instructional Resources to more than 800,000 students and educators statewide.

In 2014, the Utah Education Network (UEN) and the Utah Telehealth Network (UTN) merged to form the Utah Education Telehealth Network (UETN), one of the nation's premier education networks. The UETN brings together two well-established organizations that provide critical statewide services to Utah and connects all Utah school districts, schools, and higher education institutions to a robust network and quality educational resources.

About Holdman Studios

Based in Lehi, Utah, Holdman Studios has been designing glass art since 1988. It has been commissioned worldwide to design and create various projects in glass, each unique in its own style and design. Many projects have been completed for commercial buildings, private residences, religious institutions and public art projects. Under the leadership of Tom Holdman, the Holdman Studios' team of artists designs every stained glass window from scratch. The studio's work is on display in all 50 states and several countries worldwide.

To combat America’s rapidly growing opioid and heroin epidemic, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, announced a new joint nationwide education initiative called “Operation Prevention.” This announcement was made as part of a live town hall event that was broadcasted from Virginia’s McLean High School and streamed into classrooms nationwide.

Designed for middle and high school students, educators and parents nationwide, Operation Prevention is an important effort to educate students about the science behind drug addiction and its impact, with resources that help initiate lifesaving conversations in the home and classroom. The no-cost initiative offers standards-aligned classroom resources including digital lesson plans, and a parent toolkit that offers information on the warning signs of substance misuse disorder and a guide to prevention and intervention. In December, a student video challenge will also launch.

Every day in America, 44 people die as a result of prescription opioid overdose, and heroin use has more than doubled among young adults ages 18-25 in the past decade (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). The epidemic cuts across lines of age, race, gender and wealth, afflicting cities as well as suburbs, rural towns as well as tribal communities. Now, Operation Prevention will provide students with the tools they need to make smart, informed choices when they are prescribed or presented with the opportunity to experiment with opioids. Materials include:

Educator Lesson Plans – Standards-aligned digital lesson plans bring powerful real-world context to science and health classrooms by equipping teachers with dynamic curricula on the science behind opioids’ physical and neurological effects. Companion instructor guides are also available to support educators as they integrate these lessons into classroom instruction.

Interactive Student Resources – A self-paced e-learning module combines video, animation and interactive elements to offer students an engaging learning experience that encourages them to investigate the impacts of opioids on the brain and body. Accompanying this module are pre-and-post-assessments as well as companion guides for educators and parents to utilize to best support students’ experience.

Parent Toolkit – Designed to empower parents with knowledge and resources to begin lifesaving conversations, detect warning signs and take action, the Operation Prevention Parent Toolkit includes family discussion starters, a detailed guide of warning signs and what they mean, and prevention and intervention tools that allows parents to proactively take action through research-based strategies.

“Operation Prevention is a free science-based education tool for students, teachers, and parents,” said DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg. “In partnership with Discovery Education, we will illuminate the opioid epidemic by teaching kids the science behind it."

“Discovery Education is proud to partner with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration on this important and potentially life-saving initiative,” said Bill Goodwyn, president and CEO, Discovery Education. “Operation Prevention will provide teachers, students, and families the engaging digital resources they need to combat the national opioid addiction epidemic.”

The launch announcement was broadcasted from Fairfax County Public School’s McLean High School in Virginia. It connected students with a panel of experts including Louis J. Milione, DEA Assistant Administrator, Office of Diversion Control; Melvin Patterson, DEA special agent; Peggy Compton, Associate Dean at Georgetown University’s School of Nursing and Health Studies; Jamie Lane, Assistant Principal, McLean High School; and a former teen user, who discussed how prescription opioids and heroin affect the brain and behavior, and answered questions submitted in real time by participating students nationwide. An archive of the event is available for year-round use at: http://operationprevention.com/virtual-field-trip.

“Substance abuse touches everyone and too often it is unrecognized as families are left to deal with the consequences on their own,” said McLean High School Principal Ellen Reilly. “By bringing this issue to the McLean school community during today’s town hall and to school communities worldwide, this is a unique opportunity to acknowledge and understand a very real crisis. Operation Prevention will increase awareness of this crisis which is key to developing solutions for those struggling with this issue.”

More information on Operation Prevention and access to the program’s free resources are available at http://operationprevention.com/. For other Discovery Education initiatives, visit www.discoveryeducation.com.

About the Drug Enforcement Administration

The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States, or any other competent jurisdiction, those organizations and principal members of organizations, involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States; and to recommend and support non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international markets.

About Discovery Education

Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital content and professional development for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content that supports the implementation of Common Core, professional development, assessment tools, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education’s services are in half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools the UK, and more than 50 countries. Discovery Education partners with districts, states and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Blackboard Inc., a leading education technology company for teaching, learning and student engagement, announced usability enhancements to Blackboard Learn, its flagship Learning Management System (LMS). The enhanced workflows and improvements are intended to help faculty members better accomplish core teaching tasks and allow students to complete coursework more quickly. Updates for both the Blackboard Learn Original experience (also known as Blackboard Learn 9.1 for managed-hosted and self-hosted customers) and the Blackboard Learn Ultra experience in SaaS, will be available in November.

The latest release of the Original experience will include:

• Increased responsiveness: new enhancements to the Learn 2016 theme, introduced earlier this year, provide greater responsiveness for small devices. Faculty and students will be able to do more via their tablets and mobile phones.
• A deeper integration with Dropbox: users can now link to their content and submit assignments directly from their Dropbox account.
• Ability to drag & drop files: when instructors create content items, assignments, and blank pages, they can drag files from their computers to the "hot spot” in the content area. Students can also drag files to upload when they submit assignments.

Blackboard will also make the REST API framework available to all customers as its Technical Preview ends. REST APIs allow easier integration and faster updates between commercial and community built extensions and the LMS – ultimately providing instructors with more powerful teaching and learning workflows.

The Ultra experience for Blackboard Learn, which is deployed via SaaS, will also feature the new REST API framework. Other enhanced workflows include:

• Test & Assignment Student Activity Reports: faculty members can note details of when each student accessed, began, and made a submission to an assignment or test.
• Rubrics: instructors can ensure consistent and impartial grading and help students focus on assignments through the use of Rubrics.
• Group Discussion Boards: students can communicate and collaborate on coursework more easily.
• Course Content Conversion: instructors can import or copy content pages from the Original Course View into a document in the Ultra Course View. Text, attachments, multimedia, and links are also all carried forward.

“Institutions need to support the full range of students and instructors, from those who are just starting to take advantage of educational technology to the veterans who have been leveraging fully online courses," said Phill Miller, Vice President of Teaching and Learning at Blackboard. “Blackboard’s focus here is to enable all types of users to accomplish teaching and learning tasks quickly and easily thanks to a mobile-friendly interface, advanced capabilities and powerful workflows.”

