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2011 Response to Intervention Report Uncovers Latest Trends in RTI Adoption

 

 

                                        

Media Contacts: 
Jodie Cadieux, 425.646.5731; 206.229.8521; jcadieux@globalscholar.com 
Donna Hinkelman, 210.694.1034; 210.683.5291; donna.hinkelman@harlandclarke.com

SEATTLE, Wash. (August 17, 2011)— Spectrum K12 (now part of the GlobalScholar brand) and leading education organizations, including the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE), the RTI Action Network/NCLD and the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), today announced the results of their 2011 survey of K-12 district administrators which gauges the extent to which Response to Intervention (RTI) is being adopted and implemented.

The report explores three key areas:

 
• How widely RTI has been adopted in U.S. school districts
 
• How RTI is being implemented and scaled within a district
 
• The impact of RTI on student and district performance

Among the findings, the survey revealed that RTI implementation has steadily continued to rise from 2007 through 2011, with 94 percent of respondents in 2011 indicating they are currently at some stage of RTI implementation. While the majority of schools have identified the need for RTI, only 24 percent of schools have reached full implementation. In addition, according to the report, districts with 10,000 or more students are significantly more likely to be in full implementation than smaller districts. Moreover, of those schools planning or implementing RTI, elementary schools are leading the way, with 80 percent of respondents reporting they have fully implemented RTI in one or more domain areas (reading, writing, math, behavior, or science).

The report also reveals that schools are increasingly using RTI to create personalized instruction for all students, with an increase from 49 percent in 2010 to 62 percent in 2011. Eight in ten districts tracking RTI results report reduced referrals to special education. Furthermore, of the 28 percent of schools that have sufficient student data, a majority report that RTI has had a positive impact on adequate yearly progress (AYP).

The full 2011 RTI Adoption report is available online at www.globalscholar.com/2011RTI. Additionally, the report’s sponsors will be offering state-specific webinars about the findings beginning on August 24; interested educators can register at www.globalscholar.com/2011RTI.

“Conducting the fourth annual 2011 RTI Adoption Survey and making the results available to educators and parents would not have been possible without our continued relationship with the RTI Action Network/NCLD, AASA, CASE and NASDSE,” said Kal Raman, CEO of GlobalScholar. “The findings of this survey underscore that RTI is no longer just for special needs students, but can be very instrumental in supporting personalized instruction for all students.”

“The RTI Adoption Survey serves as a unique window to the implementation of RTI in our school districts as it rapidly changes over time,” said Kathleen Whitmire, director, RTI Action Network, a program of the National Center for Learning Disabilities. “This information is valuable on many levels—for those who provide supports to local implementers to ensure that resources meet the current needs of the field, for school administrators to assess their efforts in comparison to schools across the nation, and for colleges and universities as they prepare future educators. NCLD is very pleased to be a partner in this important project.”

“AASA continues to find the RTI survey a valuable tool that school administrators can use when determining the benefits of implementing or expanding RTI in their districts,” said Sasha Bartolf, legislative specialist at AASA. “As RTI becomes more utilized in both general-education and special-education settings, and as the promise of RTI continues to grow, this survey demonstrates why the federal government has an incentive to allow schools to devote more resources to RTI related activities.”

“I am pleased that the multi-tiered system of supports or RTI process is successful in so many schools across the nation, and that the numbers of schools adopting the process continues to grow,” said Bill East, executive director of NASDSE. “I encourage stakeholders to use the new data in this annual update to help expand and improve programs in their states, school districts and schools.”

“The Council of Administrators of Special Education is proud to participate for another year in the collaborative effort led by Spectrum K12 in this follow up survey on the implementation of Response to Intervention in our schools,” stated Luann Purcell, executive director of the Council of Administrators of Special Education. “In the era of accountability, it is imperative we seek data to make efficient and effective instructional decisions. Having data now spanning over 4 years provides clarity and reliability needed for the tough decisions being faced daily. We applaud the efforts of those who participated in this survey so we can all be more responsive to the needs of ALL students.”

About the American Association of School Administrators (AASA)
The American Association of School Administrators, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders across the United States. AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to the highest quality public education for all children. For more information, visit www.aasa.org.

About the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE)
The Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) is an international professional educational organization, which is affiliated with the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted.

The mission of CASE is to provide leadership and support to members by shaping policies and practices that impact the quality of education. For more information, visit www.casecec.org.

About the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE)
NASDSE operates for the purpose of providing services to state agencies to facilitate their efforts to maximize educational outcomes for individuals with disabilities. NASDSE is a not-for-profit organization established to promote and support education programs and related services for children and youth with disabilities in the United States and outlying areas. NASDSE accomplishes its goals by establishing and maintaining relations between those responsible for the development of statewide and federal special education programs and those responsible for general curriculum planning at the local, state and national levels. NASDSE activities are designed to provide professional support to its members and others interested in special education. For more information, go to www.nasdse.org.

About GlobalScholar
GlobalScholar (www.globalscholar.com) is comprised of the education solution offerings of Scantron, GlobalScholar and Spectrum K12. Solutions from GlobalScholar empower educators, parents and students throughout the entire learning lifecycle, helping schools achieve educational excellence. The brand’s offerings provide educators with data and insights needed to advance teacher effectiveness and student performance. GlobalScholar also supports parents and students directly with online services that include tutoring and homework help for students, as well as school matching services/online school finders to help parents find the right school for their child. The brand serves 80 of the largest 100 school districts in the United States, as well as 70 countries and 15 Ministries of Education throughout the world. It partners with some of the most progressive and innovative school systems in America, including recipients of funding from the Race to the Top initiative and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Scantron Corporation is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Harland Clarke Holdings Corp., which also owns Harland Clarke Corp. and Harland Financial Solutions, Inc.

GlobalScholar Unveils Comprehensive Performance Management Solution

SEATTLE, Wash. (June 27, 2011)— GlobalScholar today announced Pinnacle Aspire, a new performance management software module. This cloud-based software combines professional development and performance management functions into one comprehensive solution that automates and reduces the administrative work involved with performance management, while enabling deeper analysis and more meaningful teacher assessments by correlating them with student data.

“Pinnacle Aspire is built on the principle that empowering teachers means not only providing them with the tools and insights they need to do their job, but it also means providing them with an efficient way to manage and enhance their own professional development and performance,” said Kal Raman, CEO of GlobalScholar. “Teachers gain transparency into the process, metrics and details of their evaluations, and the ability to easily access best practices and professional development content, online from one central location, so they can continually improve their knowledge and skills. Through this greater level of transparency, teacher empowerment and integration with student performance data, Pinnacle Aspire introduces fairness and greater accuracy into the evaluation process.”

Pinnacle Aspire is available as a stand-alone module or can integrate with the Pinnacle Suite instruction management solution, and it supports all aspects of teacher development and evaluation, including:

 

 
• On-Boarding & Transitions – enables individualized learning plans for new teachers entering the district or teachers changing subject or grade level specialties.
 
• Coaching & Mentoring – provides tools for arranging and managing both formal and informal coaching and mentoring relationships.
 
• Individualized Assessments & Development – determines individual educator skill level using online assessments then provides recommended development plans and resources to facilitate growth.
 
• Observations & Evaluations – creates a 360-degree view of teacher performance and development by incorporating observations, evaluations, student achievement data and teacher reflections or portfolio samples in one place.
 
• Professional Development – exposes professional development opportunities along side class curriculum and gradebook tools for increased exposure and timely access to best practices. Educators can register for online and offline courses using the same user interface they use for managing their classroom and tutoring schedules.
 
• Performance Incentives – provides flexible tools for calculating performance pay and incentives based on configurable performance metrics.
 
• Workflow Management – eliminates paper-based inefficiencies and provides tools for automated performance management tracking, including centralized storage of certificate and license records and timely expiration notices.

 

For more information, visit www.globalscholar.com or stop by GlobalScholar’s booth (#1303) at the 2011 annual conference of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) in Philadelphia, Penn., June 26 through 29, 2011.

About GlobalScholar
GlobalScholar (www.globalscholar.com) is comprised of the education solution offerings of Scantron, GlobalScholar and Spectrum K12. Solutions from GlobalScholar empower educators, parents and students throughout the entire learning lifecycle, helping schools achieve educational excellence. The brand’s offerings provide educators with data and insights needed to advance teacher effectiveness and student performance. GlobalScholar also supports parents and students directly with online services that include tutoring and homework help for students, as well as school matching services/online school finders to help parents find the right school for their child. The brand serves 80 of the largest 100 school districts in the United States, as well as 70 countries and 15 Ministries of Education throughout the world. It partners with some of the most progressive and innovative school systems in America, including recipients of funding from the Race to the Top initiative and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Scantron Corporation is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Harland Clarke Holdings Corp., which also owns Harland Clarke Corp. and Harland Financial Solutions, Inc.

GlobalScholar a Finalist for Distinguished Achievement Award

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Media Contacts: 
Jodie Cadieux, 425.646.5731; 206.229.8521; jcadieux@globalscholar.com 
Donna Hinkelman, 210.694.1034; 210.683.5291; donna.hinkelman@harlandclarke.com

SEATTLE, Wash (May 18, 2011)—GlobalScholar today announced that its Comprehensive Assessment Solution (a product of the GlobalScholar/Scantron product line) has been named a finalist in the 2011 AEP Awards, the highest standard for quality, professional educational resources and excellence in education marketing. The Association of Educational Publishers’ annual awards program and its seal of excellence are widely recognized by educators, administrators and parents as a mark of outstanding educational value.

GlobalScholar’s Comprehensive Assessment Solution is one of four finalists in the Distinguished Achievement Awards for assessment tools (out of a total of 16 entrants for the category). The Distinguished Achievement Awards are judged according to category (Curriculum, Periodicals, Professional Development and Technology), subject area and grade level. Entries are evaluated on traits such as efficacy, usability and overall educational value.

“We’re thrilled that our assessment solution has been selected as a finalist by the AEP, a highly regarded organization in K-12 education,” said Kal Raman, CEO of GlobalScholar. “Now more than ever before teachers need to be empowered with tools to provide every student with the personalized education they deserve, and assessment is an integral part of that process.”

The GlobalScholar Comprehensive Assessment Solution consists of Achievement Series® standards-based assessment and Performance Series® adaptive testing, which help educators meet accountability requirements and raise the level of student achievement. Achievement Series allows K-12 educators to develop and administer online and paper-based tests, capture immediate results, and produce standards-based reports. Used for all grade levels and subject areas, this district-wide solution gives administrators and teachers the data they need to monitor student progress and guide instruction.

Performance Series is a computer-adaptive test that lets teachers quickly pinpoint the proficiency level of their students, across a range of subjects, that correspond with the specific standards of their state. This provides for more accurate student placement; diagnosis of instructional needs, including instructional adjustments; and measurement of student gains across reporting periods.

Distinguished Achievement Award winners will be announced at the AEP Awards Banquet & Gala, June 8 at the Omni Shoreham in Washington, DC. The full list of finalists for this year’s Distinguished Achievement Awards is posted online at www.AEPweb.org/awards/finalists.htm.

About the AEP Awards

For more than four decades, the AEP Awards have honored outstanding resources for teaching and learning in all media and for any educational setting. Award winners meet the highest standards for quality, professional content for education and represent the most innovative learning solutions currently on the market.

One of the largest and longest-running programs of its kind, the AEP Awards and its seal of excellence are widely recognized by educators, administrators, and parents as a mark of outstanding educational value. Find out more at www.AEPweb.org/awards.

About GlobalScholar

GlobalScholar (www.globalscholar.com) is comprised of the education solution offerings of Scantron, GlobalScholar and Spectrum K12. Solutions from GlobalScholar empower educators, parents and students throughout the entire learning lifecycle, helping schools achieve educational excellence. The brand’s offerings provide educators with data and insights needed to advance teacher effectiveness and student performance. GlobalScholar also supports parents and students directly with online services that include tutoring and homework help for students, as well as school matching services/online school finders to help parents find the right school for their child. The brand serves 80 of the largest 100 school districts in the United States, as well as 70 countries and 15 Ministries of Education throughout the world. It partners with some of the most progressive and innovative school systems in America, including recipients of funding from the Race to the Top initiative and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Scantron Corporation is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Harland Clarke Holdings Corp., which also owns Harland Clarke Corp. and Harland Financial Solutions, Inc.

GlobalScholar Products Selected as Finalists for the 2011 CODiE Awards in Education Technology

 

                                        

Media Contacts: 
Jodie Cadieux, 425.646.5731; 206.229.8521; jcadieux@globalscholar.com 
Donna Hinkelman, 210.694.1034; 210.683.5291; donna.hinkelman@harlandclarke.com

SEATTLE, Wash.—April 19, 2011—The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) has selected two GlobalScholar education software products—its EXCEED® Student Management System and its Comprehensive Assessment Solution, consisting of Achievement Series® and Performance Series® —as finalists for the 2011 CODiE™ Awards.

The CODiE Awards recognize excellence in the business software, digital content and education technology industries. GlobalScholar’s EXCEED Student Achievement Manager, a product of GlobalScholar’s Spectrum K12 unit, was named a finalist in the Best Classroom Management System category. This CODiE Award category recognizes the best system designed for K-12 educators that provides capabilities such as data management and reporting tools, gradebooks, standards alignment tools, packages that link data and resources to instruction, and other platform tools that take user content. Additionally, GlobalScholar’s Comprehensive Assessment Solution, a product of GlobalScholar’s Scantron unit, is a finalist in the Best Student Assessment Solution category, which recognizes the best application or solution for assessments/preparation for high-stakes tests in the K-12 and postsecondary markets for use in either formative or summative assessments.

“The entire GlobalScholar team is proud that its products are finalists in two categories for this highly-regarded education software industry award,” said Kal Raman, CEO of GlobalScholar, the Education Business Group of Scantron Corporation, which is comprised of the education offerings of Scantron, GlobalScholar and Spectrum K12 (see the March 25, 2011 announcement of the comprehensive portfolio of products and services being brought to the education market under the GlobalScholar brand). “We are committed to giving educators the tools they need to work smarter through our comprehensive software offering, and while we ultimately judge ourselves on the impact we have on student achievement, we’re pleased that our products have made it to the next round of judging for the CODiE awards.”

GlobalScholar’s EXCEED platform manages, administers and prescribes the personalized learning process and data required for all students in general, compensatory, gifted or special education—from pre-K through graduation and beyond. The company’s Comprehensive Assessment Solution consists of Achievement Series standards-based assessment and Performance Series adaptive testing, which help educators meet accountability requirements and raise the level of student achievement.

Of 425 total nominations received for the 2011 CODiE Awards, 113 products from 80 companies were selected as finalists. Nominated products underwent an extensive review by judges via live demonstration, trial product access and analysis of product documentation. Finalists will be reviewed by SIIA members, who will vote on winners for all 24 categories. The winners will be announced on Monday, May 23, 2011, at the CODiE Awards Reception and Dinner, part of the 2011 Ed Tech Industry Summit being held in San Francisco.

About GlobalScholar
GlobalScholar (www.globalscholar.com) is comprised of the education solution offerings of Scantron, GlobalScholar and Spectrum K12. Solutions from GlobalScholar empower educators, parents and students throughout the entire learning lifecycle, helping schools achieve educational excellence. The brand’s offerings provide educators with data and insights needed to advance teacher effectiveness and student performance. GlobalScholar also supports parents and students directly with online services that include tutoring and homework help for students, as well as school matching services/online school finders to help parents find the right school for their child. The brand serves 80 of the largest 100 school districts in the United States, as well as 70 countries and 15 Ministries of Education throughout the world. It partners with some of the most progressive and innovative school systems in America, including recipients of funding from the Race to the Top initiative and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. GlobalScholar is an operating unit of Scantron Corporation, which is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Harland Clarke Holdings Corp., as are Harland Clarke Corp. and Harland Financial Solutions, Inc.

SCANTRON CORPORATION EXPANDS OFFERING OF EDUCATION SOLUTIONS

 

                                        

Media Contacts: 
Jodie Cadieux, 425.646.5731; 206.229.8521;jcadieux@globalscholar.com 
Donna Hinkelman, 210.694.1034; 210.683.5291; donna.hinkelman@harlandclarke.com

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. (ASCD 2011 Conference)—March 25, 2011—Harland Clarke Holdings Corp., parent of Scantron Corporation, has announced that the education offerings of Scantron, GlobalScholar and Spectrum K12 will begin to go to market under the “GlobalScholar” brand and be led by Kal Raman, chief executive officer of GlobalScholar. Scantron Corporation acquired GlobalScholar in January 2011 and Spectrum K12 in July 2010.