Blackboard will demo the new features during EDUCAUSE, October 26-28 in Anaheim, California. Clients can visit the Blackboard booth located in the exhibit hall.

About Blackboard Inc.

Blackboard is a global leader in enterprise technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of millions of students and learners around the world every day. Blackboard's solutions allow thousands of higher education, K-12, professional, corporate, and government organizations to extend teaching and learning online, facilitate campus commerce and security, and communicate more effectively with their communities. For more information about Blackboard, follow us on Twitter @Blackboard.

Epson, the number-one selling projector brand worldwide, announced the Epson PowerLite 2000-Series. The series features nine projectors that are ideal for business meetings, large boardrooms, lecture halls, classrooms, and houses of worship. Designed for ease-of-use, the PowerLite 2000-Series includes up to 5,500 lumens of color brightness and 5,500 lumens of white brightness¹, in addition to full HD 1080p support and comes equipped with built-in enterprise level Wi-Fi security, and features a full interface for multiple connections and installation flexibility.

“The PowerLite 2000-Series offers an unbeatable combination of brightness, a rich feature set and a portable design, making it ideal for nearly any room,” said Remi Del Mar, product manager, Epson America, Inc. “The series delivers a wide range of options, from resolution and brightness to connectivity options, so customers can find the solution that best suits their installation needs.”

The PowerLite 2000-Series leverages HDMI connectivity to easily project digital content, including video and audio, from the latest laptops, Blu-ray Discs, DVDs, and other media players. Utilizing the USB port, the PowerLite 2000-Series can display documents and images from a USB drive stored as PDF, JPEG, BMP, GIF, or PNG files without having to connect to a PC, ideal for boardrooms and small business projection needs. In addition, leveraging a wireless LAN module², the PowerLite 2000-Series projectors offer security features such as WEP, WPA-PSK, WPA-EAP, WPA2-EAP wireless encryption to help prevent information leakage in an enterprise environment.

The series also features award-winning Faroudja DCDi Cinema video enhancement technology delivering exceptional image quality without introducing artifacts. In addition, the DICOM Simulation Mode³ (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) provides the ability to reproduce images with an advanced grayscale level that simulates DICOM Part 14, ideal for viewing grayscale medical images, such as X-rays, for training and educational environments. Wireless screen mirroring with Miracast allows PowerLite 2000-Series users to stream Full HD movies, videos, photos, and music from a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or PC directly to the projector. Miracast wirelessly mirrors and streams content from Android mobile devices or Windows PCs to the projector.

The flagship models – PowerLite 2265U and PowerLite 2165W – include innovative HDBaseT connectivity for easy installation, in addition to support for Multi-PC projection, which allows up to four individual PC screens to be displayed simultaneously over the network with up to 32 connected to the same projector. The projectors include Screen Fit, an auto-sensing feature that adjusts the image size to fit within a frame, whether it’s a screen or a board, with the push of a button. The PowerLite 2265U and PowerLite 2165W projectors can be used with the Epson iProjection App to display content from an iOS or Android mobile devices with wireless or network capabilities⁴.

Additional Features on the new PowerLite 2000-Series

The new Epson PowerLite 2000-Series projectors deliver a range of color brightness and white brightness and features to meet a variety of small-to-mid sized business needs:

• Versatile, Compact Design – Includes multiple connectivity options; ideal for taking from room to room, or installing in small to medium-sized spaces
• Enterprise-Level Wireless Security – The wireless LAN module² (sold separately on some models) supports robust wireless security network protocols that help keep information safe
• Wireless Screen Mirroring with Miracast – Stream Full HD 1080p content and mirror wireless Android device screens
• Remote Management and Control Tools – Included software allows for remote monitoring and control of Epson networked projectors; also compatible with Crestron Room View
• Long-Lasting Lamp Life – Up to 10,000 hours in ECO Mode⁵

Epson projectors offer 3x higher color brightness⁶ than competitive 1-chip DLP models to ensure vivid colorful images. All Epson projectors feature the latest 3-chip 3LCD technology to deliver amazing, true-to-life color and detail for powerful presentations.

Availability and Support

The PowerLite 2000-Series will be available in January 2017 through national resellers and direct on Epson.com. The projectors are also available through pro audio/visual dealers, mail order, and distribution. Epson’s projectors come with a three-year limited warranty that includes Road Service projector replacement program with projector exchange in one business day with paid shipping⁷ and a 90-day limited lamp warranty. For additional information, visit www.epson.com/projectors.

About Epson

Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to connecting people, things and information with its original efficient, compact and precision technologies. With a lineup that ranges from inkjet printers and digital printing systems to 3LCD projectors, smart glasses, sensing systems and industrial robots, the company is focused on driving innovations and exceeding customer expectations in inkjet, visual communications, wearables and robotics.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises more than 67,000 employees in 90 companies around the world, and is proud of its contributions to the communities in which it operates and its ongoing efforts to reduce environmental impacts.

Epson America, Inc., based in Long Beach, Calif., is Epson’s regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/EpsonAmerica), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica).

* MSRP

¹ Color brightness (color light output) and white brightness (white light output) will vary depending on usage conditions. Color light output measured in accordance with IDMS 15.4; white light output measured in accordance with ISO 21118.

² LAN Module sold separately on the following models: PL 2040, PL 2140W, PL 2245U, PL 2250U

³ These projectors do not meet the DICOM standard Part 14 and should not be used as a medical diagnostic device.

⁴ To use Epson iProjection, the projector must be configured on a network. Epson projectors can be networked either through the Ethernet port on the projector (check model specifications for availability) or via a wireless connection. Check your owner’s manual to determine if a wireless LAN module must be purchased separately to enable wireless connection on your Epson projector. Not all Epson projectors are able to be networked. Availability varies depending on model. Not all files and formats are supported. See www.epson.com for details.

⁵ ECO Mode is up to 10,000 hours. Normal mode is up to 5,000 hours. Lamp life will vary depending upon mode selected, environmental conditions, and usage. Lamp brightness decreases over time.

⁶ Color brightness (color light output) measured in accordance with ISMD 15.4. Color brightness will vary depending on usage conditions. The projectors used by a third-party lab for measuring color brightness were leading Epson 3LCD business and education projectors and the leading 1-chip DLP projectors, based on NPD sales data for June 2013 through May 2014 and PMA Research sales data for Q1 through Q3 2013.

⁷ Expedited shipping not available in all areas. Road Service orders must be in by 3 p.m. Eastern Time for Next-Business-Day delivery

Ohio’s Brunswick City Schools today announced the launch of a new, seven-year partnership with Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms.