“Outstanding education products and services from Scantron, GlobalScholar and Spectrum K12 are currently helping educators drive student achievement across a broad spectrum of needs,” said Chuck Dawson, president and chief executive officer of Harland Clarke Holdings Corp. “By bringing together these complementary solutions into a cohesive offering, we are providing administrators, teachers, parents, and students with advanced tools to enhance learning.”

All of the online education solutions previously offered by Scantron, Spectrum K12 and GlobalScholar — including Engage, Achievement Series®, Performance Series®, EXCEED®, as well as Scantron scanners and forms — will continue to be offered and marketed by their current product names, but under the unified GlobalScholar brand. Educators will be able to continue purchasing educational products from each product line as independent solutions. Those seeking a more comprehensive approach to instruction management can purchase a suite that combines GlobalScholar’s innovative instructional management platform, Pinnacle, with Scantron’s testing and assessment solutions and Spectrum K12’s response to intervention (RTI), student achievement and special education software solutions. The resulting comprehensive educational software suite will intuitively engage educators, parents and students to work smarter and learn more, both in and out of the classroom.

“We are committed to giving educators the tools and choices to work smarter and continue to lead the revolution in learning,” said Kal Raman, who founded GlobalScholar in 2004 and quickly established the company as a leader in education technology. “With our expanded portfolio of education solutions, we are aligned in delivering the level of innovation and responsiveness required by today’s forward-thinking school districts. We are offering a first class, and the first, true end-to-end platform.”

The first phase of integration will provide schools that use the Pinnacle Suite and Achievement Series, Performance Series or EXCEED RTI (Response to Intervention), with consolidated access to all four products from the Pinnacle portal. This access will be offered as an optional upgrade to school districts.

“There is a growing sense of urgency to provide solutions that will help bring a new level of excellence to education systems. The combined solutions that will be offered under the GlobalScholar brand will provide powerful tools for teachers, administrators and parents, in schools and districts of any size, as they work to improve the achievement levels for all students,” said Bill Hansen, chairman of Scantron and former United States Deputy Secretary of Education.

To learn more about the expanded GlobalScholar brand and the education industry’s most comprehensive solutions for improving student performance, visit Booths 1701 and 1628 at the ASCD (Association of Supervision, Curriculum and Development), March 26-28 in San Francisco at the Moscone Center.

About GlobalScholar
GlobalScholar (www.globalscholar.com) is comprised of the education solution offerings of Scantron, GlobalScholar and Spectrum K12. Solutions from GlobalScholar empower educators, parents and students throughout the entire learning lifecycle, helping schools achieve educational excellence. The brand’s offerings provide educators with data and insights needed to advance teacher effectiveness and student performance. GlobalScholar also supports parents and students directly with online services that include tutoring and homework help for students, as well as school matching services/online school finders to help parents find the right school for their child. The brand serves 80 of the largest 100 school districts in the United States, as well as 70 countries and 15 Ministries of Education throughout the world. It partners with some of the most progressive and innovative school systems in America, including recipients of funding from the Race to the Top initiative and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Scantron Corporation is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Harland Clarke Holdings Corp., which also owns Harland Clarke Corp. and Harland Financial Solutions, Inc.

SPECTRUM K12 SCHOOL SOLUTIONS INC. AND ACCELIFY, LLC ANNOUNCE ALLIANCE

 

ATLANTA, GA & NEW YORK, NY — February 25, 2011 — Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. (Spectrum K12) and Accelify, LLC (Accelify) today announced an alliance that will provide school districts across the country with a solution for managing special education caseloads, service assurance and Medicaid billing.

Spectrum K12 has a strong presence across the U.S. serving the K-12 student population with its award-winning individualized education plan (IEP), response to intervention (RTI) and student achievement web-based data systems. Accelify is one the fastest growing school-based Medicaid billing vendors; its suite of claims management software is fully integrated with a best-in-class service scheduling, tracking and compliance system. Each of the companies has patented, award-winning systems that create an end-to-end solution for everything from RTI through service tracking and beyond. This unique offering significantly reduces workloads for district staffs, increases regulatory compliance and facilitates Medicaid submission, helping them maximize reimbursements.

Through the alliance, Spectrum K12 will introduce Accelify’s AcceliTRACK scheduling, tracking and compliance system to complement Spectrum K12’s EXCEED® suite of student achievement solutions. Spectrum K12’s clients will be able to access Accelify’s proprietary Medicaid billing technology, AcceliCLAIM, and related billing services designed to increase Medicaid reimbursements while maintaining strict compliance standards. AcceliCLAIM and AcceliTRACK are able to interact directly with the data in the EXCEED® suite, which will help ensure that all prescribed student services are tracked and all Medicaid-eligible services are claimed. The result should be greater compliance with special education regulations and maximum Medicaid reimbursements. Additionally, the data link back to the EXCEED® platform provides increased visibility into district performance for each and every student.

“We are looking forward to bringing our combined solutions to districts across the country,” said Alex Brecher, COO, Accelify. “Accelify’s mission is to help districts streamline caseload management and optimize their Medicaid billing programs. On average, our clients see an increase of 200% in their reimbursements within 18 months of working with us. By uniting our areas of expertise with Spectrum K12’s world-class software and services, we are able to offer clients complete solutions that far surpass anything else on the market.”

“Our goal is to provide our clients with technology solutions that increase accountability and compliance while lowering the effort and cost of managing and tracking student services,” said Spectrum K12’s President Jim Marshall. “The combination of Spectrum K12’s EXCEED® web-based student achievement solution with Accelify’s systems provides school districts with service delivery assurance while also increasing their Medicaid reimbursements.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 (www.spectrumK12.com) is a leading provider of Response to Intervention (RTI), Student Achievement Management and Special Education (IEP) software solutions. It currently serves 11 percent of the U.S. K12 student population, including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12’s Student Achievement Management solution suite manages, administers and prescribes the personalized learning process and data required for all students in general, compensatory, gifted or special education; pre-K through graduation and beyond. Spectrum K12’s award-winning software has driven personalized learning to more than five million students in 29 states. Spectrum K12 is part of Scantron, a leading provider of data management solutions and related services to educational, healthcare, commercial and governmental entities. Scantron is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Harland Clarke Holdings which also owns Harland Clarke and Harland Financial Solutions.

About Accelify, LLC
Accelify is headquartered in New York and provides technology solutions and services for the scheduling, management, and tracking of student health services and the processing of related Medicaid claims. The company’s product line includes AcceliTRACK, for service scheduling and tracking; AcceliCLAIM for Medicaid claim development; AcceliTIME, for Medicaid administrative claiming; and AcceliNURSE, for school nursing caseload management. Accelify also provides full-service support for managing Medicaid billing for school districts, which includes training, on-site support, comprehensive administrative support, claim development and review, and risk management programs. Accelify currently works with hundreds of school districts and local education agencies nationwide. www.accelify.com

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For more information, please contact:                                                                                                                                                

Megan McCann	Scott Cary
Public Relations Manager	Chief Marketing Officer
Accelify, LLC	Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Phone: 347.532.3240	Phone: 410.616.0329
Email: mmccann@accelify.com	Email: scary@spectrumk12.com

                                                                                                    
                                                             
                                                                                    

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SCANTRON CORPORATION TO ACQUIRE EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY COMPANY GLOBALSCHOLAR

 

 

 

San Antonio, TX, December 16, 2010 – Harland Clarke Holdings Corp., the parent company of Scantron Corporation, today announced that Scantron has signed a definitive agreement to acquire GlobalScholar, a privately-held education technology company. GlobalScholar’s technology solutions are marketed under the “Pinnacle” brand and are designed to manage the entire cycle of learning for K-12 students, teachers, parents and education administrators. The acquisition of GlobalScholar furthers Scantron’s rapid expansion of web-based education solutions, combining GlobalScholar’s innovative instructional management platform with Scantron’s testing and assessment solutions and Scantron’s recent acquisition of Spectrum K-12 School Solutions’ response to intervention (RTI), student achievement management and special education software solutions.

GlobalScholar’s award winning Pinnacle Suite ™ supports all aspects of managing education at K-12 schools, including student information systems; performance-based scheduler; gradebook; learning management system; longitudinal data collection, analysis and reporting; teacher development and performance tracking; and online communication and tutoring portals. Serving a student population of more than five million, GlobalScholar partners with some of the most progressive and innovative school systems in America. GlobalScholar is based in Bellevue, Washington, and currently has approximately 330 employees, including a state-of-the-art software development operation in Chennai, India.

“GlobalScholar is a recognized leader in developing tools to allow effective personalization of education while maximizing the education experience. There is a growing sense of urgency to provide solutions that will help bring a new level of excellence to education systems. Scantron and GlobalScholar’s combined solutions will provide powerful tools for teachers, administrators and parents, in schools and districts of any size, as they work to improve the achievement levels for all students” said Bill Hansen, president of Scantron and Former United States Deputy Secretary of Education.

Chuck Dawson, president and CEO of Harland Clarke Holdings Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of M&F Worldwide Corp. (NYSE: MFW) stated, “We are committed to providing solutions that will enable students and educators to achieve the highest level of excellence. Comprehensive student information management, efficient delivery of content, and customizable assessment approaches are imperative to
achieving this goal. We believe the combination of GlobalScholar, Scantron, and Spectrum K-12 web-based solutions will provide a powerful approach to meeting the needs of school administrators while helping students and teachers achieve 21st century skills and readiness.” 

Scantron has utilized technology for more than three decades to provide assessment and survey solutions to education, commercial and government organizations. Its reputation is built upon its pioneering products and services that allow for the rapid, accurate and reliable capture of student performance data. Scantron’s Performance Series® is a computer-adaptive diagnostic tool that assesses student proficiency levels across a range of subjects which correspond to specific state standards. The award-winning Achievement Series® is a web-based district-wide assessment solution that allows K-12 educators to develop and administer online and paper-based tests, capture immediate results and produce standards-based reports. Spectrum K-12’s award-winning EXCEED® platform tracks student data to assess when special intervention or special teaching methodologies are advisable to further student achievement. Scantron is also the source of value-added services like hardware sales, forms and main

EXCEED Selected Top 100 Product of 2010 by Nation’s School Administrators

SCANTRON ACQUIRES SPECTRUM K12 SCHOOL SOLUTIONS

 

SAN ANTONIO, TX—July 22, 2010 ― Harland Clarke Holdings Corp. announced that its subsidiary, Scantron Corporation, has acquired Spectrum K12 School Solutions, a recognized industry leader in providing Response to Intervention (RTI), Student Achievement Management and Special Education software solutions. Spectrum K12 complements and enhances the solutions currently being delivered to the educational market by Scantron.

“Spectrum K12 and Scantron provide similar yet still distinctive products to different segments of the education market,” said Harland Clarke Holdings Corp. President and CEO Chuck Dawson. “The value of this acquisition lies in the combined portfolio of educational assessment, content and data management tools to support educators in meeting the ongoing challenge of individualizing learning.”

Spectrum K12 develops, markets and sells products and services that allow educators to evaluate individual student academic progress. These solutions assess and track data that indicate when special intervention or special teaching methodologies are advisable to further student achievement. While Spectrum K12 is most recognized as a leader in assessing special education and at risk children, its products are used for all students from pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. It is highly respected within the industry, with its current customers including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the U.S. Through its new ownership, Spectrum K12’s solutions will be exposed to Scantron’s expansive national and international educational customer base that includes 80 of the 100 largest U.S school districts as well as 70 countries and 15 ministries of education.

Scantron has been providing assessment and survey solutions for more than three decades to educational, commercial and governmental organizations. Its reputation has been built upon its pioneering products and services that allow for the rapid, accurate and reliable capture of student performance data. Scantron is also the source of broadly-used educational assessment and survey solutions and value-added services. These assessment tools include the award-winning Achievement Series®, a web-based district wide assessment solution that allows K-12 educators to develop and administer online and paper-based tests, capture immediate results and produce standards-based reports. Another of these assessment tools is Scantron’s Performance Series®, a computer-adaptive test that assesses student proficiency levels across a range of subjects which correspond to specific state standards.

“Student assessment and achievement are priorities at the federal, state and local levels,” noted Bill Hansen, president of Scantron and former deputy secretary of the US Department of Education. “Scantron and Spectrum K12 provide a unique combination of computer-adaptive diagnostic testing and standards-based formative assessment. In bringing both companies’ offerings to a larger market, we can more effectively help educators raise the level of achievement for more students.”

“I am very excited about Spectrum K12’s new ownership,” said Jim Marshall, president of Spectrum K12. “Our combined efforts will reach more educators with more technology and services that let them truly personalize learning for students. It’s an honor for Spectrum K12 to work in partnership with Scantron in supporting our national goal of positively impacting student achievement.”

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this announcement contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact provided herein, may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management’s analysis, judgment, belief and expectation only as of the date hereof, and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Without limiting the foregoing, statements including the words “complements,” “enhances,” “bringing,” “will reach,” “will be provided,” “will be exposed,” “more effectively help” and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such forward-looking statements to differ materially include, but are not limited to: (i) general economic and business conditions in Scantron’s industry, (ii) future product development and (iii) the timely and efficient integration of the acquisition described in this announcement.

Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the risks discussed in the “Risk Factors” section included within Harland Clarke Holdings Corp.’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC, and the risks discussed in Harland Clarke Holdings Corp.’s other filings with the SEC.

You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Harland Clarke Holdings Corp. undertakes no obligation to publicly revise any of its forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date of this report.

# # #

About Harland Clarke Holdings
Harland Clarke Holdings has three business segments, which are operated by Harland Clarke, Harland Financial Solutions and Scantron. Harland Clarke is a provider of checks and related products, direct marketing services and customized business and home office products. Harland Financial Solutions provides technology products and related services to financial institutions. Scantron is a leading provider of data management solutions and related services to educational, healthcare, commercial, and governmental entities. Harland Clarke Holdings is a wholly owned subsidiary of M & F Worldwide Corp. (NYSE: MFW).

About Scantron Corporation
Scantron helps education, commercial, and government organizations worldwide measure and improve effectiveness with assessment and survey solutions built on leading products and comprehensive, value-added services. The company is best known for its pioneering and exceptional products and services that allow the rapid, accurate and reliable capture of student performance data. Scantron continues this trend with innovative software and survey solutions that leverage its expertise in world-class forms printing and scanner manufacturing. It is proud to serve 80 of the largest 100 school districts in the United States, as well as 70 countries and 15 Ministries of Education throughout the world that have chosen Scantron’s scanning solutions for their national assessment programs. For more information, visit www.scantron.com.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 partners with educators and administrators who strive to Move Every Child Forward®. Working collaboratively with school districts of all sizes, Spectrum K12 delivers a Student Achievement Management solution suite that manages, administers and prescribes the personalized learning process and data required for all students: in general, compensatory, gifted or special education; pre-K through graduation and beyond. Spectrum K12 is the industry leader in providing Response to Intervention (RTI), Student Achievement Management, and Special Education (IEP) software solutions, serving 11 percent of the U.S. K12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12’s award-winning software has driven personalized learning to more than five million students in 29 states. For more information, visit www.spectrumK12.com

SPECTRUM K12’S EXCEED® NAMED DOUBLE WINNER OF 2010 CODiE AWARDS

TOWSON, Md. — May 27, 2010—Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc., the leading provider of Response to Intervention (RTI) and student achievement management solutions for K-12 school districts announced today announced it’s EXCEED® software has been selected as the “Best Education Solution and “Best K-12 Enterprise Solution” by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA). Nominated products underwent an intensive review by subject matter experts, analysts, journalists, and others with deep experience in the field. Only 34 winners were chosen from more than 785 nominations submitted by 374 companies. Spectrum K12’s EXCEED® was one of only 4 products that were named a winner in two separate education categories. The announcement was made at the 25th Annual CODiE Awards Reception and Dinner in San Francisco.

Spectrum K12 earned the award for its EXCEED software, a student achievement management product that gives teachers an easy way to drive day-to-day activities, research based interventions and outcomes to help all students achieve success while giving administrators the ability to see what’s working and what’s not by student, class, school, teacher or intervention.