Through this new collaboration, Brunswick City educators in grades K-12 will accelerate the creation of authentic digital classrooms by integrating Discovery Education’s Science Techbook into instruction, while middle school educators will begin integrating Discovery Education’s Social Studies Techbook into teaching and learning. In addition, all K-12 classrooms across the district will have access to Discovery Education Streaming Plus, a comprehensive digital service supplementing instruction across all K-12 curricular areas. Educators from all 11 Brunswick City Schools will also participate in Discovery Education’s Digital Leader Corps, a comprehensive, multi-year professional development initiative that cultivates teacher-leaders to help drive the district’s transition to digital learning.

This new partnership helps Brunswick City Schools’ educators increase student engagement and more deeply personalize instruction, and also supports the district’s 2015 one-to-one learning initiative. Last school year, middle and high school students received a personal device for learning in school and at home. Now, through the district’s new collaboration with Discovery Education, these devices will be powered with dynamic digital content to expand students’ learning opportunities within the classroom and beyond.

Discovery Education’s Techbooks are breakthrough digital textbooks that are aligned to rigorous standards, support a comprehensive curriculum, and are updated regularly at no cost. The series encourages all learners through interactive features that change the reading level of text and enable text to be read aloud. The Techbook series saves teachers’ time with a comprehensive design that places model lessons, student activities and assessments at their fingertips. Techbooks are platform neutral and can be used in one-to-one or one-to-many configurations and in any instructional environment.

Utilizing an inquiry-based format built on the 5E model, Discovery Education’s Science Techbook, through hands-on labs, digital explorations, an interactive glossary, and data analysis activities, helps teach students to read, write, and think like scientists. The Social Studies Techbook series uses an inquiry-based instructional approach that emphasizes informational text literacy, analytical writing and problem solving skills that students will apply in the classroom and beyond. Each subject area includes primary source documents and activities, digital investigations, multimedia reference library, interactive maps and informational texts. Discovery Education Streaming Plus’ resources are aligned to state standards and searchable, and teacher resources include lesson plans, instructional strategies, and content collections organized around themes. Students can access images, primary source documents, podcasts, oral interviews, articles, videos, and more.

To support educators as they implement these new digital resources, the Brunswick City Schools are engaging its educators in Discovery Education’s Digital Leader Corps, which develops a network of teacher-leaders prepared to design, implement, and share successful and innovative teaching strategies districtwide. Featuring a unique combination of professional learning, pedagogy and tools, Digital Leader Corps offers participating educators proven strategies for integrating educational technologies and digital media into classroom instruction including educator created, student-centered Learning Labs. In these labs, teachers bring to life new teaching strategies, and practice and adapt their skills in a classroom setting before sharing their successes broadly with their colleagues. The Digital Leader Corps program provides teachers with continuous customized, job-embedded consultation throughout the process with on-going modeling, coaching and feedback from Discovery Education experts in the pre-planning, stakeholder communications, and implementation phases.

“Brunswick City Schools’ digital transition is dedicated to more deeply engaging our students in learning and providing them the opportunities to develop the skills they need to be successful in the Information Age,” said Michael Mayell, Superintendent. “We are excited to partner with Discovery Education to achieve this vision. Their dynamic digital resources and comprehensive professional development will help us transform teaching and learning districtwide.”

In addition, the Discovery Education Community will support Brunswick City Schools’ educators in their efforts to transform students’ learning experiences with digital media. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Education Community connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable networking, idea sharing, and inspiration.

“Discovery Education is proud to be a part of Brunswick City Schools’ efforts to use digital content to grow student engagement and personalize instruction,” said Kelly Burleson, Education Partnerships Manager at Discovery Education. “We look forward to supporting their entire team and to providing all teachers and students with the digital tools and resources they need to create the real-world learning experiences we know engage today’s learners.”

For more information about the Discovery Education Techbook series, Digital Leader Corps, or other services and resources from Discovery Education, visit www.discoveryeducation.com.

About Discovery Education

Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional development, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education’s services are in half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50 countries. Discovery Education partners with districts, states and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Learning Upgrade, an innovative ed tech company providing digital, differentiated literacy curriculum designed for English language learners (ELLs), announced the launch of a mobile app to increase accessibility and expand offerings to a wide range of English learners.

The app enables students to access Learning Upgrade’s high-interest musical lessons on their own using any device, including phones and tablets. With the app, Learning Upgrade aims to improve students’ time on task by no longer limiting them to sitting in front of a computer. ELLs of all ages are now able to work through lessons anytime and anywhere.

“Low-literate, low-income adults often do not have computer and internet access at home. However, about 75% of them do own a smartphone,” said Vinod Lobo, co-founder and CEO of Learning Upgrade. “If effective learning can be delivered through smartphones, more ELLs can ‘self-serve’ by downloading the program on to their phone, signing in, and making progress. This way, millions of learners that are not served by schools or adult education can finally receive quality literacy instruction.”

The app is part of the Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPrize Competition, designed to address the 36 million low-literate adults in America. The competition challenges teams to develop mobile applications that result in the greatest increase in literacy skills among participating adult learners in just 12 months. The solutions will overcome key barriers to literacy learning by improving access, increasing retention, and scaling to meet demand.

“As the needs of our nation evolve, so must our educational resources. We are ready and willing to collaborate with any school or organization interested in improving English language proficiency among ELLs,” said Lobo. “Thanks to technology, we are able to reach even more ELLs and promote English proficiency in the United States.”

The Learning Upgrade app includes more than 300 sequenced lessons including topics on phonics, decoding, vocabulary, grammar, writing, and listening. The curriculum includes engaging songs, videos, games, and rewards that encourage all learners to achieve mastery. Each lesson provides practice problems accompanied by immediate intervention and remediation with multimedia supports. Students can repeat lessons until they master them, earning a gold certificate when they become proficient in each of the standard’s benchmarks.

Adult learners at Sweetwater Adult Education in Chula Vista, California, are already using the app on students’ personal smartphones as part of English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. The innovative blended learning approach combines instructor-led classes and on-site computer labs with at-home smartphone use. Instructors can track a learner’s progress and assess their literacy skills regardless of where the learner completes their lessons. The goal is to accelerate what is often a long path to proficiency, so that English Learners can qualify for GED, technical, and community college classes.

The app is available now as a free download from the Google Play Store, with Apple App Store access planned for release later this year.

About Learning Upgrade

Founded in 1998 by educators, musicians, artists and programmers in San Diego, Learning Upgrade designs innovative, engaging lessons to support struggling students in reading and math. Through the incorporation of songs, video, games, and educational research, Learning Upgrade has helped more than 1 million students make learning breakthroughs. For more information, please visit LearningUpgrade.com.

Level Data, a managed solutions company that provides custom data integration and validation solutions for school districts, has been selected to provide its State Data Validation Suite solutions to 15 school districts in Tennessee.