The award for “Best Education Solution” recognizes EXCEED as the best overall education technology solution out of the 785 nominated products. Judges selected EXCEED as the “Best Education Solution” using criteria including ease of use, richness of functionality, impact on education processes, and overall visual/program aesthetics.

EXCEED’s selection as “Best K-12 Enterprise Solution” recognizes it as the best business management tool that supports education enterprises at preK-12 levels and that best enables data exchange, processing and reporting. EXCEED was judged the “Best K-12 Enterprise Solution” based on it’s ability to integrate data and information from various sources, ability to meet different user needs and education missions, easy access to student and/or course data, and a short learning curve.
“We are extremely honored to have been selected the ‘Best Education Solution’ two out of the past three years and to have been judged the ‘Best K-12 Enterprise Solution’ award for a second consecutive year against such strong competition,” said Jim Marshall, president and CEO of Spectrum K12 School Solutions. “These awards recognize our commitment to districts and states in providing the most innovative and effective personalized learning process management tools to drive student achievement and move every child forward.”

“This is the twenty‐fifth year we have recognized excellence in the software, education and information industries through the CODiE Awards program,” noted Ken Wasch, President of SIIA. “In this economic climate, companies are doing even more to innovate. Spectrum K12 has demonstrated a commitment to innovation and quality that is reflected in their selection as a finalist for the CODiE Awards. I am pleased and proud to have them listed among the winners.”

A list of winners is now available on the CODiE Awards Website at www.siia.net/CODiEs.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 partners with educators and administrators who strive to Move Every Child Forward®. Working collaboratively with districts of all sizes, we deliver a Student Achievement Management solution suite that manages, administers and prescribes the personalized learning process and data required for all students: in general, compensatory, gifted or special education; pre-K through graduation and beyond. Spectrum K12 is the market leader in providing Response to Intervention (RTI), Student Achievement Management, and Special Education (IEP) software solutions, serving 11% of the U.S. K12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our award-winning software has driven personalized learning to over 5 million students in 29 states. For more information, visit www.spectrumK12.com

About SIIA

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to 500 leading software and information companies. For further information, visit www.siia.net.

Spectrum K12, NASDSE, CASE, and AASA Announce 2010 Response to Intervention Adoption Survey Report

TOWSON, MD — May 20, 2010 — Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc., and leading education organizations including the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) and the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) today announced the results of their 2010 survey of K-12 district administrators which gauges the extent to which Response to Intervention (RTI) has been adopted and implemented.

Complete 2010 RTI Adoption survey results can be viewed at www.spectrumk12.com/rti/the_rti_corner/rti_adoption_report.

Spectrum K12 teamed with NASDSE, CASE and AASA to provide a roadmap for districts nationwide by determining (1) how widely RTI has been adopted in U.S. school districts and implementation obstacles, (2) the effectiveness of RTI, and (3) how school districts are funding RTI.

RTI Adoption and Implementation Obstacles
The 2010 survey results indicate strong and rapid adoption rates of Response to Intervention with 61% of respondent districts indicating they are currently either in full implementation or in the process of district wide implementation – up from 54% in 2009, 32% in 2008 and 24% in 2007 with 48% of respondents indicating their district has a formal RTI district implementation plan like the NASDSE Blueprint.

Survey results also show RTI is being increasingly implemented across all grade levels with a significant increase in middle and secondary schools as compared to previous years.

Survey respondents report the primary obstacles to implementing RTI remain the same as in 2009 – (1) insufficient teacher training, (2) lack of intervention resources, (3) lack of resources for instruction and/or progress monitoring and (4) lack of data, knowledge, skills to implement tracking and charting.

RTI Effectiveness
In respondent districts that had sufficient data to determine the impact of RTI, 76% indicated RTI has led to an improvement in (AYP) vs. 24% that indicated it has not and 87% indicated RTI has reduced the number of special education referrals.

RTI Funding
RTI funding is coming from a variety of sources including General Funds, Title 1 and IDEA Early Intervening Services. ARRA Stimulus Funds have had an impact with 43% of respondents citing these funds as a source of RTI funding.

“It is great to see the continued growth of RTI adoption in school districts across the country,” stated Bill East, Executive Director of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education. “With four years of data, the Spectrum K12-led survey has produced encouraging trend data. NASDSE is pleased to have been a partner in this effort. The results will be useful to our members as they work to help to scale up RTI programs in states.”

“The RTI Adoption Survey has provided important information necessary to understand how RTI is being ‘scaled-up’ across the United States. It continues to provide a stable set of data that can be used to guide implementation,” commented George Batsche Co-Director of the Institute for School Reform, Florida Statewide Problem-Solving/RtI Project, University of South Florida.

“The Council of Administrators of Special Education is proud to participate in the collaborative effort led by Spectrum K12 in this follow up survey on the implementation of Response to Intervention in our schools,” stated Luann Purcell, Executive Director of the Council of Administrators of Special Education. “In a time when every dollar counts, it is important to continue to seek the data from which to make efficient and effective instructional decisions. Having data now spanning over 3 years provides clarity and reliability needed for the tough decisions being faced daily in education circles. We applaud the efforts of those who participated in this survey so we can all be more responsive to the needs of ALL students no matter where they happen to reside.”

“AASA is proud to continue its participation in the annual RTI Adoption survey,” said Noelle Ellerson, Policy Analyst at the American Association of School Administrators. “This type of information is very valuable to school administrators across the nation as they consider not only implementing or expanding RTI in their districts, but also plan for its funding, no easy task in today’s tight economic reality.”

“The 2010 RTI Adoption survey results indicate how rapidly districts are formalizing an intervention centric approach and how critical student achievement management software like our EXCEED® RTI is to scale from pilot to district wide implementation,” stated Jim Marshall, Spectrum K12 School Solutions CEO. “Our continued relationship with NASDSE, CASE, and AASA has been instrumental in helping Spectrum K12 provide districts and state education agencies with this valuable, benchmark RTI adoption data.”

About the American Association of School Administrators (AASA)
The American Association of School Administrators, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders across the United States. AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to the highest quality public education for all children. For more information, visit www.aasa.org.

About the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE)
The Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) is an international professional educational organization which is affiliated with the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted.

The mission of CASE is to provide leadership and support to members by shaping policies and practices that impact the quality of education. For more information, visit www.casecec.org.

About the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE)
NASDSE operates for the purpose of providing services to state agencies to facilitate their efforts to maximize educational outcomes for individuals with disabilities. NASDSE is a not-for-profit organization established to promote and support education programs and related services for children and youth with disabilities in the United States and outlying areas. NASDSE accomplishes its goals by establishing and maintaining relations between those responsible for the development of statewide and federal special education programs and those responsible for general curriculum planning at the local, state and national levels. NASDSE activities are designed to provide professional support to its members and others interested in special education. For more information, go to www.nasdse.org.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 partners with educators and administrators who strive to Move Every Child Forward®. Working collaboratively with districts of all sizes, we deliver a Student Achievement Management solution suite that manages, administers and prescribes the personalized learning process and data required for all students: in general, compensatory, gifted or special education; pre-K through graduation and beyond. Spectrum K12 is the market leader in providing Student Achievement Management, Response to Intervention (RTI) and Special Education software solutions, serving 11% of the U.S. K12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our award-winning software has driven personalized learning to over 5 million students in 29 states. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

Tools of the Trade

The article in Edweek’s Spring 2010 Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook discusses the amount of RTI-related software programs currently available and how schools need to make purchasing choices carefully.

Read the full article from Edweek

RTI Goes Mainstream

The article focuses on how increased education funding and new software and products are motivating more districts to buy in to Response-to-Intervention.

To read the full article, visit District Administration

Spectrum K12 Response to Intervention (RTI) Solution Passes 400,000 Student Milestone

Towson, MD - Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc., the leading provider of Response to Intervention (RTI) software and student achievement management solutions for K-12 school districts, today announced that it recently passed the 400,000 students served mark in school districts employing its EXCEED™ RTI software. EXCEED RTI is a web-based software application that automates and delivers the Response to Intervention process, simplifying an otherwise cumbersome and paper driven process. Tracking, monitoring and managing intervention and student performance data, EXCEED RTI ensures fully-informed decision making and high quality instruction.

To manage the growth of its business and customer base, Spectrum K12 has grown the employee base 15% and is actively recruiting to fill additional positions.

The increase in the number of districts using EXCEED RTI to manage and streamline their Response to Intervention processes and data management reflects the  accelerated rate of RTI adoption as noted in a recent survey. The survey, jointly conducted in April 2009 by Spectrum K12, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE), the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), and the National Association of State Title 1 Directors, showed the number of districts in some stage of implementing RTI rising from 60% in 2008 to 71% in 2009. Survey results can be downloaded from www.spectrumk12.com/campaign/rti_survey_results

In addition to rapid adoption by customers, Spectrum K12 has also received extensive industry recognition for their innovative solution including:

 

 
• 2010 CODiE Finalist for “Best Classroom Management Solution”, “Best K-12 Enterprise Solution", and “Best Education Solution” with winners announced at the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) Ed Tech Industry Summit May 24th, 2010
 
• 2009 CODiE Award Winner for “Best K-12 Enterprise Solution” presented by SIIA
 
• 2008 “Readers Choice Top 100 Products” presented by District Administration Magazine
 
• 2008 “Best of NECC” presented by Techlearning.com
 
• 2008 CODiE Award Winner for “Best Education Solution” presented by SIIA

 

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 partners with educators and administrators who strive to Move Every Child Forward®. Working collaboratively with districts of all sizes, we deliver a Student Achievement Management solution suite that manages, administers and prescribes the personalized learning process and data required for all students: in general, compensatory, gifted or special education; pre-K through graduation and beyond. Spectrum K12 is the market leader in providing Response to Intervention (RTI), Student Achievement Management, and Special Education (IEP) software solutions, serving 11% of the U.S. K12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our award-winning software has driven personalized learning to over 5 million students in 29 states. For more information, visit www.spectrumK12.com.

Spectrum K12’s EXCEED™ Selected Finalist in 3 Categories for 2010 SIIA CODiE Awards

TOWSON, Md. — February 25, 2010 — Spectrum K12 School Solutions announced today that their EXCEED™ Student Achievement Manager software has been selected as a finalist for a 2010 CODiE Award in three separate categories; “Best Classroom Management Solution”, “Best Education Solution”, and Best K-12 Enterprise Solution”. Spectrum K12 is one of only 5 companies named as a finalist in three or more categories from a total of 124 companies who submitted nominations.

EXCEED is a universal Student Achievement Management solution that manages, administers and prescribes the personalized learning process and data required for all students: in general, compensatory, gifted or special education. EXCEED gives teachers an easy to use, automated way to drive day-to-day activities, interventions and progress monitoring to help all students achieve success while giving administrators the ability to see what’s working and surface achievement gaps at the individual student, class, grade, group, and district level.

“To have our software judged and selected as a finalist in three separate categories by such a cross-section of the education industry is recognition of the scope, power and ease of use of our Student Achievement Management solution,” stated Jim Marshall, president and CEO of Spectrum K12 School Solutions.

Established in 1986 by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the CODiE Awards recognize and honor excellence in the education, software and digital information industries. Nominated products underwent an intensive review by subject matter experts, analysts, journalists, and others with deep experience in the field. The products that qualified will now be reviewed by members of SIIA, who will vote on winners for all 24 categories. The winners will be announced at a special CODiE Awards Dinner on May 24th, which will be held in conjunction with the 2010 Ed Tech Industry Summit in San Francisco, CA.

For a list of finalists, visit http://www.siia.net/codies/2010/finalists.asp

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 partners with educators and administrators who strive to Move Every Child Forward®. Working collaboratively with districts of all sizes, we deliver a Student Achievement Management solution suite that manages, administers and prescribes the personalized learning process and data required for all students: in general, compensatory, gifted or special education; pre-K through graduation and beyond. Spectrum K12 is the market leader in providing Student Achievement Management, Response to Intervention (RTI) and Special Education software solutions, serving 11% of the U.S. K12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our award-winning software has driven personalized learning to over 5 million students in 29 states. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com

About SIIA

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to 500 leading software and information companies. For further information, visit www.siia.net

 

Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. Names eVerge Group Solution Partner

Towson, MD 02/15/2010 - Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc., the leading provider of response to intervention (RTI), special education and student achievement management software solutions for K-12 school districts, today announced a strategic partnership with eVerge Group. eVerge Group is an Oracle Platinum Partner that will market a combined Student Achievement Management and School Performance solution, using Spectrum K12’s award winning EXCEED™ product suite and eVerge’s School Performance Analytics (SPA).

“Spectrum K12 is excited to partner with eVerge Group and offer our Oracle platform-based customers an expanded student and school performance analytics solution,” said Jim Marshall, President and CEO of Spectrum K12. “The combination of Spectrum K12’s EXCEED student achievement data and process management platform and eVerge Group’s School Performance Analytics (SPA) solution gives K-12 school districts the ability to integrate student, financial and operational data to better analyze all essential information needed to improve overall student and school performance.”

“Combining Spectrum K12’s innovative EXCEED RTI and student achievement management software with the keen insight imbedded in our School Performance Analytics (SPA) solution gives our customers an unparalleled solution for viewing, analyzing and understanding school and student performance within their district,” said Esteban Neely, president of eVerge Group.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 partners with educators and administrators who strive to Move Every Child Forward®. Working collaboratively with districts of all sizes, we deliver a Student Achievement Management solution suite that manages, administers and prescribes the personalized learning process and data required for all students: in general, compensatory, gifted or special education; pre-K through graduation and beyond. Spectrum K12 is the market leader in providing Student Achievement Management, Response to Intervention (RTI) and Special Education software solutions, serving 11% of the U.S. K12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our award-winning software has driven personalized learning to over 5 million students in 29 states. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

About eVerge Group
Founded in 1993, eVerge Group is a leading integrator of business applications software, focused on delivering Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Business Intelligence (BI), Master Data Management (MDM) and Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions. With longevity and focused expertise in both commercial and public sector markets, eVerge Group is an Oracle Platinum Partner, and has implemented software solutions in leading organizations throughout the Americas. For more information on eVerge Group, visit www.evergegroup.com.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. Launches Response to Intervention (RTI) Webinar Series

Towson, MD 02/11/2010 - Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc, the leader in Response to Intervention, Special Education and Student Achievement Management Software, today announced a dynamic new Response to Intervention webinar series entitled:

Scaling the RTI Process from Pilot to District Wide Implementation

This three part RTI (Response to Intervention) series is designed for K-12 administrators and educators who want to scale their pilot RTI initiative to a district-wide implementation. Interactive sessions will review research from leading national organizations, leading RTI experts and demonstrate tools for RTI implementation success. Topics include building infrastructure, capacity and implementation through data utilization, program planning, collaborative teaming, and progress monitoring and program evaluation.

Part One: Foundation to Scaling a District-wide RTI Implementation

 
• Beyond the RTI pilot: Steps to Implementing a District RTI Initiative
   
       
  • Friday, February 12th 11:00 EDT & Wednesday, February 17th 4:30 EDT
   

   

 

• Creating a “Data Roadmap” for Response to Intervention Success 
  
   
  
   

       
  • Wednesday February 24th 4:30 EDT & Friday, February 26th 11:00 EDT
   

   

Part Two: Best Practices to Creating RTI Support Teams Focused on Data

 
• Keys to Collaborative RTI Teaming 
   
  
       
  • Wednesday, March 10th 4:30 EDT & Friday, March 12th 11:00 EDT
   

   

 

• Utilizing Data to Increase Program & Student Success 
  
   
  
   

       
  • Wednesday, April 14th 4:30 EDT & Friday, April 16th 11:00 EDT
   

   

Part Three: Measuring RTI Success of a District-wide Implementation

 
• The Power of Using Data to Determine Student and Program Success
   
       
  • Wednesday, May 12th 4:30 EDT & Friday, May 14th 11:00 EDT
   

   

 

• Determining the Return on Your Investments through Program Evaluation
  
     
   

       
  • Wednesday, June 9th 3:00 EDT
   

   

Superintendents and other district administrators responsible for curriculum, special education, assessment, and student achievement will benefit from this webinar series.

Click here to go to the Scaling the RTI Process registration page.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 partners with educators and administrators who strive to Move Every Child Forward®. Working collaboratively with districts of all sizes, we deliver a Student Achievement Management solution suite that manages, administers and prescribes the personalized learning process and data required for all students: in general, compensatory, gifted or special education; pre-K through graduation and beyond. Spectrum K12 is the market leader in providing Student Achievement Management, Response to Intervention (RTI) and Special Education software solutions, serving 11% of the U.S. K12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our award-winning software has driven personalized learning to over 5 million students in 29 states. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

Spectrum K12 names The James Group Solution Partner

Towson, MD - 01/20/2010 - Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc., the leading provider of Response to Intervention (RTI), Special Education and Student Achievement Management software solutions for K12 school districts, today announced a strategic partnership with The James Group. The James Group will integrate Oracle Business Intelligence and Analytics with Spectrum K12’s award winning EXCEED™ Student Achievement Manager software. As part of the agreement, The James Group will also be certified as an authorized implementation partner for the combined solution.

“Coupling Spectrum K12’s market leading EXCEED RTI and Student Achievement solutions with The James Group Business Intelligence and Analytic Applications will give school administrators and stakeholders access to operational student achievement performance data that can be used to address the core factors driving student achievement and close achievement gaps,” said William Myers, Chief Technical Officer and Partner of The James Group.

“We are proud to partner with The James Group to better service and provide enterprise student achievement management solutions that enable essential decisions, actions and accountability for our Oracle platform-based customers,” said Jim Marshall, President and CEO of Spectrum K12. “Combining The James Group’s Business Intelligence and Analytics expertise with Spectrum K12’s award-winning EXCEED Student Achievement Manager, provides K12 school districts with clear visibility into which intervention and instructional strategies work and which don’t—at the individual student, classroom, school, district and state levels.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 partners with educators and administrators who strive to Move Every Child Forward™. Working collaboratively with districts of all sizes, we deliver a Student Achievement Management solution suite that manages, administers and prescribes the personalized learning process and data required for all students: in general, compensatory, gifted or special education; pre-K through graduation and beyond. Spectrum K12 is the market leader in providing Student Achievement Management, Response to Intervention (RTI) and Special Education software solutions, serving 11% of the U.S. K12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our award-winning software has driven personalized learning to over 5 million students in 29 states. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

About The James Group

The James Group specializes in delivering Application Development, System Architecture Management, Business Process Re-Engineering, Business Intelligence, Data Warehousing and Project Management solutions to clients in the public and private sectors. A Federal GSA supplier for products and services of Oracle software and widely recognized leader and trusted advisor on Oracle solutions, the James Group is composed of seasoned professionals who not only understand your challenges but bring the depth and breadth of experience to solving those challenges in a professional and efficient manner…with character.
The James Group is a growing, dynamic company headquartered in Worthington, Ohio. Currently implementing a Performance Management System and Data Warehouse for Prince George’s County Public School in Metro Washington DC and Northside School District (NISD) in San Antonio, Texas, the James Group has been a trusted partner of education in Ohio, Indiana, Maryland, Texas and Kentucky. For more information visit: http://www.jamesgrp.com.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. Launches Two New Response to Intervention Resources

Contact:   Scott Cary  Spectrum K12 School Solutions  (410) 616-0329  scary@spectrumk12.com

Towson, MD - 01/14/2010 - Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc., the leading provider of Response to Intervention (RTI), Special Education and Student Achievement Management software solutions for K12 school districts, today announced two new free resources that provide educators with easy access to the latest, most relevant resources and information related to Response to Intervention. Both The RTI Corner and RTI Watch are available now.

The RTI Corner was created to provide educators a central place to quickly find and access a constantly growing inventory of the best, free resources related to RTI. At The RTI Corner, educators will find resources related to: 

 
• Understanding and Implementing RTI
 
• State Response to Intervention Resources
 
• National Response to Intervention Resources
 
• Response to Intervention Blogs and Discussion Groups
 
• Success in Response to Intervention
 
• Latest Response to Intervention News
 
• Upcoming Response to Intervention Events 

To access The RTI Corner, go to www.spectrumk12.com/rti/the_rti_corner/

RTI Watch is a free, subscription based newsletter that is published 2 to 3 times each week and provides a convenient way for educators to receive topical and relevant news, issues and trends relevant to Response to Intervention. To register for the RTI Watch newsletter: www.spectrumk12.com/campaign/rti_watch

“Response to Intervention has quickly emerged as the framework for many district achievement and accountability initiatives as it takes a data-based approach to inform instruction and personalize learning for all students,” said Jim Marshall, President and CEO of Spectrum K12. “We are pleased to offer The RTI Corner and RTI Watch to provide topical and relevant RTI information for educators who share our mission and drive to Move Every Child Forward™.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 partners with educators and administrators who strive to Move Every Child Forward™. Working collaboratively with districts of all sizes, we deliver a Student Achievement Management solution suite that manages, administers and prescribes the personalized learning process and data required for all students: in general, compensatory, gifted or special education; pre-K through graduation and beyond. Spectrum K12 is the market leader in providing Student Achievement Management, Response to Intervention (RTI) and Special Education software solutions, serving 11% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our award-winning software has driven personalized learning to over 5 million students in 29 states. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com

 

 

Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. Names Mariner Solution Partner

Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. Names Alphanumeric Systems Solution Partner

Towson, MD – Raleigh, NC 11/17/2009 - Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc, the leading provider of response to intervention (RTI), special education and student achievement management software solutions for K12 school districts, today announced a strategic partnership with Alphanumeric Systems, where Alphanumeric will be authorized to sell Spectrum K12’s award winning EXCEED™ product suite in NC, SC, VA, MD, FL and GA.

“Spectrum K12 is committed to partnering with best-in-class companies such as Alphanumeric to offer state-of-the-art solutions to K12 school districts,” said Jim Marshall, President and CEO of Spectrum K12. “By partnering with Alphanumeric we bring together Spectrum K12’s strength in creating easy-to-use student achievement management software solutions with Alphanumeric’s technology delivery expertise to offer a platform to personalize learning for all students.”

“Spectrum K12’s EXCEED software and deep education industry knowledge combined with Alphanumeric’s three decades of technology solutions and core IT infrastructure expertise creates the ultimate partnership in providing a personalized learning experience to every student in our school districts,” said Betsy Justus, VP of Sales and Marketing of Alphanumeric Systems. “We look forward to working hand-in-hand to offer the best solution to our clients.”

“We are excited about the partnership we have developed with Spectrum K12 and the capabilities their software provides to the K-20 sector for managing a student’s educational performance. As we look at how to be successful in early intervention and drop-out prevention, this software is far and above any other product we have reviewed,” said Jay Baucom, VP of Public Sector Operations at Alphanumeric.

On Thursday, January 21st, Spectrum K12 and Alphanumeric will co-sponsor an interactive presentation and demonstration focusing on how to utilize ARRA funding to implement RTI and student achievement management solutions. The lunch seminar will be held from 11:00am-1:30pm at Alphanumeric’s Headquarters in Raleigh. For more information or to register for this complimentary event, visit www.alphanumeric.com/january21/index.htm.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of Response to Intervention (RTI) and special education IEP software serving 11% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our EXCEED™ student achievement management software gives teachers an easy way to drive day-to-day activities, research based interventions and outcomes to help all students achieve success. EXCEED monitors academic and behavioral progress, displays efficacy and fidelity, and surfaces achievement gaps at the student, class, grade, group or district level. Our patented, award-winning software has enabled personalized learning for over 5 million children in 29 states in support of our mission to close the achievement gap and Move Every Child Forward™. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

About Alphanumeric

Alphanumeric Systems, Inc. is a world-class technology provider with core strengths in the efficient delivery of comprehensive technology solutions. Offerings include IT Professional Services with a focus on core infrastructure, virtualization and unified communications; IT Support Services, and Managed Services, including remote monitoring, on-site support and service desk. Alphanumeric, a privately-held, woman-owned enterprise, has served education, pharmaceutical, state and local government, healthcare and professional services clients for three decades. For more information visit www.alphanumeric.com

RTI: Not just for special education

The article from eSchool News contains information on multiple technology programs available for use with Response to Intervention, including Spectrum K12’s EXCEED RTI. Spectrum K12’s Cheif Technology Officer was quoted in the story:

"Until recently, the special-education community was much more aware of RTI than most people in the general education community, said Steve Benfield, Spectrum K12’s chief technology officer and vice president of product strategy. Spectrum holds focus groups with superintendents every six months, and Benfield said he noticed that RTI has gone from a concept that few superintendents knew of to something that was taking hold in their day-to-day meetings."

"We think of RTI as a mini-education plan—what are we going to do to help this child succeed based on what we see," he said. "RTI is really hot now, and it’s a process—it’s systematizing something we should have been doing all along, and it’s something that good teachers probably have been doing." 

To read the entire article, go to eSchool News. (Free registration required)

Spectrum K12 VP Re-elected to SIIA Education Division Board of Directors

Washington, D.C. (Nov. 3, 2009) - The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) today announced its new Education Division Board of Directors. These newly elected and appointed executives from SIIA member companies will help provide the education technology industry with leadership, advocacy and critical market information in the crucial months and years ahead.

In addition, these individuals will come together to represent more than 150 SIIA Education Division member firms that provide software, digital content and other technologies for educational needs. Recently, eight executives have been elected to serve two-year terms and six representatives have been appointed to serve one-year terms. As members of the Education Board of Directors, all of the newly elected executives will develop and prioritize the Division’s initiatives and determine the projects, activities and events to be imminently undertaken.

Newly elected board members serving two-year terms are:

 
• - Ellen Bialo, President, Interactive Educational Systems Design, Inc.
 
• - Todd Brekhus, President, Capstone Digital
 
• - Meg Fisher, Senior Manager, Digital Content, Apple, Inc
 
• - Scott Kirkpatrick, Executive Vice President, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
 
• - Janet Matricciani, SVP, Corporate Development, K12 Inc.
 
• - Carmi Paris, Vice President of Corporate Development, Spectrum K12
 
• - David Samuelson, President, Global Schools, Pearson
 
• - Mark Tullis, VP Strategic Relations, Learning.com

Board members appointed to one-year terms include:

 
• - Mark Hammer, VP Marketing, Compass Learning
 
• - Robert Iskander, Founder and CEO, VIP Tone, Inc
 
• - Liz Riley-Young, Manager, Product Management, SAS
 
• - Farimah Schuerman, Managing Partner, Academic Business Advisors, LLC
 
• - Deborah Joy Smith, Chief Development Officer, Florida Virtual School
 
• - Pat Walkington, President, Pat Walkington Sales and Marketing

Serving one more year of their elected two-year terms are:

 
• - George Cigale, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Tutor.com
 
• - Eileen Lento, SLED Strategist, Intel
 
• - Bridget Foster, Consultant
 
• - Jeffrey Schultz, VP, Higher Education, The McGraw-Hill Companies
 
• - Duncan Young, VP, Scholastic Education Services, Scholastic, Inc
 
• - Steve Siegel, VP eContent Markets, TSIG, Follett Digital Resources

"The strength of the SIIA Education Division is in our membership, and it’s most apparent in the strength of our Board of Directors," noted Ken Wasch, SIIA President. "The commitment made by these leaders in the education technology industry allows SIIA to draw more companies into our community and grow in our influence on the education market and the broader technology sector."

Karen Billings, SIIA Education Division Vice President, added: "The quality of executives and leaders in the education technology industry is unmatched, and we are proud to reflect that quality in the people serving on our Board of Directors. They provide industry perspective, serve as the voice for our member companies, and help SIIA to advance the growth of technology as a driver in the education of people of all ages."

About SIIA

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industries. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to more than 500 leading software and information companies. For further information, visit: www.siia.net.

About SIIA Education Division

SIIA’s Education Division serves and represents more than 150 member companies that provide software, digital content and other technologies that address educational needs. The division shapes and supports the industry by providing leadership, advocacy, business development opportunities and critical market information. SIIA provides a neutral business forum for its members to understand business models, technological advancements, market trends, and best practices. With the leadership of the Division Board and collaborative efforts with educators and other stakeholders, the division undertakes initiatives to enhance the use of educational technology and the overall success of SIIA members.

Spectrum K12, CASE, NASDSE, AASA and State Title 1 Directors Announce 2009 RTI Survey Report

Contact:   Scott Cary   Spectrum K12 School Solutions   410-616-0329   scary@spectrumK12.com

TOWSON, MD — June 4, 2009 — Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc., and leading education organizations including the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE), American Association of School Administrators (AASA), the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), and State Title 1 Directors today announced the results of their 2009 survey of K-12 district administrators to gauge the extent to which Response to Intervention (RTI) has been adopted and implemented.

The survey results can be downloaded at www.spectrumk12.com/campaign/rti_survey_results.

Spectrum K12 and these organizations teamed to determine the Response to Intervention rate of adoption, the effectiveness of RTI implementation and perceived critical implementation factors to provide a roadmap for districts nationwide.

The 2009 survey results indicate strong and rapid support for Response to Intervention with 71% of districts in some stage of implementing RTI – up from 60% in 2008 and 44% in 2007. The survey results also showed RTI is being increasingly implemented across all grade levels with a significant increase in high school implementation compared to 2008.

Districts reported the three primary obstacles to implementing RTI as insufficient teacher training, lack of intervention resources and lack of an easy, comprehensive way to monitor and drive student achievement.

Of districts with enough data, 83% indicated RTI has reduced the number of referrals to special education

“The Response to Intervention National Survey is a valuable tool to provide school districts with data that provide a realistic picture of RtI implementation across the United States,” commented George Batsche Co-Director of the Institute for School Reform, Florida Statewide Problem-Solving/RtI Project, University of South Florida. “These data provide information that districts can use to develop timelines and priorities for their own implementation plans. Comparing data year-to-year provides districts with realistic implementation schedules.”

“The survey results indicate how rapidly districts are adopting and formalizing an intervention centric approach to driving student achievement,” Spectrum K12 School Solutions’ CEO, Jim Marshall commented. “Our relationship with CASE, AASA, NASDSE and State Title 1 Directors has been instrumental in helping Spectrum K12 provide districts with what they need to drive student achievement including our EXCEED™ product.”

“This follow up survey shows the continued need for additional resources and unique partnerships if we are to be successful with Response to Intervention in our schools,” said Luann Purcell, Ed.D., CASE executive director. “CASE is proud to have been a partner in the first survey and in this follow up survey with Spectrum K12 School Solutions. The more we all know about each other, the better we can join together to improve academic performance for ALL students.”

“The results from the 2009 Response to Intervention National Survey give our members—and education and policy makers across the country—a snapshot of how RtI implementation is growing,” said Noelle Ellerson, Policy Analyst at the American Association of School Administrators. “This type of data, from where schools are in the implementation process to implementation obstacles and impacts on student achievement, is valuable information as schools and districts move forward in their RtI efforts.”

About the Council of Administrators of Special Education

The Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) is an international professional educational organization which is affiliated with the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted.

The mission of CASE is to provide leadership and support to members by shaping policies and practices that impact the quality of education. For more information, visit http://www.casecec.org.

About AASA

The American Association of School Administrators, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders across the United States. AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to the highest quality public education for all children. For more information, visit www.aasa.org.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of Response to Intervention (RTI) and special education IEP software serving 11% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our EXCEED™ student achievement management software gives teachers an easy way to drive day-to-day activities, research based interventions and outcomes to help all students achieve success. EXCEED monitors academic and behavioral progress, displays efficacy and fidelity, and surfaces achievement gaps at the student, class, grade, group or district level. Our patented, award-winning software has enabled personalized learning for over 5 million children in 29 states in support of our mission to close the achievement gap and Move Every Child Forward™. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com
###

Spectrum K12 Awarded “Best K-12 Enterprise Solution” CODiE Award

Contact:  Scott Cary  Spectrum K12 School Solutions  410-616-0329  scary@spectrumK12.com

TOWSON, Md. — May 11, 2009— Spectrum K12 School Solutions, the leading provider of student achievement management, Response to Intervention (RTI) and special education IEP software has been awarded the “Best K-12 Enterprise Solution” by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA). Winners at the 24th Annual CODiE Awards Gala in San Francisco on May 5 were chosen from more than 850 products submitted by 600 companies.
Spectrum K12 earned the award for its EXCEED™ product, an integrated student achievement management platform allowing teachers to drive day-to-day activities, research based interventions and outcomes to help all students achieve success while giving administrators the ability to see what’s working and what’s not by student, by teacher or by intervention. EXCEED monitors academic and behavioral progress, displays efficacy and fidelity, and surfaces achievement gaps at the student, class, grade, group or district level.