“Validating state data reporting can be an overwhelming task,” said Valerie Sitz, attendance supervisor at Grundy County School System in Altamont, Tennessee. “Level Data has streamlined that process and helped us manage our data in a much more efficient manner.”

Level Data’s Data Validation Suite is accessed from within the district’s SIS (Student Information System), PowerSchool. This allows district personnel to automatically validate and monitor data during the course of their daily activities, without leaving the application. The validation suite is a state-specific and cost-effective method that ensures student, school, and district data is complete, accurate, and up-to-date. This new process offers an enormous time savings for districts as they are required to submit validated data to the Department of Education several times a year. SIS’s are very complex and many district departments are entering data into the system. Without the validation suite, it is virtually impossible to have a real-time awareness of data integrity issues in your SIS. Utilizing this new tool eliminates the submit/reject/fix/repeat cycle associated with erroneous data submissions to the different department at the state that is so taxing for districts. Because the solution is delivered as a Managed Service, Level Data keeps the validation rules in sync with changing requirements at the state level and then updates the districts automatically. The Suite includes State Data Validation, RealTime Validation, and RealTime Address Validation.

“Our team is very proud of this solution. It is very intuitive and easy to use. Districts see positive results immediately. Because schools get instant feedback on errors in required data fields, personnel can take corrective action immediately. This dramatically reduces the time and effort that district personnel spend on state data submissions each school year.” said Matt Betts, President of Level Data. “The State Validation Suite also helps district administrators maximize their state and federal funding by reporting accurate and complete data in an efficient and timely manner.”

The school districts using these new technologies in Tennessee include:

• Bristol Tennessee City Schools
• Morgan County School District
• Union City Schools
• Hollow Rock-Bruceton Special School District
• Maryville City School District
• Trousdale County Board of Education
• South Carroll Special School District
• Grundy County Department of Education
• Rhea County Department of Education
• Gibson County Special School District
• Paris Special School District
• Richard City - Richard Hardy memorial school
• Blount County Schools
• Humboldt City Schools
• South Carroll County Special School District

To learn more about Level Data and its State Data Validation Suite solution, please visit www.leveldata.com.

About Level Data:

Founded in 2007, Level Data is a managed solutions company that works with school districts across the nation to secure and administer accurate and effective data. Our solutions are the perfect combination of people and services. They are well designed, interactive, consultative and customized. They automate the workflow of student data across multiple systems and applications to improve processes and increase revenue. Our team partners with you and your colleagues to build a foundation of quality data that is fully managed, scalable, and cost effective. Our cloud solution works with existing applications (directory, food services, special education, and more) and does not require additional servers, agents, or on-going support. For more information on Level Data, visit www.leveldata.com.

Blackboard Inc., a leading education technology company for teaching, learning and student engagement, today announced the acquisition of U.K.-based Fronteer, including its flagship Ally product. Ally is designed to help institutions and instructors make course content more accessible for learners.

Developed and designed by Fronteer, Ally provides educators with essential guidance for improving accessibility of their course materials, while supplying comprehensive reporting on the current state of course content accessibility across the institution. The platform automatically checks posted course materials for accessibility issues and, through advanced Machine Learning algorithms, generates files in different formats to assist students who may require alternatives. Supplemental file formats include Semantic HTML, Tagged PDF, Audio, ePub and Electronic Braille.

Accessibility of course content is a significant challenge for institutions. Through this acquisition, Blackboard is strengthening its commitment to accessibility both by offering itself as an accessibility partner for the institution and by expanding its internal capacity through the addition of the Fronteer team to drive advancements in accessibility. At the same time, Blackboard is helping educators address the accessibility challenges they face integrating technology into the classroom and teaching students of all learning styles and abilities.

"Blackboard and Fronteer share a strong commitment to making education available to all students," said Bill Ballhaus, Chairman, CEO and President of Blackboard. "We're pleased to continue investing in technology and people that understand our vision to provide product experiences that enable greater accessibility. We both recognize the close connection between accessibility and the quality and usability of course content, and the benefits accessibility can bring to all learners."

Ally will be made readily available to all institutions, including those using non-Blackboard products.

To learn more about the acquisition of Fronteer and Ally, visit http://fronteer.io/.

About Blackboard Inc.

Blackboard is a global leader in enterprise technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of millions of students and learners around the world every day. Blackboard's solutions allow thousands of higher education, K-12, professional, corporate, and government organizations to extend teaching and learning online, facilitate campus commerce and security, and communicate more effectively with their communities. For more information about Blackboard, follow us on Twitter @Blackboard.

Helping students achieve state education standards can be a challenging process, but it is even more so when a state mandates the use of new high-stakes tests. Such is the case in Ohio where several school districts are turning to the Performance Matters Platform to help boost student achievement on the new assessments implemented just last year. The Performance Matters Platform is an integrated portfolio of Student Growth Solutions and Educator Growth Solutions, all supported with robust data analytics.

Ohio districts that have started implementing the Performance Matters Student Growth Solutions include Hamilton, Olentangy, Indian Hill, New Albany-Plain, and Canal Winchester Local School Districts, among others. Using the Student Growth Solutions, which are powered by the Unify student assessment platform, educators can create and administer assessments, analyze student and educator data, and act on that data to improve teaching and learning.

“Hilliard City Schools has been using Performance Matters for several years and we continue to be impressed with how well the system keeps pace with the increasingly sophisticated ways we use data to drive student achievement,” said Rich Boettner, chief technology officer at Hilliard City Schools. “We’re now using Unify to create classroom assessments, district benchmark tests and department assessments, and we’re beginning to create teacher-led verbal assessments for early elementary. Our fellow Ohio districts are going to be amazed at how quickly Performance Matters helps them identify the actionable insights they need to shape curriculum and deliver effective, personalized interventions.”

“The end-of-year tests in Ohio have changed three times in the last four years. This makes it challenging for students to prepare themselves for these exams and even harder for their teachers to help them prepare. These Ohio districts knew that they needed an assessment and reporting system that was agile enough to meet this challenge,” said Woody Dillaha, president and co-founder of Performance Matters. “Performance Matters’ Unify provides a robust formative and interim assessment platform that integrates Ohio’s Learning Standards with real time data and reporting that teachers and students can use to guide instruction and improve learning.”

About Performance Matters

Performance Matters accelerates student success by combining powerful student and educator growth solutions with real-time analytics. The Performance Matters Platform includes tools for student assessment development and delivery, as well as educator professional learning management, performance evaluation and observer calibration. Together these solutions, leveraged with a real-time analytics engine, provide specific, actionable insights that boost student performance and build educator capacity. Performance Matters was formed through the integration of two best-in-class education solution providers: Truenorthlogic, the leader in educator professional growth tools, and Performance Matters, an authority in student assessment and data analytics. For information, visit www.performancematters.com.

Edsby, a SaaS platform that gives K-12 school districts, regions and national governments better student, teacher and parent engagement, improved educational outcomes and new insight into educational effectiveness, is now running on Microsoft Azure, Microsoft’s hyperscale, enterprise-grade cloud platform, as part of a global relationship between the two companies.

K-12 education organizations usually have strict data sovereignty requirements that require them to store their academic data in the country/region they operate. Edsby is now leveraging Microsoft’s investment in Azure data centers worldwide to meet these requirements for customers around the globe. This is especially attractive for large school districts along with state, provincial and national educational organizations.

In addition, the move to Azure provides Edsby with unprecedented scalability and performance that can be flexibly and cost effectively tuned to meet demand as use of Edsby grows in regions around the world. From a management perspective, Azure makes it possible to manage all Edsby global deployments from a single console.

“We’ve benefited from a number of key Azure technologies in moving from our bare metal architecture to Azure, including Azure SQL Database for high availability data management, Azure Storage for durable tiered storage, Azure Portal and more,” said Steven Asbury, Edsby Co-Founder and Vice President of Engineering. “The software porting and customer data migration took just a few months, and we are now recognizing many benefits, such as improved performance, scalability-on-demand, more flexible storage, back-end monitoring/analytics, a better high availability and disaster recovery offering and other efficiencies.”

Edsby’s migration to Azure builds on earlier integration work by Edsby with Microsoft technologies, including support for Microsoft Azure Active Directory, which enables convenient one-click authentication, Microsoft OneDrive access for Edsby users using Office 365 and upcoming support for integrations between Edsby and OneNote Class Notebook. In addition, work is underway to embed Azure Power BI into the Edsby analytics offering.

“Edsby is enhancing how students, teachers and parents communicate and collaborate while leveraging the power of the Microsoft Cloud,” said Anthony Salcito, Vice President of Worldwide Education, Microsoft. “We look forward to working with Edsby to bring this solution to schools around the world.”

This summer, Microsoft named Edsby a finalist for global 2016 Education Partner of the Year.

About Edsby

Edsby is a modern platform purpose-built for K-12 education that improves student, teacher and parent engagement and helps school districts and governments improve K-12 educational outcomes. Edsby incorporates learning management, data management and analytics. Edsby is developed by CoreFour, a team that has been building scalable, reliable software systems for education organizations around the world for 30 years using latest technology and standards. Edsby is a registered trademark of CoreFour Inc. – http://edsby.com/

Following a rigorous evaluation, the Oregon State Board of Education has approved new editions of the Discovery Education Science Techbook for statewide use as a core instructional K-12 resource through its state adoption process. Completely aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) as adopted by the state of Oregon, these latest additions to Discovery Education’s award-winning line of digital textbooks changes the way students and educators experience science. Currently, Discovery Education Techbooks are used by more than 3 million students in all 50 U.S. states and several Canadian Provinces.

During its latest approval cycle, the Oregon State Board of Education adopted all Discovery Education Science Techbooks for classroom use, giving school districts across the state the option to purchase and integrate the K-8 Science Techbook, as well as the High School Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth and Space Science Techbooks into classroom instruction. School districts across Oregon now have the option to purchase and integrate these latest Science Techbooks into teaching and learning. The award-winning Discovery Education Textbook series is a fully interactive digital solution that replaces traditional textbooks. Currently, Discovery Education’s Math Techbooks, which were adopted by the Oregon State Board of Education as a core instructional resource in 2015, are also approved for classroom use statewide.

The Science Techbooks aligned to the NGSS as adopted by the state of Oregon were developed by Discovery Education’s team of expert science educators with the input of teachers and administrators. Their rich, standards aligned content includes video, audio, text and interactives with hands-on activities, as well as virtual labs that help educators differentiate instruction and create a rich and engaging learning experiences for all students.

These new Science Techbooks include valuable STEM resources as well. STEM Project Starters encourage students to connect math, technology, and engineering to their understanding of science concepts to produce creative solutions to real world problems. In addition, the STEM In Action resources help students connect their work to STEM careers, which promotes a clearer understanding of how skills used in school can be applied to jobs “in the real world.” Embedded formative assessment opportunities that help educators monitor student progress are embedded into each Techbook, and like all Discovery Education digital textbooks, the Science Techbooks work on any device and can be implemented in any instructional setting.

The Science Techbooks aligned to the NGSS as adopted by Oregon fully support the instructional shifts required by the new standards, embrace the philosophy of three-dimensional learning, and are designed to help educators adapt their classroom practice to meet the standards. In addition to content chosen to directly support the standards, the Model Lessons within the Science Techbooks reflect the interconnectedness of the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) and Cross-Cutting Concepts (CCC) and illustrate what these mean in practice for educators. With these special editions of the Science Techbook, Oregon Students will become immersed in phenomenon-driven, relevant learning experiences, develop their own scientific explanations through a variety of activities such as exploring the overarching themes of science, learn to ask questions and make claims, and identify the cross-cutting connections between sciences.

Discovery Education understands that teacher engagement is critical to implementing successful learning initiatives. Therefore, all Techbooks include research-based professional development that supports educators as they integrate new digital content and resources into classroom instruction. The Discovery Education Community, a global community of education professionals, further connects teachers and administrators around the world with social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events that inspire innovation and facilitates idea sharing.

A study conducted by independent research firm Merola Research, LLC found that usage of the Science Techbook is associated with higher science achievement scores in South Carolina elementary school students. After one year of implementation in the state’s Rock Hill Schools, fourth grade students whose teachers used Discovery Education Science Techbook scored higher on average on the 2013 Science Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS) than students whose teachers did not use Science Techbook. Techbooks are also a substantially less expensive option per student at nearly half the cost of a traditional textbook, with additional savings derived from a lack of textbook replacement or inventory costs.

“Discovery Education thanks the Oregon State Board of Education for their exhaustive evaluation of the Science Techbooks,” said Jolie Vigen, Director of Educational Partnerships at Discovery Education. “Their review and approval of these outstanding core instructional resources gives educators statewide access to engaging content 100% aligned to the NGSS as adopted by the state of Oregon that they can use to create the modern science classrooms today’s students need for future success.”

For more information about the Science Techbooks aligned to NGSS standards as adopted by Oregon, www.discoveryeducation.com/oregon-science. For additional information on other services and initiatives from Discovery Education, visit www.discoveryeducation.com.

About Discovery Education

Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional development, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education’s services are in half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50 countries. Discovery Education partners with districts, states and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

The cost associated with providing healthcare and education for children with autism often presents a barrier for care providers and school districts. To ease the adoption of evidence-based practices in delivering the highest quality education for students with autism, RoboKind and the Autism Society of America announce the offering of the joint Robots4Autism School Grant Program. The grant program aims to make the comprehensive, research-based Robots4Autism program accessible to schools across the nation.