The award for “Best K-12 Enterprise Solution” acknowledges the software platform that best supports district and state-wide implementations in supporting their core mission of raising student achievement.

“We are extremely honored to win such a prestigious award two consecutive years against such strong competition,” said Jim Marshall, president and CEO of Spectrum K12 School Solutions. “This award recognizes our commitment to districts and states in providing the most innovative and effective personalized learning process management tools to drive student achievement and move every child forward.”

"Now in its 24th year, the CODiE Awards continue to recognize those companies providing the best new technology products and services across a broad array of industries," noted SIIA President Ken Wasch. "In addition, its winners are a prolific testament to the power of technology to deliver innovative solutions to businesses and consumers. SIIA warmly congratulates all of the winners and nominees of the CODiE Awards, whose innovation is essential for continuing America’s leadership in the global knowledge economy," Wasch continued.

For a list of winners, visit http://siia.net/codies/2009/winners.asp.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of student achievement management, Response to Intervention (RTI) and special education IEP software serving 11% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our EXCEED™ student achievement management software gives teachers an easy way to drive day-to-day activities, research based interventions and outcomes to help all students achieve success. EXCEED monitors academic and behavioral progress, displays efficacy and fidelity, and surfaces achievement gaps at the student, class, grade, group or district level. Our patented software has enabled personalized learning for over 5 million children in 29 states in support of our mission to close the achievement gap and Move Every Child Forward™. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

About SIIA

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to 500 leading software and information companies. For further information, visit www.siia.net. For CODiE Awards specific information, visit http://www.siia.net/codies/2009/.

###

Three Spectrum K12 Executives Chosen to Present and Moderate at SIIA Ed Tech Industry Summit

Contact: Scott Cary  Spectrum K12 School Solutions  410-616-0329  scary@spectrumK12.com

Towson, MD., May 4, 2009 - Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc, the leader in Response to Intervention, Special Education and Student Achievement Management Software, today announced three company executives have been selected to present and moderate panels at the 2009 SIIA Ed Tech Industry Summit May 3-5, 2009 in San Francisco

Spectrum K12’s President and CEO, Jim Marshall, will be one of 5 education technology executive panelists participating in the President’s Panel: Building Toward the Vision K-20. Jim Marshall will be presenting how Spectrum K12 offers differentiated learning options and resources to close achievement gaps - one of the SIIA Ed Tech Vision K-20 benchmarks.

Spectrum K12’s CTO and SVP Product Strategy, Steve Benfield, will be presenting as part of a panel on Maximizing Learning for All Students: Tools and Environments for Differentiation. The panel will address what technology tools help K-20 students maximize their learning time and help teachers differentiate their instructional processes and modes of delivery their students’ varied abilities and interests.

Carmi Paris, Spectrum K12’s VP Corporate Development will moderate the third panel, Investing in Quality Information Management and Delivery - What’s Good for your Customers and Your Company, which will address the topic of what education technology vendor products must do in order to satisfy their customer’s growing needs and expectations for quality information.

For more information on the 2009 SIIA Ed Tech Industry Summit visit http://siia.net/etis/2009/default.asp.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of Response to Intervention (RTI) and special education IEP software serving 11% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our EXCEED™ student achievement management software gives teachers an easy way to drive day-to-day activities, research based interventions and outcomes to help all students achieve success. EXCEED monitors academic and behavioral progress, displays efficacy and fidelity, and surfaces achievement gaps at the student, class, grade, group or district level. Our patented software has enabled personalized learning for over 5 million children in 29 states in support of our mission to close the achievement gap and Move Every Child Forward™. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

 

Spectrum K12 School Solutions helps manage student progress

http://www.techjournalsouth.com/news/article.html?item_id=7000

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Named Finalist for 2009 CODiE Awards

Contact: Scott Cary Spectrum K12 School Solutions  (410) 616-0329  scary@spectrumk12.com

TOWSON, Md. — March 3, 2009— Spectrum K12 School Solutions has been named a “Best K-12 Enterprise Solution” finalist for the 2009 CODiE Awards. Established in 1986 by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the CODiE Awards celebrate outstanding achievement and vision in the education technology, software and digital information industries. Award winners will be announced May 4, 2009 at the 24th Annual SIIA CODiE Awards Gala in San Francisco, CA.

Spectrum K12 earned finalist consideration for its web-based EXCEED™ product, an integrated student achievement management platform allowing teachers to drive day-to-day activities, research based interventions and outcomes to help all students achieve success while giving administrators the ability to see what’s working and what’s not by student, by teacher or by intervention. EXCEED monitors academic and behavioral progress, displays efficacy and fidelity, and surfaces achievement gaps at the student, class, grade, group or district level.

“We are honored to be a finalist for such a prestigious award and to once again be recognized by the education industry as a leader in providing educators with the essential tools that are needed for student success,” said Jim Marshall, president and CEO of Spectrum K12 School Solutions. “This award recognizes our commitment to provide the most effective management tools to individualize the learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions.”

According to SIIA President Ken Wasch, “The competition is particularly steep this year during the 24th Annual SIIA CODiE Awards, making selection as a CODiE Finalist a real achievement.”

For a list of finalists, visit www.siia.net/codies/2009/finalist_list.asp.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of Response to Intervention (RTI) and special education IEP software serving 11% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our EXCEED™ software is an integrated, student-centric student achievement management platform allowing teachers to drive day-to-day activities, research based interventions and outcomes to help all students achieve success. EXCEED monitors academic and behavioral progress, displays efficacy and fidelity, and surfaces achievement gaps at the student, class, grade, group or district level. Our patented software has enabled personalized learning for over 5 million children in 29 states in support of our mission to close the achievement gap and Move Every Child Forward™. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.
About SIIA
The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to more than 800 leading software and information companies. For further information, visit www.siia.net.

###

District Administration Magazine December 2008

Achievement Today is a quarterly supplement to District Administration magazine, sponsored by Spectrum K12 School Solutions, focusing on trends in Response to Intervention (RTI), special education and at-risk student management.

Register to download the PDF to read the following articles appearing in Achievement Today:

Issue: Winter 2008 

 
• Welcome to Achievement Today
 
• Questions for Superintendents
 
• Three years into RTI, an urban district begins its move to data management
 
• Teaching children of differing abilities changes with use of RTI
 
• Early success with RTI leaves district looking for data solution
 
• State-level RTI initiatives seen as a path to streamlined implementations
 
• Response to Intervention: Improving achievement for all children

 

 

EXCEED™/RTI Named District Administration Readers Choice Top 100 Product of 2008

Contact:  Scott Cary  Spectrum K12 School Solutions  410-616-0329  scary@spectrumK12.com

District Administration readers are the top school administrators in the country, and they know firsthand what works and what does not work within their districts. Using an interactive rating system, District Administration asked its readers to rate their favorite products from its products database (www.districtadministration.com/products) within the categories of Hardware, Software, Internet, Books and Materials, and Facilities.

The winning products were chosen by evaluating readers’ online ratings, new product suggestions, and comments. Additional input was given by the District Administration Advisory Panel. The results are now available online and are featured in a special print issue of District Administration that will be mailed on January 16.

“To have EXCEED™/RTI recognized as a leading response to intervention software solution by top school administrators is a tremendous honor,” stated Jim Marshall, CEO & President of Spectrum K12. “Having our vision recognized and endorsed by the industry is heart-warming affirmation that Spectrum K12 is delivering what school districts need; an integrated, student achievement management platform allowing teachers to drive day-to-day activities, research based interventions and outcomes to help all students achieve success.”

“Last year’s decision to have readers select the top 100 and create a separate issue was an overwhelming success. This year we received a tremendous amount of product recommendations, making it very difficult to limit the list to just 100. The winning list contains products that our readers have successfully implemented at the district, school, and classroom levels. We hope that these products can help you manage your district,” says DA Editor Judy Faust Hartnett.

To view a complete list of winners go to www.districtadministration.com/winners.

For more information contact:

Judy Faust Hartnett, Editor   District Administration   jhartnett@districtadministration.com   203.663.0100 ext. 117  www.districtadministration.com

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of Response to Intervention (RTI) and special education IEP software serving 11% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our patented software is a dynamic student achievement management system that has enabled personalized learning for over 5 million children in 29 states in support of our mission to close the achievement gap and Move Every Child Forward™.
Working collaboratively with districts of all sizes, we deliver scalable, practical web-based solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work, educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

About District Administration
District Administration is a monthly publication covering all of the important topics faced in today’s K12 school systems. With a circulation of more than 73,000, District Administration reaches top decision-makers in virtually every school district across the country. Subscribers are district-level leaders in K12 education, including superintendents, assistant superintendents, curriculum directors, business officers, IT directors and federal funds administrators. For more information visit www.districtadministration.com.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. Named Oracle Independent Software Vendor Partner

Contact:

Sue Hanson

Spectrum K12 School Solutions

763-657-0987

shanson@spectrumK12.com

Towson, MD., 11/03/2008 - Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc, the leading provider of student achievement management software solutions for K12 school districts, today announced a partnership with Oracle, an industry leader in the education technology marketplace.

As an Oracle Independent Software Vendor partner, Spectrum K12 will work hand-in-hand with Oracle to satisfy customer needs with Spectrum K12’s industry-leading EXCEED™ student achievement management solutions powered by Oracle technology. Oracle’s reliability, security and innovations such as service orientation, virtualization, business intelligence and other embedded technologies enhance the Spectrum K12 product suite.

"We are pleased to welcome Spectrum K12 to the Oracle Partner Network,” said Robert BuWalda, Senior Director of Industry ISVs. “Their deep education industry knowledge and experience further strengthens Oracle’s position in this growing market segment. Spectrum K12’s product roadmap, along with their current RtI, IEP and Service Assurance offerings allows them to extend their personalized learning experience to not only special needs students, but to every student. These functional capabilities are supported on the foundation of Oracle technology software providing security, extensibility, efficiency and performance for this critical instructional system."

“Spectrum K12 is committed to partnering with best-in-class companies such as Oracle to offer state-of-the-art solutions to districts,” said Jim Marshall, President and CEO of Spectrum K12. “By partnering with Oracle we bring together Spectrum K12’s strength in creating easy-to-use student achievement management software solutions with Oracle’s expertise to offer a platform to personalize learning for all students.”

Spectrum K12 and the Oracle Partner Network launched their first joint sales activity with Oracle University. Oracle’s Public Sector SMG team and Spectrum K12 presented “Response to Intervention: Personalizing Achievement for all Children” webinar on October 30, 2008.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of Response to Intervention (RTI) and special education IEP software serving 11% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our patented software is a dynamic student achievement management system that has enabled personalized learning for over 5 million children in 29 states in support of our mission to close the achievement gap and Move Every Child Forward™.
Working collaboratively with districts of all sizes, we deliver scalable, practical web-based solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work, educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

About Oracle

Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) is the world’s largest enterprise software company. For more information about Oracle, please visit our Web site at http://www.oracle.com.

Compliancy, Improved Data Integrity and Productivity provided by Spectrum K12 School Solutions

TOWSON, MD—- October 14, 2008—- Special School District of St. Louis County (SSD) has renewed its contract to provide educators with Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc.’s special education IEP software product Encore®. The Encore IEP software suite provides a web-based “all-in-one” solution to more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services including special education, 504, limited English proficiency (LEP/ESL) and pre-referral Response to Intervention (RTI) programs.

Special School District of St. Louis County (SSD) has been using Encore since 2004. Since that time, Encore has become the special education information system for all 23 partner districts in St. Louis County.

“Encore streamlines operations, improves accountability, provides staff access to data whenever and wherever, and ensures the District is in compliance with federal and state mandates,” stated Dr. Joan Zavitsky, Associate Superintendent of Learning and Assessment, Special School District of St. Louis County, Missouri. “There was no county-wide computer network connecting all of the 250+ schools in St. Louis County, so until the advent of Encore, the sharing of information was a paper transfer process.”

Encore helps school systems dramatically improve special education management by eliminating mistakes in IEP compliance, eliminating duplicate data entry, and providing ease of access to centralized information.

“Special School District of St. Louis County has demonstrated leadership in education on many levels, one of which is supporting student achievement through the use of the Spectrum K12’s Encore special education and IEP software, said Jim Marshall, President and CEO at Spectrum K12. “We are pleased to be associated with them and to be recognized and valued, by this innovative organization.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions 

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of Response to Intervention (RTI) and special education IEP software serving 11% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our patented software is a dynamic student achievement management system that has enabled personalized learning for over 5 million children in 29 states in support of our mission to close the achievement gap and Move Every Child Forward™.

About Special School District of St. Louis County (SSD)

In collaboration with partner districts, we provide technical education and a wide variety of individualized educational and support services, designed to ensure the student’s successful contribution to our community. The educational needs of all children are anticipated, accommodated and met successfully.
Special School District of St. Louis County (SSD) is a leader in providing special education services to students with disabilities. The district also operates two technical high schools that provide a wide range of career and technical education programs to area students.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. Secures 7.4 Million in Venture Funding

Contact:  Sue Hanson  Spectrum K12 School Solutions  763-657-0987  shanson@spectrumK12.com

Towson, MD., 10/07/2008 - Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc, the leading provider of student achievement management software solutions for K12 school districts today announced that it has completed a round of financing led by Novak Biddle Venture Partners, Capital Trust Ventures, Comerica Bank and MMV Financial Inc.

This round of financing will expand Spectrum K12’s patented, award winning student achievement management software products including response to intervention and service provider management. Spectrum K12 student achievement management software has enabled personalized learning for over 5 million children in 29 states in support of their mission to close the achievement gap and Move Every Child Forward™.

"As early investors, we have worked with the Spectrum K12 management team since its inception, and the company has now hit a new peak in its growth cycle," said Roger Novak, General Partner with Novak Biddle. "Spectrum K12 has established itself in the education industry as the go-to solution for school districts with cutting edge technology to more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students. We are excited to help them continue their mission and expand their operations."

“Spectrum K12’s technology modernizes and greatly improves the way educators teach. By transitioning from a ‘one-to-many’ approach to the customized ‘one-to-one’ teaching method, students learn in a more effective, supportive environment,” said John Oswald, Managing General Partner of Capital Trust Ventures. “This company has 10 years of experience in the special education space and they are now able to bring their technology to a broader student base ranging from infants and toddlers to life-long learners.”

“Spectrum K12 represents an opportunity for MMV to invest in a technology and market leader in the education industry. We were very impressed with the management team and the Company’s leadership in the fast growing RTI segment of the market,” said Greg Dimmer, Senior Vice President of MMV Financial. “We are pleased to join the existing investors and look forward to working with them and the Company’s management team.”

“In this difficult capital market, Spectrum K12 secured this additional financing which is a significant expression of enthusiasm in the company from the existing investors and MMV Financial. Spectrum K12’s momentum has never been stronger from an operational, sales, marketing and financial perspective than it is right now. This investment enables us to continue honing our operational excellence and increase our footprint in the market,” stated Jim Marshall, President and CEO of Spectrum K12. “This round of funding is part of Spectrum K12’s strategic growth plan, and re-enforces our roadmap and commitment to provide the level of service districts expect and deserve to Move Every Child Forward.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions  Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of Response to Intervention (RTI) and special education IEP software serving 11% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our patented software is a dynamic student achievement management system that has enabled personalized learning for over 5 million children in 29 states in support of our mission to close the achievement gap and Move Every Child Forward™.
Working collaboratively with districts of all sizes, we deliver scalable, practical web-based solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

About Novak Biddle Venture Partners  Novak Biddle Venture Partners is a leading early stage venture capital firm focused on unique, cutting-edge technology investments in the Eastern United States, as well as targeted opportunities nationwide. With $580 million under management, Novak Biddle operates five venture funds that currently provide equity financing and management assistance to 42 portfolio companies. Novak Biddle continues to seek business situations where the combination of ideas, dollars, experience, and relationships can create long term, sustainable value. A sampling of companies funded by Novak Biddle include: RFID first-mover Matrics, voice over IP trailblazer Telogy, education technology leader Blackboard Inc. and intelligent video surveillance pioneer ObjectVideo. For more information, visit www.novakbiddle.com

About Capital Trust Ventures  Capital Trust Ventures provides growth-stage venture capital financing for information technology companies. Our approach is to invest in high-growth businesses, help them achieve scale, and exit successfully. Our experienced team of partners has extensive investing and entrepreneurial experience in multiple sectors including application software, emerging technologies, vertical software, new media, internet content, e-commerce, and infrastructure software. For more information please visit: http://www.capitaltrustventures.com

About Comerica Bank  Comerica is a multi-faceted corporation with an abiding sense of community. From investor relations and the latest information on our company to career opportunities and our commitment to community and diversity. For more information please visit: http://www.comerica.com

About MMV Financial, Inc.  MMV Financial is a Toronto-based specialty finance company providing creative debt solutions directly to technology and life sciences companies across North America. MMV is backed by top U.S. and Canadian private equity firms and financial institutions including CCP Equity Partners, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Fonds de Solidarite des Travailleurs du Quebec, HSBC, NewStar Financial Inc., ROI Capital, and Wells Fargo Company. For more information please visit: www.mmvf.com

Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. Launches Response to Intervention (RTI) Webinar Series

Contact:
Sue Hanson  Spectrum K12 School Solutions  410-616-0366  shanson@spectrumK12.com

Towson, MD., 09/24/2008 - Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc, the leader in Response to Intervention, Special Education and Student Achievement Management Software, today announced a dynamic new Response to Intervention webinar series entitled:

A R C H I T E C T I N G SUCCESS! Manage RTI and Student Achievement!
EXCEED/RTI

The RTI (Response to Intervention) series is designed for K-12 educators who want to improve student achievement through personalized instruction for ALL students. Interactive sessions will review research from leading national organizations, demonstrate tools for integrating data, and illustrate progress monitoring using easy to interpret visual displays.