The Robots4Autism curriculum, delivered by humanoid robot Milo, incorporates eight evidence-based practices to support a learner’s generalization of appropriate social behavior and promote emotional understanding. In clinical studies, Robots4Autism has significantly increased engagement levels for students with autism. As a cost-effective solution for autism intervention, the grant partnership offers schools of all backgrounds to integrate the Robots4Autism curriculum into instruction.

“The grant program furthers our commitment to bettering the education for students with autism, regardless of financial means,” said Fred Margolin, CEO and founder of RoboKind. “We’re humbled to share a mission of advocacy for providing the most appropriate services for autism alongside the Autism Society.”

Schools are invited to apply for the program to purchase the Robots4Autism curriculum, and upon approval, a grant will be provided to the school to complete the purchase, depending on the availability of funds. Ninety-five percent of funds donated to the Robots4Autism School Grant Program will go directly to eligible schools.

“Increasing access to products and services to better serve the autism community is fundamental to improving the lives of those affected by autism,” said John Dabrowski, COO of Autism Society of America. “This grant broadens horizons for schools to access a variety of methods to support the needs of students with autism.”

To support the RoboKind4Autism School Grant Program and pledge a tax-deductible donation, please visit http://bit.ly/2dQ4esc. To learn more about Robots4Autism, please visit www.robots4autism.com.

About RoboKind

RoboKind, the world leader in social robotics, designs and builds a series of robots that enable people to engage with robots on a personal level. Through the Robots4Autism and Robots4STEM programs, RoboKind leverages these advanced social robots to supplement autism therapy, special education and STEM instruction. The programs use humanoid robots that feature life-like facial expressions, natural social interaction and comprehensive curriculum to assist educators and therapists in helping students learn and grow. For more information, visit www.robokindrobots.com.

About The Autism Society of America

Founded in 1965, the Autism Society is the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization, and exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. We do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the autism spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education and research. The Society maintains a strong nationwide network of affiliates to provide support and grassroots advocacy at local, state and federal levels. www.autism-society.org.

ScholarChip, the largest provider of smart ID cards for K-12 schools, announces that its newest client, Brockton (Mass.) Public Schools, has purchased ScholarChip’s ID Manager, Building Attendance, Large Group Attendance, and Mobile Hallway Monitoring services. Brockton Public Schools is the fourth-largest school district in Massachusetts, serving 16,595 students in 23 schools.

The program starts with ScholarChip’s ID Manager, which integrates with Brockton’s student information system and prints customized smart ID cards. Cards will be issued to students and staff, who will tap in at a kiosk located at four separate high school entrances. These kiosks will be used for building attendance as well as large group attendance activities like dances or sports events. Hallway monitoring allows staff to keep track of students using a mobile device like an iPad to identify students, access schedules, and generate discipline notices.

Smart ID card-based automation allows administrators to keep schools more secure; they can monitor school attendance in real time, which can be vital in the case of emergency. Reports generated also support data-driven operation decisions, which increase efficiency and security.

About ScholarChip

ScholarChip is the largest provider of smart ID cards used for attendance, payment processing, visitor management, secure door access, and behavior management services in K12. It was first to market in centralizing and integrating School Safety and Operations System with a true one card solution, which operates seamlessly with popular Student Information Systems and NFC mobile devices. ScholarChip's Higher Education services include Tuition Payment Plans, Loan Servicing, Student Retention Services, and a compliant Payment Gateway. For more information visit http://www.scholarchip.com.

State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE) and Public Consulting Group (PCG), a leading national provider of web-based tools for educators including Pepper, an online interactive professional learning platform, have partnered to provide professional development to support teachers and students in arts education.

The National Core Arts Standards were publically released as a web-based, searchable set of standards in 2014. Today, as more and more state Departments of Education adopt versions of these voluntary national arts standards, professional development geared toward improving teaching and learning in arts education is imperative.

Responding to this need, SEADAE and PCG’s new partnership will expand the reach and vision of SEADAE’s work by providing online professional learning opportunities for teachers focused on the new arts standards, via the Pepper platform. The partnership brings teachers, administrators, and faculty members from post-secondary institutions across the country together to form communities of learning to promote online collaboration, share instructional practices, and exchange resources around topics in arts education.

The Visual, Media, and Performing Arts content will include a series on the National Core Arts Standards including an introductory course, a standards-based curriculum design course, and a course on arts assessment literacy.

“SEADAE is thrilled to be partnering with PCG to provide relevant and essential arts content that supports teacher expectations and student outcomes. With PCG and the Pepper platform we are able draw on SEADAEs’ expertise in policy and practices in arts education and reach teachers all across our states and the nation.” says Marcia McCaffrey, Arts Consultant to the New Hampshire Department of Education and SEADAE Immediate Past President. Ms. McCaffrey was a founding member of the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards.

"Research shows that arts experiences for students in school boost critical thinking, teaching students to take time to be more careful and thorough in how they observe the world," said Dr. Jack McLaughlin, Manager in PCG’s Education practice. “In addition to learning math and reading, we want our students to be knowledgeable and frequent patrons of the arts. Our partnership with SEADAE will move the dial in this direction.”

About Public Consulting Group

Public Consulting Group, Inc. (PCG) is a leading public sector consulting firm that partners with health, education, and human services agencies to improve lives. PCG’s Education practice offers consulting solutions that help schools, school districts, and state education agencies/ministries of education to promote student success, improve programs and processes, and optimize financial resources. (www.publicconsultinggroup.com)

Pepper is a vibrant, online learning community where educators engage with high-quality, interactive content while collaborating with coaches and peers. Pepper is built on the powerful edX platform, the Cambridge-based education partnership founded by Harvard University and M.I.T. to support two important missions: improving online education, and advancing teaching and learning through research. (www.pepperpd.com)

About State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education

The mission of the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education’s (SEADAE) is to support the professional effectiveness of individual members and provide a collective voice for leadership on issues affecting arts education. With the purpose to achieve quality, comprehensive, sequential, standards based education in the arts for all students PreK-20, SEADAE is made up of individuals at state education agencies whose responsibility is education in the arts (Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts). For more information, visit http://www.seadae.org/.

To address the need for core mathematics instruction and learning materials for early childhood, ORIGO Education, a leading mathematics solution provider for grades Pre-K–6, announces the launch of Stepping Stones Pre-K Comprehensive Mathematics. The new program provides a variety of developmentally appropriate resources that engage children as they begin to learn mathematics.

“Our play-based, meaningful activities are rich with language experiences to ensure all children are successful and enjoy learning,” said Jessica Bobo, contributing author of Stepping Stones Pre-K Comprehensive Mathematics and a former educator in large, urban school systems. “We are supporting social-emotional learning as well as mathematical understanding.”

The new program materials help children learn crucial concepts in preparation for the elementary grades which have increasingly rigorous standards. In each learning experience, students interact in an informal environment through play-based, child-initiated explorations and guided instructional activities to build a conceptual foundation which is essential for students to transition to pictorial learning and, later, to abstract learning.

Every core and targeted ORIGO Education curriculum is a strategically planned and carefully sequenced program that promotes the use of language through interactions with other students and adults. Children naturally use language to describe what they learn and are encouraged to talk about and explain their work as they immerse themselves in the program.

“Children have a natural curiosity, are eager to investigate and want to communicate what they learn and see,” said Rosemary Irons, an educational consultant with ORIGO Education. “As early childhood education leaders, we have the responsibility to provide learning environments for children that capitalize on their curiosity and support their development. We’re excited to equip teachers with a curriculum that makes this possible.”

The Stepping Stones Pre-K Comprehensive Mathematics program will debut at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) conference in Los Angeles from November 2-5, 2016. Educators attending the conference are invited to experience interactive program demonstrations at booth #1114 and attend a featured presentation on the importance of language in the early childhood learning environment.

For more information about Stepping Stones Pre-K Comprehensive Mathematics, visit www.origoeducation.com/sspre-k.

About ORIGO Education

ORIGO Education covers all facets of elementary mathematics education, from traditional printed products to digital interactive resources and professional learning. ORIGO’s web-based curriculum, Stepping Stones, is an award-winning, comprehensive, core mathematics curriculum for grades Pre-K–6. This comprehensive print and digital elementary core mathematics curriculum is dedicated to making learning meaningful, enjoyable and accessible for all students. Available in English and Spanish, the customizable lessons and balanced instructional design provide educators with a scalable solution for differentiation, developing student confidence, computational strategies, and conceptual mathematics understanding. The technology-rich program blends online resources with printed materials, resulting in classrooms that are engaged and provide differentiated learning. Professional development videos are embedded within the online program, giving teachers the confidence and knowledge they need to be successful. For more information about ORIGO Education, visit http://www.OrigoEducation.com/.

Now more than ever, it’s critical for students to understand the core concepts of risk management and the factors that drive the global economy. That’s why Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, has partnered with CME Group, the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, to offer high school classrooms nationwide a dynamic, standards-aligned education program that broadens students’ understanding of key economic principles.

Econ Essentials offers three, interactive learning modules that are aligned with the Council for Economic Education’s Voluntary Content Standards for Economics. They present the fundamentals of microeconomics using real-world scenarios, interactive components, embedded assessments, and accompanying Educator Guides. The interactive modules are:

• Fueling the Future: Presents students with a hypothetical challenge of starting a shuttle business. Students learn about supply and demand, discover the forces that impact gas prices, and explore how these prices impact their everyday lives. Students apply their knowledge to set a ticket price for their business and see if they made a profit.
• The Facts About Food: Allows students to take a journey from ‘farm to table’ in the role of an advisor to a farm, enabling them to learn how the supply chain and other global factors influence supply and demand. Students explore the role of economics in food prices and what influences the price we pay for our food.
• Foundations of Finance : Introduces learners to the topics of interest rates and its relationship with financial health. Students will learn about personal financial growth in a real-world context, such as applying for student loans, buying a car, or saving.

Discovery Education and CME are also offering a compelling three-part mini documentary series by Seeker, from Discovery Digital Networks. Appropriate for students in grades 6-12, each episode brings economic topics to life – transporting students across the globe and showcasing stories of people overcoming challenges in the areas of agriculture, energy, and finance. These thought-provoking videos, offered alongside an engaging classroom activity, reinforce fundamental economic concepts in real-world contexts – agriculture and food, energy and fuel, and finance. The five-minute episodes are:

• How Algae Could Change the Fossil Fuel Industry: In this video, students meet a CEO of a company developing new techniques to convert algae into energy. Students learn about the challenges associated with bringing new and innovative technologies to market and reaching a sufficient scale to make the solutions viable.
• Why the U.S. Needs a New Generation of Farmers: Meet the owner of a farm who is fulfilling her dream of responsibly providing meat for members of her community. Students learn about the challenges associated with food production including the fact that so few young people are choosing to farm.
• Owning A Restaurant Under the Cuban Embargo: Hear from a restaurant owner operating in Cuba, a country that has historically been a command economy. As market reforms have taken place and relations with the United States have improved, new opportunities have arisen for people to start businesses.

“Through the study of economics, students become equipped to make wise decisions in both their public and private lives and also grow important skills like critical thinking, problem solving, media and information literacy,” said Jackie Prester, Business and Technology Teacher, Mansfield Public Schools, Massachusetts. “I’m looking forward to using Econ Essentials to help my students learn fundamental economic principles in an engaging, digital environment.”

“Food, fuel and finance matter to our everyday lives, so it is critically important that students understand how these economic concepts work, impact their families and affect the world around them,” said Anita Liskey, CME Group Managing Director, Corporate Marketing & Communications. “We are thrilled to partner with Discovery Education and all of the talented educators around the country who are using these modules to help students better understand and participate in our global economy.”

“From purchasing a car, to paying taxes, to making investment decisions, the principles of economics impact our daily lives. Econ Essentials helps students engage with these important topics and empowers them with the information they need to make smart decisions in their public and private lives,” said Lori McFarling, Senior Vice President at Discovery Education. “Discovery Education applauds CME for their leadership in helping today’s students understand basic economic topics, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with CME’s team on our joint mission to support the success of all learners.”

For more information about Econ Essentials, visit http://www.econessentialsinschool.com/.

About Discovery Education

Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital content and professional development for K-12, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content that supports the implementation of Common Core, professional development, assessment tools, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education’s services are in half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools the UK, and more than 50 countries. Discovery Education partners with districts, states and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Discovery Education is powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

About CME Group

As the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com) is where the world comes to manage risk. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes, including futures and options based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural products and metals. Around the world, CME Group brings buyers and sellers together through its CME Globex® electronic trading platform and its exchanges based in Chicago, New York and London. CME Group also operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers through CME Clearing and CME Clearing Europe, which offer clearing and settlement services across asset classes for exchange-traded and over-the-counter derivatives. CME Group's products and services ensure that businesses around the world can effectively manage risk and achieve growth.

CME Group is a trademark of CME Group Inc. The Globe Logo, CME, Globex and Chicago Mercantile Exchange are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. CBOT and the Chicago Board of Trade are trademarks of the Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc. NYMEX, New York Mercantile Exchange and ClearPort are registered trademarks of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. COMEX is a trademark of Commodity Exchange, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Further information about CME Group (NASDAQ: CME) and its products can be found at www.cmegroup.com.