First in the series: “RtI - Process or Program? . . . Using data to match high quality instruction to student need” is October 9, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. EDT.

Second in the series, “Framing the RTI Process . . . Critical Steps to Defining and Cultivating a Successful RTI Process” is October 30, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. EDT.

Third in the series, “Linking the RTI Pieces … Connecting the Data and Technology Needed to Progress Monitor for Student Achievement" is November 20th, 2008 at 3:00 pm. EST.

Superintendents and other district administrators responsible for curriculum, special education, professional development and assessment, as well as administrators who supervise school psychologists, speech therapists and other student services providers will benefit from this webinar series.

Each webinar is free of charge and will be presented live at 3:00 p.m. EDT. Scheduled to be one hour in length, the sessions will include an interactive Q&A session. To register: www.spectrumk12.com/architectingsuccess

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of Response to Intervention (RTI) and special education IEP software serving 11% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our patented software is a dynamic student achievement management system that has enabled personalized learning for over 5 million children in 29 states in support of our mission to close the achievement gap and Move Every Child Forward™.

Working collaboratively with districts of all sizes, we deliver scalable, practical web-based solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

2008 Intel® Schools of Distinction Award

Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. & CORE ECS Proud Sponsors of the 2008 Intel® Schools of Distinction Award

TOWSON, MD. – September 10, 2008 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc, & CORE ECS the leading provider of comprehensive data management solutions for special populations in K-12 education today announced their sponsorship award package for the six winning schools of the 2008 Intel® Schools of Distinction Award. Spectrum K12 & CORE ECS joined the Intel Foundation and other sponsors as they honored each school’s extraordinary commitment to educational excellence and innovation.

Spectrum K12 & CORE ECS presented their Schools of Distinction Sponsorship Award Package to the recipient schools at the Intel awards gala on Monday, September 8th in Washington DC. The Award package included:

Two days of Spectrum’s “Standards based Goals and Objectives” professional development training, a rich, collaborative, interactive training delivered by CORE ECS professional trainers, designed to support challenges districts face in personalizing learning for all children.

A. Aligning Student Focused IEP Goals to State Content Standards

Aligning Student Focused IEP Goals to State Content Standards provides the skills and tools to analyze relevant data to establish a student’s baseline, develop a data based present level of academic achievement and functioning performance, develop individualized goals based on state standards, write goals that are instructionally easy to implement, select appropriate progress monitoring procedures, align student focused goals to the general education curriculum, utilize goal banks more effectively and ensure state and federal compliance.

B. Aligning Student Focused IEP Goals to State Content Standards

Participants will have an opportunity to apply best practices learned in the previous session to relevant situations in their classroom or district. Leaving with the ability to: develop state and federally compliant goals, objectives and benchmarks, establish and define the child’s present levels of performance collaboratively, state how the disability affects a child’s performance, determine present levels of educational performance using formal and informal data including data collected in the RTI process, write measurable student focused and standards based goals, develop measurable objectives that incrementally define achievement, write goals, objectives and benchmarks that can be instructionally implemented, collect data that accurately measure student performance and have an expanded set of skills to develop goals aligned to state standards.

The winning schools for Mathematics Excellence are Sojourner Elementary School,
Milwaukie, Oregon, Delay Middle School, Lewisville, Texas and Sabino High School
Tucson, AZ.

The winning schools for Science excellence are Laguna Elementary School, Scottsdale, Arizona, Key Peninsula Middle School, Lakebay, Washington and Townsend Harris High School, Flushing, New York.

“Spectrum K12 is honored to be a sponsor of the 2008 Intel School(s) of Distinction Awards. The schools that were presented with this prestigious award have worked extremely hard to achieve high academic standards for all students,” states Jim Marshall, CEO of Spectrum K12. “We recognize and commend the winning schools as they understand the tie between school excellence and the desire to have special education, at-risk and ALL students achieve to their ability.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of Response to Intervention (RTI) and special education IEP software serving 11% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our EXCEED™ software is an integrated, student-centric student achievement management platform allowing teachers to drive day-to-day activities, research based interventions and outcomes to help all students achieve success. EXCEED monitors academic and behavioral progress, displays efficacy and fidelity, and surfaces achievement gaps at the student, class, grade, group or district level. Our patented software has enabled personalized learning for over 5 million children in 29 states in support of our mission to close the achievement gap and Move Every Child Forward™. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

About CORE ECS

CORE Projects & Technologies Ltd. is a leading provider of best of breed end-to-end solutions in the education domain worldwide. Listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and named The Fastest Growing IT Company in the State of Maharashtra, India, CORE is an ISO 9001:2000 certified Company, achieving over 100% annual growth.

CORE’s offerings in the education domain include products and solutions in the areas of School Management Systems, Assessment Systems, Accountability Systems and IT Infrastructure Systems. CORE has recently acquired companies in the US and UK, thus consolidating its position as a dominant player in the education sector. These acquisitions bring with them complementary solutions and services, ensuring CORE is well on its way to becoming an end-to-end solutions provider in the global education space, providing school administrators with the tools needed to offer quality education to students worldwide.

CORE’s education customer base is spread across the USA, UK, Africa, Sri Lanka, Bahamas, Caribbean and India. In India, CORE maintains a prestigious contract with the State Government of Jharkhand under the “Education for All” program (Sarva Shikhsa Abhiyan). For more information visit http://www.coreprojectstech.com

To learn more about Intel’s global commitment to education, visit http://www.intel.com/education. For more information about the Intel Schools of Distinction Awards, visit http://www.schoolsofdistinction.com.

District Administration Magazine September 2008

Download the PDF

 

Visit the Achievement Today website

 

Spectrum K12’s EXCEED/RTI named as Best of NECC 2008

Excerpt from Best of NECC 2008 article:
Spectrum K12 School Solutions launched EXCEED/RTI to manage daily activities, meetings, interventions, and student outcomes. The tools within EXCEED include: student- centric progress monitoring, differentiated instruction, return on intervention, and fidelity assurance.

Read the entire Best of NECC 2008

Texas School Districts Choose Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Sue Hanson  Spectrum K12 School Solutions  763-657-0987  shanson@spectrumK12.com   

TOWSON, MD– August 4, 2008 – Four Independent School Districts in Texas, Wichita Falls, Killeen, Pasadena and Midland have adopted Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc.’s special education IEP software product Encore®. These four districts join a long list of districts in Texas that have chosen Encore as their solution of choice for at-risk student management tools.Encore is the leading special education and IEP software suite serving almost 11% of the U.S. K-12 student population, including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States.

Spectrum K12 received separate calls from each district, all of whom were looking for a powerful and effective IEP solution, rich in administrative reporting and tracking for students who need special services throughout their districts.

The Texas districts turned to Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc., because the patented Encore solution provides a technology-based system of data, process, and compliance management that includes IEP software and Response to Intervention (RTI) software.

Encore helps schools improve special education management by ensuring compliance with state and federal law, saving training time, eliminating duplicate data entry, providing case of access to centralized information and, ultimately, saving hundreds of dollars per student.

Encore streamlines operations, provides accountability, allows staff to access data whenever and wherever, and ensures the Texas School Districts are in compliance with federal and state mandates.

"These Texas School Districts are on the leading edge of utilizing technology to ensure compliance," said Jim Marshall, President and CEO at Spectrum K12. "Their selection of Spectrum K12 after a comprehensive review of available solutions is a strong vote of confidence in our products, support services, and our team.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions 

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. provides essential process management solutions to deliver personalized learning so districts can Move Every Child Forward™. Our patented solutions include IEP software and Response to Intervention software serving 11% of the U.S. K-12 population, including 20 of the top 100 districts.

Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit: http://www.spectrumK12.com.

Spectrum K12 Launches EXCEED/RTI™

Contact: Sue Hanson Spectrum K12 School Solutions 410-616-0366 shanson@spectrumK12.com
TOWSON, Md. – June 30, 2008 –Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc., the leading provider of comprehensive data management solutions for special populations in K-12 education today announced the launch of EXCEED/RTI™, Response to Intervention Software Solution.
EXCEED provides a seamless, integrated tool to manage and measure the day-to-day activities, meetings, research based interventions and outcomes used to help all students achieve academic success.
The new Response to Intervention Software Solution is highly configurable and flexible, can be tailored to match a district’s unique processes, forms, intervention strategies, and progress monitoring probes, thus providing complete intervention management so all students can achieve their potential. EXCEED also automates the intervention process and ensures collaboration.
EXCEED provides a comprehensive set of capabilities to manage individualized learning including: • Student-Centric Progress Monitoring • Differentiated Instruction • Return on Intervention™ • Fidelity Assurance
“We have been looking for a structure, a process and a product that will enable our teachers to capitalize on their training and work with RTI,” stated Dr. Mark Edwards, Superintendent, Mooresville Graded School District. “EXCEED’s design and management system provides a clean and concise means for our teachers to work with our students. EXCEED also provides a high quality means for us to communicate with parents. After our teachers took one look at EXCEED they were excited and enthusiastic with the potential solutions that EXCEED will offer our district.”
“We are extremely excited about the introduction of EXCEED. The feedback we have received validates we have a unique solution to enable and manage individualized learning and Move Every Child Forward ™,” said Jim Marshall, President and CEO of Spectrum K12.
About Spectrum K12 School Solutions Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education, IEP and response to intervention software serving 11% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Our patented software and professional development has influenced the learning of over 5 million students in 29 states. We help school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Working collaboratively with districts of all sizes, we deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

Click here to learn more about EXCEED/RTI

From the Horses Mouth: A Conversation with the Winners: Awards and Recognition…Why Bother?

On the heels of the education industry’s most prestigious awards ceremonies, the SIIA CODiEs, Glen McCandless got front-line perspective from the 2008 and 2007 winners. Jim Marshall, President of Spectrum K12 (2008 Best Education Solution); Donna McMullin, VP Marketing, Thinkronize (2007 Best Education Solution); and Bruce Friend, Manager of Curriculum Pathways, SAS (2008 Best K12 Instructional Solution).

Read the interview at SellingtoSchools.com

District Administration Magazine June 2008

Download the PDF: www.spectrumk12.com//uploads/file/DA_Spectrum_0608.pdf
 

Spectrum K12 wins 2008 SIIA CODiE award for Best Education Solution

TOWSON, Md. — May 15, 2008— Spectrum K12 School Solutions has been awarded the 2008 CODiE Best Education Solution Award.  Established by the Software & Information Industry Association, the CODiE Awards are among the most prestigious in the software industry, showcasing the finest software and digital content products and services across a wide variety of categories. 

Spectrum K12 earned the award for its Web-based Encore IEP Service Assurance product, a unique audit-defensible mechanism to reconcile services provided against prescribed services by documenting all pertinent services provided to a student based on the prescription in the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP).

“We are honored to win such a prestigious award and to once again be recognized by the education industry as a leader in providing educators with the essential tools needed for student success,” said Jim Marshall, president and CEO of Spectrum K12 School Solutions.  “This award recognizes our commitment to provide the most effective individualized learning process management tools to move every child forward.”

"The 2008 CODiE Awards recognize those companies providing the best new technology products and services across a broad array of industries," noted SIIA President Ken Wasch. "The awards and their winners are a testament to the power of technology to deliver innovative solutions to American businesses and consumers. SIIA congratulates all of the CODiE Award winners and nominees, whose innovation is essential for continuing America’s leadership in the global knowledge economy."

For a list of winners, visit http://siia.net/codies/2008/winners.asp.

 

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Names Todd Frager Chief Financial Officer

TOWSON, MD– May 15, 2008 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. today announced that it has named Todd Frager Chief Financial Officer. Frager brings more than 15 years of experience as a proven entrepreneurial senior level executive. Frager is responsible for Finance, Investor Relations, Mergers & Acquisitions, Human Resources, Legal, and Business Operations.

Prior to joining Spectrum K12 Frager joined Catalyst in February 2006 as its chief financial officer. Before joining Catalyst, Mr. Frager spent six years with The Cedar Group, a $115 million PeopleSoft implementer. He served as its chief financial officer from 2002 to 2006, preceded by positions as director of financial operations and controller. Prior to joining The Cedar Group, Mr. Frager served as chief financial officer for I/Tech Service and as controller – corporate management for ADC Telecommunications. He previously served as a controller for numerous other firms, including BridgeStreet Accommodations International and Mid-Atlantic Realty Management, Inc.

“As Spectrum K12 grows, we look forward to utilizing Todd’s unique talents and experience to expand our operations and contribute broadly to our financial and business strategy,” said Jim Marshall, CEO of Spectrum K12. “His extensive knowledge and track record of success is the perfect complement to our seasoned management team and will further solidify our industry leadership position.” 

“The Spectrum K12 team has re-ignited my entrepreneurial spirit,” said Frager. “I’m looking forward to applying my capabilities and experience in this space to enhance the big opportunities in front of us. I see Spectrum K12’s unique content and platform as a game-changer; applying technology and dynamic process automation to enable schools to more effectively manage the needs of special education and at-risk populations."

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

Spectrum K12 and CASE Announce 2008 Response to Intervention Survey Report

Contact: Sue Hanson Spectrum K12 School Solutions 410-616-0366 shanson@spectrumK12.com
TOWSON, MD — April 21, 2008 — Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc., the leading provider of comprehensive data management solutions for special populations in K-12 education and the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) today announced the results of their 2008 survey of K-12 district administrators to gauge the level of adoption of Response to Intervention (RTI).

Spectrum K12 and the Council of Administrators of Special Education teamed up to determine the Response to Intervention rate of adoption, the effectiveness of RTI implementation and perceived critical implementation factors to provide a roadmap for districts nationwide. 

The survey results indicate strong and rapid support for Response to Intervention with 60% of K-12 school districts either piloting RTI, in the process of a district-wide implementation or with RTI in district-wide use. 

The survey results also indicate that RTI is being driven by a unified effort of general education and special education, although in most cases it was initiated by a leader or team in special education. Lack of teacher training was identified as the biggest obstacle to implementing RTI. The survey also showed 52% of the school districts responding see the highest tier as a combination of special education and other students needing intensive intervention.

“The survey results indicate critical elements of a successful RTI implementation include effective RTI training for teachers and software to manage activities, interventions and outcomes,” Spectrum K12 School Solutions’ CEO, Jim Marshall commented. “Our relationship with CASE has been instrumental in helping us identify, develop and provide districts with the tools they need to drive student achievement.” 

“The data that was discovered in the RTI survey is invaluable to districts as they design their RTI strategies,” said Luann Purcell, Ed.D., CASE executive director. “This relationship with Spectrum K12 has been very attractive for both organizations. Together we are in the best position to provide more state of the art data to districts through more joint efforts.”

View Report…

About the Council of Administrators of Special Education 

The Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) is an international professional educational organization which is affiliated with the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted. The mission of CASE is to provide leadership and support to members by shaping policies and practices that impact the quality of education. For more information, visit http://www.casecec.org.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information and to see the full RTI survey report visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

Achievement Today publication website

http://www.districtadministration.com/custompublishing/index.aspx?publisher=spectrumk12

Spectrum K12 Partners with Thinkronize

Thinkronize Becomes ‘Sales Agent’ for Spectrum K12

TOWSON, Md. – April 15, 2008 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc., the leading provider of comprehensive management solutions for special populations in K-12 education, and Thinkronize, developers of netTrekker d.i.®, America’s #1 educational search engine that delivers high quality digital content at each child’s individual learning level, today announced a partnership designed to share complimentary products and services to better serve the special needs student as well as, their parents, teachers, and administrators.
Designed specifically for the K-12 education market, Encore ® Clarity helps school districts increase the effectiveness of their programs for special populations by automating time-consuming data collection and reporting processes, and reducing the paperwork burden. As data is entered, compliance requirements are automatically verified, ensuring that paperwork is completed accurately and on time. As a result, educators can spend more time in the classroom, focusing on improving student learning and achievement.
Thinkronize will be authorized to sell Encore Clarity and Spectrum K12’s highly acclaimed professional development and training offerings.
“Partnering with Thinkronize represents a significant opportunity for us as we continue to serve the special needs student, parent, teacher, and administration customer,” said Jim Marshall, President and CEO of Spectrum K12. “Current and future customers look to both Spectrum K12 and Thinkronize for solid products, services and premier customer service and support. Partnering with Thinkronize lets us immediately expand these capabilities to our customers, while also providing us with strong support to create new value-added services in a competitive market.”
“We’re pleased to work with the market leader in special education data management to provide solutions to educators and students. Our mission is to provide high quality educational tools and resources that help EVERY child achieve at his or her individual level. And, our partnership with Spectrum K12 School Solutions provides us with another opportunity to deliver on that goal,” said Randy Wilhelm, CEO of Thinkronize.
About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use IEP software and intervention software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.
About Thinkronize
Founded in 1999, Thinkronize is a leader in the digital delivery of K-12 educational content and is dedicated to enhancing the education of today’s youth with highly effective technologies that deliver the rich educational value of the Internet to every child in a safe, relevant, easy-to-use format. With the mission to help every child learn and a belief that technology can transform education, Thinkronize was first to market with a standards-based educational search engine, utilizing the services of Academic Benchmarks (www.AcademicBenchmarks.com), the premier provider of comprehensive standards-based K-12 educational databases, alignment tools and integration products. Thinkronize’s flagship product, netTrekker d.i., is the #1 educational search engine in K-12 schools and is currently used in over 20,000 schools nationwide. The company’s consumer product, netTrekker home, gives parents and students whose school or district has not yet purchased a netTrekker d.i. subscription access to its 180,000+ educator-selected resources. Peers, educators and parents have honored Thinkronize and the netTrekker product suite 24 times for their contribution to education. Most recently, netTrekker d.i. was named the 2007 Best Education Solution in SIIA’s CODiE award competition. In addition, Thinkronize was named to the 2007 Inc. 5000 and 2006 Inc. 500 lists as one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States. The company was founded by Robert Reinders and currently serves over 11 million students in all 50 states, including adoptions by key districts and states nationwide. For more information visit www.Thinkronize.com or phone 877-517-1125.
About the netTrekker Product Suite
The netTrekker product line includes award-winning educational search products for both the education (netTrekker d.i.) and consumer (netTrekker home) markets. Unlike ordinary search engines, products from the netTrekker suite provide fast and easy access to only the best educational resources from the entire Internet in a safe, organized, standards-aligned format. Using netTrekker search products, educators, school librarians, students and parents save valuable time because they are directed to relevant, reliable, educator-selected Web sites every time – meaning less time spent on searching and more time focused on teaching, learning and achieving. For more information about the netTrekker product suite, visit www.netTrekker.com.

Pittsburgh Public School District Chooses Spectrum K12 School Solutions

TOWSON, MD– April 14, 2008 – Pittsburgh Public Schools has adopted Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc.’s special education IEP software product Encore®.  Encore will create a powerful and effective system of administrative reporting and tracking for students who need special services throughout the district.

Pittsburgh Public Schools had been primarily paper-based and entering special education IEP and reporting data by hand. Spectrum K12’s Encore software will provide them with a solution that ensures better compliancy, improved data integrity and management as well as a real-time system that will streamline and manage the entire workflow process.

Encore helps school systems dramatically improve special education management by eliminating mistakes in IEP compliance, saving training time, eliminating duplicate data entry, providing ease of access to centralized information and – ultimately – saving of hundreds of dollars per student.

The electronic system will help the Pittsburgh Public Schools streamline operations, provide accountability, allow staff to access data whenever and wherever, and ensure the District is in compliance with federal and state mandates.

“The purchase of the Encore software helps us meet our Excellence for All agenda goal of efficient and effective support operations,” stated Mary Jane Conley, Program Officer, Special Education. “Another major reason we chose Encore was because this solution provides us with a complete and accurate integration with our existing student information system.”

“We are excited that the Pittsburgh Public Schools has joined the expanding list of leading districts using Spectrum K12’s Encore special education and IEP software,” said Jim Marshall, President and CEO at Spectrum K12. “Pittsburgh Public Schools selection of Spectrum K12 after a comprehensive review of available solutions is a strong vote of confidence in our products, support services, and our team.”

About Pittsburgh Public Schools

Pittsburgh is the largest of 43 school districts in Allegheny County and second largest in Pennsylvania. The District serves 28,265 students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 in 65 schools. In addition, Early Childhood programs serve three- and four-year-olds in 95 classrooms across the city.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

Learn more…

Spectrum K12’s Encore IEP Software Re-Endorsed by CASE

TOWSON, MD — April 07, 2008 —Spectrum K12’s Encore® Special Education product has been re-endorsed by the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE). Encore was the first special education administration software to be endorsed by CASE and is now the first to be re-endorsed by CASE.
Encore is the leading special education and IEP software suite serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population, including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States.

Encore received the official endorsement of the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE), in April 2005 after a rigorous and comprehensive review to ensure the solution met or exceeded criteria that included a strong research base to support the product, proven effectiveness, and enhancement of professional practice as advocated by CASE/CEC policies and standards.

The official re-endorsement was announced at the CASE membership meeting during the CEC Annual Conference in Boston, MA April 2-5, 2008. “With Encore, Spectrum K12 sets a new benchmark in special education IEP software. We are pleased to re-endorse Spectrum K12’s Encore,” said Luann Purcell, Ed.D., CASE executive director. “Spectrum K12 has a long history of managing the special education process and data and providing leading K-12 school districts with a tremendous return on their investment.”

“The Council of Administrators of Special Education are the definitive thought leaders in the field of Special Education because of their leadership in shaping policies and practices which impact the quality of education for all students,” stated Jim Marshall, CEO of Spectrum K12 School Solutions. “It is an extreme honor to once again be endorsed by CASE as a leader in providing powerful technology driven solutions to support districts in managing the complicated compliance regulations inherent in the special education process.”

Designed specifically for the K-12 education market, Encore uses effective business practices and proven data and process management systems to help districts eliminate compliance issues, reduce the paperwork burden, improve staff morale and support successful achievement of individual education program goals — directly and positively impacting student learning.

About the Council of Administrators of Special Education
The Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) is an international professional educational organization which is affiliated with the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) whose members are dedicated to the enhancement of the worth, dignity, potential, and uniqueness of each individual in society. The mission of CASE is to provide leadership and support to members by shaping policies and practices that impact the quality of education. For more information, visit http://www.casecec.org.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

Learn more…

SIIA Upgrade Magazine December 2007-January 2008

District Administration Magazine March 2008

Download PDF: www.districtadministration.com/uploaded/pdfs/DA_Spectrum_308.pdf

Spectrum K12 and the National Alliance of Black School Educators Host Special Education Institute

Towson, MD., March 6, 2008 - Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc., the leading provider of comprehensive data management solutions for special populations in K-12 education and the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) the nation’s premiere non-profit organization devoted to furthering the academic success for the nation’s children - particularly children of African descent, today announced that they have expanded their strategic partnership to increase learning opportunities and accountability for special needs students.
Under a new partnership Spectrum K12 School Solutions and NABSE will host their inaugural Special Education Institute on March 6, 2008 in Washington D.C. at the Washington Court Hotel.
The Special Education Institute will provide a depth of understanding of:

 
1. How to effectively conduct IDEA 2004-mandated IEP resolution sessions.
 
2. How to implement essential facilitation skills for the IEP team meeting process that can improve collaboration, consensus building, and the creation of responsive educational learning plans for students.
 
3. How to hold compliant IEP meetings, develop positive relationships between staff and parents, significantly reduce due process hearings, and improve staff morale.

“This partnership brings the power to provide “Support Programs” through business leaders, which is an essential component to “Moving every student forward,” said Jim Marshall, CEO and President of Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. “We look forward to continuing to advance the goal of helping improve the educational capacity of educators to better manage the environment for students who are performing in less than satisfactory ways. We want to provide assistance to help remedy the situation together.”

“This partnership targets our specific concerns for addressing the over-representation of African American students and others who are referred to special education, and for the effective instruction and planning that is needed for students who may be in most need,” said Quentin R. Lawson, Executive Director, NABSE. “We intend to identify, then alleviate, and document needs and responses to improving student achievement with the help of such partners as Spectrum K12 School Solutions.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions 
Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

About The National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) 
The National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) is the nation’s premiere non-profit organization devoted to furthering the academic success for the nation’s children - particularly children of African descent. Now in its 36th year, NABSE boasts an outreach to more than 10,000 preeminent educators including teachers, administrators, superintendents as well as corporate and institutional members. Founded in 1970, by Dr. Charles D. Moody, Sr., NABSE is dedicated to improving both the educational experiences and accomplishments of African American youth through the development and use of instructional and motivational methods that increase levels of inspiration, attendance and overall achievement.

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Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. Expands National Presence in Atlanta

TOWSON, Md. — March 3, 2008—Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc., the leading provider of comprehensive data management solutions for special populations in K-12 education today announced the opening of its new Atlanta, Georgia office.
“The decision to open this office was motivated by Spectrum’s rapid growth in providing cutting-edge technology and data management solutions to our nation’s schools,” stated Jim Marshall, President and CEO of Spectrum K12. “Atlanta is well-known for their strong pool of well-educated, talented professionals with the right level of expertise in technology and education, so it made sense for Spectrum K12 to select Atlanta for our corporate expansion.”
As part of the grand opening activities, Spectrum K12 is hosting a reception to celebrate Georgia’s Exceptional Children’s Week. The reception will showcase the outstanding Spectrum K12 special education solutions that are being provided by Fulton County Schools, Clayton County Public Schools and Effingham’s Public Schools in the Atlanta area.
“By integrating world-class creative thought leadership in special education and technology we will continue to attract amazing talent to this regional office, and create a new genre of services where we deliver cutting edge, next-generation educational experiences,” said Steve Benfield, CTO and VP Product Management of Spectrum K12.
About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

Learn more…

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Named Finalist for 2008 Codie Awards

TOWSON, Md. — Feb.19, 2008— Spectrum K12 School Solutions has been named a finalist for the 2008 Codie Awards as “Best Education Solution.” Established by the Software & Information Industry Association, the Codie Awards are among the most prestigious in the software industry, showcasing the finest software and digital content products and services across a wide variety of categories. Award winners will be announced May 20, 2008 at the 23rd Annual CODiE Awards Gala in San Francisco, Calif.
Spectrum K12 earned finalist consideration for its Web-based Encore IEP Service Assurance product, a unique audit-defensible mechanism to reconcile services provided against prescribed services by documenting all pertinent services provided to a student based on the prescription in the IEP.
“We are honored to be a finalist for such a prestigious award and to once again be recognized by the education industry as a leader in providing educators with the essential tools that are needed for student success,” said Jim Marshall, president and CEO of Spectrum K12 School Solutions. “This award recognizes our commitment to provide the most effective management tools that individualize the learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions.”
"Competition is tough this year and that makes selection as a CODiE Finalist a real achievement," said Ken Wash, SIIA president. "All the companies on this year’s list should feel justifiably proud of their recognition."
For a list of finalists, visit http://www.siia.net/codies/2008/finalists.asp
About SIIA
The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to more than 800 leading software and information companies. For further information, visit www.siia.net.
About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

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Spectrum K12 and Horn, Smith, Wood & Preston Honor First Woman Commissioner of Education in Texas

Towson, MD., 02/14/2008-Dr. Shirley Neely, former Texas Commissioner of Education and longtime Texas educator, was honored at the Women of Educational Distinction Awards February 13, 2008 in Dallas, Texas. The award ceremony, “Ladies Tributes” is sponsored by Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc., the nation’s leading provider of special education and IEP management software and Horn, Smith, Wood & Preston, by Texas Superintendent Consulting firm. 
Dr. Neely, a Galena Park, Texas resident, was named the first woman Commissioner of Education for the state Texas Governor Rick Perry in 2004. In 2006, Dr. Neely was also inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame for her outstanding work in the field of education. She has been a committed educator of 35 years and a chief advocate for superior schools with a dedicated focus on ensuring all children are taught the necessary skills needed to become lifelong learners.
“We are honored to recognize Dr. Neely - a life long educator, a national public servant and someone who cares deeply about our children,” stated Jim Marshall, President and CEO of Spectrum K12. “She joins a distinguished list of education visionaries who are committed to raising the profile of education and focus on the needs of children in Texas.” 
The annual Women of Educational Distinction Awards honors individuals and organizations that have “reached out” to impact the achievement of all students with an increased focus on helping disadvantaged and at-risk children and families in our nation. 
“Dr. Neely’s educational leadership and enthusiasm is an inspiration to all future Texas leaders,” said Jenny Preston, of Horn, Smith, Wood & Preston. “Her legacy will continue to motivate and guide future women educational leaders of Texas to strive for excellence everyday.” 
About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

Governor Branstad Elected a Director of Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc.

 
TOWSON, MD– February 12, 2008 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. today announced former Iowa Governor Terry E. Branstad has joined the board of directors of Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc.
“Governor Branstad’s experience is extensive and impressive. We are extremely pleased to have the Governor serving on our board. He will bring a keen intellect, strong business acumen, national education experience and fresh perspectives that will serve Spectrum K12 and our shareholders well,” said Spectrum K12 CEO, Jim Marshall.

Governor Branstad, President of Des Moines University since 2003, currently leads the nation’s second oldest osteopathic medical college. He served four consecutive terms as Governor of Iowa, from 1983-1999. When elected, he was the youngest governor in Iowa history; and, when he left office, he was Iowa’s longest-serving governor. On the national level, Governor Branstad served as chairman of the National Governors Association in 1989, leading the efforts of the historic national education summit in Charlottesville, Va. In 1997 he was chairman of the Republican Governors Association and from 1997-1998 he was chairman of the Education Commission of the States where his agenda was “Harnessing technology for teaching and learning.” While in office, Governor Branstad made education a top priority of his administration.

In addition to his efforts in restoring Iowa’s economic stature, he emphasized the need for all children in the state to receive the highest quality education, no matter what their ability and circumstances of birth. He led the effort that built a statewide fiber optics network to provide distance-learning opportunities to every school district, college and university in the state of Iowa.
After leaving the governor’s office in 1999, Governor Branstad established Branstad and Associates, L.C., and became a partner in the firm of Kaufman, Pattee, Branstad & Miller, a public policy firm based in Washington, D.C., with offices in West Des Moines, Denver, Boston, and Las Vegas.
Governor Branstad was appointed by President George W. Bush to chair the President’s Commission for Excellence in Special Education. The commission was charged with studying issues related to federal, state and local special education programs for students and resulted in major recommendations that framed the re-authorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 2004.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

Spectrum K12 Launches Response to Intervention (RTI) Needs Analysis

TOWSON, Md. – January 24, 2008 –Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc., the leading provider of comprehensive data management solutions for special populations in K-12 education today announced the launch of a comprehensive RTI Needs Analysis. Beginning today, school districts can optimize their data as they work to build school and district capacity in core areas associated with improved performance and student achievement.
The Spectrum K12 RTI Needs Analysis features include:

 
• An analysis of district’s current academic interventions implemented for at-risk students.
 
• An analysis of school district’s RtI process, if in place.
 
• Debriefing session, “Interventions Analysis,” with school or district leaders to discuss the findings and how they can be used to plan for effective classroom instruction, professional development, and school improvement.
 