Parallels launched Parallels Remote Application Server version 15.5 (www.parallels.com/ras), providing organizations of all sizes the easiest solution to securely deliver Windows desktops and applications to employees on any device. The latest version offers support for Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure to help streamline desktop and application delivery, support for Windows Server 2016, as well as an enhanced mobile experience within iOS and Android clients supporting native touch gestures. Additionally, Parallels launched its upgraded Partner Program to provide its partners an all-inclusive service featuring complementary technical and sales training, certification and, enablement materials to simplify product distribution and drive new customer business conversations.

“New innovations in simplicity and personalization make Parallels Remote Application Server version 15.5 an easy and cost-effective solution for securely delivering virtual desktops and applications to any device,” said Jack Zubarev, Parallels president. “With the growth of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), employees want the flexibility to securely access and complete their work from anywhere on their favorite devices – from PC and Mac to Chromebook, iPad, iPhone, Android tablets and phones, Windows Phone, Linux, Raspberry Pi and HTML5 web browsers. Parallels is committed to helping organizations and their employees be more productive in the simplest way possible.”

Parallels Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS) offers additional cloud ready deployment options for on premise, hybrid and public clouds, such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, giving IT administrators increased agility with better performance. Parallels RAS also features support for active-active architecture, allowing improved scalability, enhanced system resilience, high availability and improved end-user experience.

In addition to built-in one-click printing already available in Parallels RAS HTML5 client, it now provides seamless auto-configured Parallels Client for a richer experience (including peripheral redirection, scanning, and local file access), plus better performance and customized manageability.

New iOS and Android clients in Parallels RAS v15.5 empower IT administrators and end users to use familiar native touch gestures on their tablets and phones when they access virtual desktops and apps. Thanks to proprietary Applification™ technology first available in Parallels Access, both iOS and Android users experience a home screen that resembles their familiar mobile user interface with app shortcuts that open full-screen with a tap, instead of a miniature computer desktop that’s not designed for touch. They also get new touch features, including a Lock-and-Go Magnifying Glass that dynamically changes its cursor and functionality to provide the right cursor to make resizing photos, dragging and dropping files, images or text a breeze. Watch short video demos the new Parallels RAS 15.5 mobile experience by clicking on these links for Android (http://bit.ly/BestAndroidExperience) and iOS (http://bit.ly/BestiOSExperience).

Parallels RAS offers IT administrators ultimate flexibility in delivering applications through Microsoft Remote Desktop Services — including high availability, two-factor authentication, reporting, and Windows Client Session Management. Parallels RAS solutions includes all components to take advantage of RDS without the need to purchase or install third party solutions.

Customer Testimonial

Healthcare providers today use electronic health record (EHR) solutions via Parallels RAS through partners such as MDS Medical, a managed service provider (MSP) and cloud service provider (CSP) that hosts its customers’ EHR data and makes it securely accessible to them from anywhere through any device.

“Parallels Remote Application Server is revolutionizing the way physicians and nurses deliver care by making it easy for them to use the popular Greenway Health Prime Suite (http://bit.ly/PrimeSuite) application from any device,” said William Schroeder, CEO at MDS Medical. “Now, care providers and clinical staff can be ‘on call’ and have unlimited access to patient charts, including full functionality found in the electronic medical record. This enables providers to efficiently manage patient treatment, prescription requests, and ensures timely and accurate charge capture from anywhere via an internet connection, just as easily as if they were working from within the office.”

Parallels RAS has more than 5,000 customers worldwide. Additional customer testimonials from sectors including healthcare, education, manufacturing, retail, managed service providers, independent software vendors, and banking are provided at the end of this press release.

New Parallels Partner Program

Today, Parallels RAS also upgraded its Parallels Partner Program (www.parallels.com/partners), which features improved margins for the channel, new management resources and tools to help Parallels partners grow their businesses. In addition, it provides customers cost-effective and simplified IT and end-user experiences that empower their organizations to thrive. Details about the new Parallels Partner Program were announced separately today and can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/NewParallelsPartnerProgram.

Parallels RAS hardware and channel partners include: Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Hewlett Packard Inc. (HPI), Brocade, Nutanix, 10-Zig, iGel, SHI International, Data-Tech, and Insight.

Parallels RAS v15.5 Key Features:

Improved Scalability and Versatile Optimization

• Active-active architecture support, allowing the capacity to be easily scaled for enhanced system resilience, high availability and better end-user experience.
• Performance Optimizations for heavy workload scenarios across all Parallels RAS components: Publishing gateways, Web Portal, Client device manager, and Reporting Engine

Windows Server 2016 Ready

• New capabilities for delivering applications and server-based desktops with Windows Server 2016 support.

New and Improved Parallels Client for iOS and Android

• New iOS and Android clients for Parallels RAS feature Applification™ technology, first used in Parallels Access, to enable desktop applications to be used with familiar touch gestures, as if they were native apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. See demo videos here for both Android (http://bit.ly/BestAndroidExperience) and iOS (http://bit.ly/BestiOSExperience).

Parallels HTML5 Gateway and Parallels HTML5 Client

• New policy for administrators to control end-user and end-point experience through Parallels Client (desktop) with enhanced features, or use of HTML5 client to launch applications and desktops.
• In addition to the Web Portal, Parallels HTML5 Gateway offers a lightweight and powerful option for application publishing.

Advanced Printing Options

• Adjustable printing and scanning compressions and increasing the number of virtual printers that can be created on a single server for enhanced stability and performance.

Cloud Support

• Cloud support for on premise, hybrid and public clouds, such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, giving IT administrators increased agility with improved performance.

Performance improvements to Parallels Client for iOS, Android, macOS and Linux

• Support for the latest RDP protocol capabilities including RemoteFX Progressive, as well as H.264 and ClearCodec for better client performance on non-Windows clients (iOS, Android, macOS and Linux).

Microphone redirection support on mobile and Mac clients

• Microphone redirection is now supported on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets to enable sound recording functionality in applications.

Availability and Pricing

Download a free 30-day trial of Parallels Remote Application Server v15.5, which includes 50 concurrent user licenses, at www.parallels.com/ras.

Parallels RAS v15.5 is $99.99 per year for each concurrent user including all components, such as built-in load balancing. Parallels RAS v15.5 is available now, via online and approved resellers which can be found at www.parallels.com/products/ras/buy.

About Parallels

Parallels, a global leader in cross-platform solutions, makes it simple for customers to use and access the applications and files they need on any device or operating system. We help businesses and individuals to securely and productively use their favorite devices and preferred technology, whether it’s Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Chromebook or the Cloud. Our solutions enable seamless delivery of virtual desktops and applications to any device, running Windows on a Mac, Mac management with Microsoft SCCM, and remote access to PCs and Macs from any device. Parallels has offices in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Visit www.parallels.com/about for more information.