• One day professional development training on “Response to Intervention” that focuses on the specific needs of the schools based on the results of the “Interventions Analysis”.

“The launch of our RTI Needs Analysis service is part of a broader strategy to assist districts decide how to invest their limited educational resources,” said Jim Marshall, CEO, Spectrum K12. “The RTI Needs Analysis has allowed administrators and educators to individualize improvement strategies that will have the greatest impact on classroom learning.”
In addition, Spectrum K12 offers professional development training in how to implement a Response to Intervention model in a school district.
About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

techLEARNING, January 2008

Dr. Douglas Brooks, a professor in the School of Education, Health and Society at Miami University, has joined with Spectrum K12 to develop GrantSuccess - an easy to use, repeatable process that gives school districts an effective way to train personnel to write successful grants.  He provides some grant writing insights, skills and tips for beginners in techLEARNING.

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Spectrum K12 School Solutions Names Director of Channel Management

TOWSON, MD– January 22, 2008 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. today named Joanie Pond Director of Channel Management.  As a member of Spectrum’s Corporate Development team, headed by Vice President Carmi Paris, Pond will be responsible for the strategic growth and supervision of the partner channel to raise the quality of products and services available to the K12 special population community. 

“Joanie is one of the most highly respected and effective managers in the education marketplace today,” Marshall stated. “We are thrilled and honored to have her accept such a key position as we continue to build our incredible foundation of leadership. Joanie will further enhance our ability to partner with other award-winning companies across a complete range of education platforms.”

Pond comes to Spectrum K12 from Microsoft, where she served as the Strategic Account Manager for the largest K12 school districts in the Mid-Atlantic.  Prior to joining Microsoft, Joanie spent over ten years with Apple Computer where her leadership was instrumental in delivering the nation’s largest 1:1 laptop learning initiative in K12 education by partnering with the Henrico County Public Schools in Virginia.

“Joining the team of Spectrum K12 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  I am honored to be chosen to bring the Spectrum K12 solutions to help even more special education and at-risk kids.” said Pond. “I look forward to helping Spectrum K12 continue to excel in both partnership development and in building an incredible team culture. I’m proud and excited to be a part of a company with such a great future.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

Round Rock Independent School District Chose Encore to Manage Programs for Specials Populations

TOWSON, Md. – November 19, 2007 – Round Rock Independent School district, second largest school district in Texas’ Region 13, located outside Austin, Texas, selected Spectrum School Solutions, Inc. to provide a comprehensive, Web-based solution for managing programs for special populations. Round Rock implemented Spectrum School Solutions’ Encore™ program to manage data and individualized education plans (IEPs) for students receiving special services or interventions.

“Our district’s goal is to move to a more technology driven philosophy, so, with this new philosophy in sight, we researched computerized special education programs that would meet our district’s needs and leave behind our old way of completing ARDs (IEPs) by hand,” stated Round Rock ISD’s Director of Special Education Linda Noy. “We also wanted a system that would be easily accessible to our teachers and that would reduce the time they spent on paperwork and ARD (IEP) meetings while increasing their time in the classroom.”

Endorsed by the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE), and designed specifically for the K-12 education market, Encore serves districts with enrollments ranging from 300 to over 300,000 students. Founded in 1994, Spectrum K12 provides school districts with solutions designed to close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students by more effectively managing the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions.

“With Encore, we decreased the number of data clerks we needed to assist with paperwork from 21.5 to 12. Now we do not need as many individuals spending their time checking for complete ARDs (IEPs) and searching for data,” stated Round Rock ISD’s Deputy Superintendent of Instruction Toni Garcia. “We were able to reallocate those staff into positions that can work directly with the students.”

“Being able to align to our state reporting system, PEIMS, was crucial in our selection of Encore. Encore allows us to track and manage student data in a very concise way,” exclaimed Noy. “We also want to make certain that our special education process is in compliance. Encore’s built-in compliance checks prompt the user when something isn’t compliant so it can be corrected. With Encore, we can also build prompts into the system to meet the way we conduct the special education process in our district.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions 
Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and Individualized Education Program (IEP) management software serving approximately 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

Spectrum K12 VP Elected to SIIA Education Board

Washington, DC (Nov. 15, 2007) - The Software & Information Industry Association today announced the new members of its Education Division Board of Directors. Fourteen executives from SIIA member companies will join seven of their peers to provide the ed tech industry with leadership, advocacy, and critical market information.

These executives will represent more than 160 member companies that provide software, digital content and other technologies for educational needs. Eight have been elected to serve two-year terms and six have been appointed to serve one-year terms. As members of the Education Board of Directors, they develop and prioritize the Division’s initiatives and determine the projects, activities and events to be undertaken each year. The newly elected board members serving two-year terms are:

 
• Ellen Bialo, President, Interactive Educational Systems Design, Inc. (IESD)
 
• Todd Brekhus, Vice President, Product Market Management, PLATO Learning
 
• Lil Kellogg, Vice President, Education Networks of America (ENA)
 
• Michael Golden, Vice President, Administration and Planning, Pearson
 
• Scott Kirkpatrick, President, Houghton Mifflin Learning Technology, Houghton Mifflin Company
 
• Carmi Paris, Vice President, Corporate Development, Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc
 
• Farimah Schuerman, Managing Partner, Academic Business Advisors, LLC
 
• Pat Walkington, President, Pat Walkington Education Sales & Marketing

The newly appointed board members serving one year terms are:

 
• Valerie Crawford, Senior Research Scientist, SRI International
 
• Kurt Gerdenich, VP, Director of Development, Cengage Learning
 
• Eileen Lento, Lead K12 Strategist, Intel Corporation
 
• Jeffrey Schultz, Vice President, McGraw Hill Higher Education
 
• Steve Siegel, Group VP, Strategy and Business Development, Follett
 
• Stuart Udell, Chief Executive Officer, Penn Foster (SIIA Board Liaison)

The seven board members serving the second year of their two-year terms are:

 
• Karen Cator, Director, Education Leadership, Apple
 
• Andrew Flanagan, Chief Executive Officer, eSchoolMall
 
• Bridget Foster, Manager, Technology Products, Key Curriculum Press
 
• Midian Kurland, Vice President, Technology and Development, Scholastic Education
 
• Pamela Nelson, General Manager, College Board/Springboard
 
• Mona Westhaver, President and Co-Founder, Inspiration Software, Inc.
 
• Bruce Wilcox, K-12 Strategist, SMARTHINKING

"The Education Division grows stronger each year. The strength of this new board suggests that this growth in membership and participation will continue through 2008," said Ken Wasch, SIIA president.

Karen Billings, SIIA Education Division Vice President, added "Once again, we had a record number of nominations, all of whom would have been excellent additions to the board. I was impressed by the strongest voter turn-out on record and excited by the high level of member involvement in the Education Division. I look forward to working with each member of the new board."

About SIIA
The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to more than 800 leading software and information companies. For further information, visit http://www.siia.net.

About SIIA Education Division 
SIIA’s Education Division serves and represents over 150 member companies that provide software, digital content and other technologies that address educational needs. The Division shapes and supports the industry by providing leadership, advocacy, business development opportunities and critical market information. SIIA provides a neutral business forum for its members to understand business models, technological advancements, market trends, and best practices. With the leadership of the Division Board and collaborative efforts with educators and other stakeholders, the Division undertakes initiatives to enhance the use of educational technology and the success of SIIA members.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Strengthens Technology Team

TOWSON, MD– November 12, 2007 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. today announced that it has named Ram Venkataraman Director of Architecture, Office of the CTO. Venkataraman brings more than 17 years experience as a proven technology architect and innovator. Mr. Venkataraman will be responsible for the overall technology architecture of all Spectrum K12 products.

Most recently, Venkataraman was Director of Product Management at Red Hat and managed the JBoss Enterprise Middleware stack; he was instrumental in helping transform JBoss’s open source projects into enterprise grade platforms. He also drove the creation of the Red Hat Developer’s Program and tooling strategy.
Before that, Venkataraman was CTO of ClearNova, a maker of rapid development tools for Java developers. ClearNova’s ThinkCAP JX product was the first open-source AJAX-based J2EE RAD tool in the marketplace. While at ClearNova, Venkataraman also architected and drove a major solution for Carlson Wagonlit Government Travel to handle travel reservations & billing for the federal government. In his spare time, he co-authored AJAX in Practice.
"Ram is the seasoned technology veteran that is perfectly suited to steer Spectrum K12 to great heights as we provide districts with greater capacity building in core areas associated with improved student achievement and compliance within special education," stated Jim Marshall, CEO of Spectrum K12. "His dedication to and knowledge of state-of-the-art technology will make an immediate impact on improving the educational quality and results for districts dealing with the complexities of special needs and at-risk populations."
Venkataraman said, "Spectrum K12 is dedicated to fostering growth and innovation and we believe we can make a lasting impact on education. It’s this mission that I’m most proud to be a part of and am honored to lead."

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

Deaf Education Program at Texas Woman’s University and Spectrum K12 Solutions Inc. Partner

TOWSON, MD. – October 11, 2007 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc, the leading provider of comprehensive data management solutions for special populations in K-12 education and the Deaf Education Program at Texas Woman’s University today announced that their efforts to train future teachers of the deaf to use Encore to create successful, federally compliant Individual Education Plans (IEP)/ Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) packets has exceeded all expectations.

“Graduates of the deaf education program are now able to enter the teacher workforce prepared to develop effective, legally compliant IEP packets because of their experience with Encore,” stated Dr. Chad Smith, Director of Deaf Education and Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders at TWU. “Encore has provided the TWU Deaf Education teacher preparation faculty the assurance that future deaf education teachers will be able to readily address academic concerns and IEP issues that will arise among their own students,” stated Smith.

In an effort to promote both the IEP development and ARD process, TWU contacted Spectrum K-12 to secure access to the Encore data management system. The plan included teaching the system as a whole, and then using it in various courses in the degree plan. Students were required to review the system, to create appropriate IEP goals, develop appropriate coursework and lesson plans, and to create federally compliant ARD/IEP packets. Encore was also incorporated into Literacy and Deafness, Speech for the Deaf, Language and Deafness, and Parent- Professional Communication courses.

“Helping TWU expand their teacher preparation programs with practical, hands-on training of the IEP/ARD process and compliance using our market leading product, Encore, was the impetus behind this new strategic alliance,” stated Spectrum K12 CEO, Jim Marshall. "Working with TWU is an integral part of Spectrum K12’s ongoing mission to show the next generation of teachers how software like Encore ensures compliance while streamlining the IEP/ARD process so they can focus more time on student achievement.”

TWU and Spectrum K12 both support the significance of graduating truly high quality educators and understand that the process of teacher education has never been greater.

See Dr. Smith’s powerpoint from his presentation at the Deaf Education conference

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving approximately 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

About Encore
Designed specifically for the K-12 education market, Encore helps school districts increase the effectiveness of their programs for all special populations by ensuring compliance, automating time-consuming data collection and reporting processes, and reducing the paperwork burden. The comprehensive, Web-based software solution serves as a foundation for managing all phases of the individualized education plan (IEP) process for both general and special populations. As data is entered, compliance requirements are automatically verified, ensuring that paperwork is completed accurately and on time. As a result, educators can spend more time in the classroom, focusing on improving student learning and achievement. Learn more…

About Texas Woman’s University
Texas Woman’s University occupies a notable position in higher education as the nation’s largest university primarily for women. Its four campuses in Denton, Dallas and Houston are joined by a fifth “e-Learning” campus that offers innovative online degree programs in business, education, and general studies. Six consecutive semesters of enrollment growth have produced a record enrollment of 12,183 students. www.twu.edu

Tennessee’s Disability Coalition on Education Director Named Special Ed Advocate Extraordinaire

Towson, MD., October 18, 2007 –Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc, the leading provider of comprehensive data management solutions for special populations in K-12 education today announced ms. holly lu conan rees as the recipient of their 2007 "Special Education Advocate Extraordinaire Award.”
Her focus and desire to see all students succeed, was recognized today at the Spectrum K12 School Solution award ceremony at the National School Board Association T&L conference in Nashville.
holly lu has been a strong advocate on behalf of families with children with disabilities for nearly two decades. She founded and continues to chair the Tennessee statewide Disability Coalition on Education, and she is also an active member of the “Advocacy For the Rights of Individuals With Disabilities Organization" also known as the Mother’s From Hell organization.
“I am proud to receive this prestigious award but the real star is my son, Samuel. He has been my inspiration since the day he was born 24 years ago with a rare chromosomal anomaly, Ring Chromosome 15,” stated ms. conan rees. “All of us who work with children are constantly presented with challenges that involve informed decision-making, care, and risk. It has been a great privilege to concentrate on meeting those challenges head on, facing the risks together and strengthening informed decisions to ensure that we can improve education for ALL students.”
"holly lu is a passionate ambassador for families and students in special education. We are pleased to honor her commitment and devotion so that all children can reach their fullest potential,” stated Jim Marshall, CEO of Spectrum K12. “I commend holly lu for always questioning and always wrestling to define and redefine endlessly what the word “education” should mean for ALL students.”
About Spectrum K12’s Special Education Advocate Extraordinaire Award
The Special Education Advocate Extraordinaire Award program was created in 2007 as a way for Spectrum K12 to recognize the efforts of non-traditional advocates of families and students involved in special education. Award winners demonstrate an extra measure of commitment as teachers, researchers, community members, parents, public officials, administrators or friends of education who advocate in securing education for every child. Ideally the winner has made a meaningful impact on the awareness and importance of special education through a commitment of time, personal involvement, and passion. For more information go to: http://www.spectrumk12.com/advocate_award
About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

Spectrum K12 Solutions Inc.  Proud Sponsor of the 2007 Intel® Schools of Distinction Award

TOWSON, MD. – October 10, 2007 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc, the leading provider of comprehensive data management solutions for special populations in K-12 education today announced their sponsorship award package for the six winning schools of the 2007 Intel® Schools of Distinction Award. Spectrum K12 joined the Intel Foundation and other sponsors as they honored each school’s extraordinary commitment to educational excellence and innovation.
Spectrum K12 presented their Schools of Distinction Sponsorship Award Package to the recipient schools at the Intel awards gala on October 4, 2007 in Washington, D.C. The Spectrum K12 Award package included:

 
1. The Spectrum K12 Needs Analysis on the effectiveness of each school’s Response to Intervention strategies. 

 
2. Spectrum K12 customized Response to Intervention: from Theory to Practice Professional Development Training.

The winning schools for Mathematics Excellence are Balboa Elementary, San Diego, Sewell Middle School, Bremen, Ga., and Bergen Academies-Hackensack, Hackensack, N.J. The winning schools for Science excellence are Escalante Elementary School, Salt Lake City, Conyers Middle School, Conyers, GA. and Greenhills School, Ann Arbor.
“Spectrum K12 is honored to be a sponsor of the 2007 Intel School(s) of Distinction Awards. The schools that were presented with this prestigious award have worked extremely hard to achieve high academic standards for all students,” states Jim Marshall, CEO of Spectrum K12. “We recognize and commend the winning schools as they understand the tie between school excellence and the desire to have special education, at-risk and ALL students achieve to their ability.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.
To learn more about Intel’s global commitment to education, visit www.intel.com/education. For more information about the Intel Schools of Distinction Awards, visit www.schoolsofdistinction.com.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. Launches Educational Webinar Series

Towson, MD., 09/25/2007 - Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc, provider of the patented, special education and IEP management Encore® software, today announced they have teamed up with nationally recognized education and technology experts to host a dynamic new webinar series. The series is designed to bring lessons learned and real-world best practices to school administrators, teachers, and IT professionals.

"Successful Grant Writing" will kick off the Webinar Series on October 3rd, 2007 at 3:00 PM EST. Presented by expert Dr. Douglas Brooks, tenured full professor within the Department of Teacher Education at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, this webinar will provide an overview of best practices in how to more effectively respond to grant proposals and greatly increase the probability of creating successful grant applications. This webinar will introduce novice and experienced grant writers to a proven, innovative, team-based 4 stage/32 step model for creating successful grant applications. Dr. Brooks has written over $8.5 million in successful technology integration grants for schools across the nation.

The second webinar in the series, “A Special Educator’s Guide to NCLB and State Standards” presented by Cindy Atlas, M Ed Education Solutions Strategist, Spectrum K12 School Solutions will be held on October 16, 2007. This webinar highlights the key role NCLB plays in educating at-risk and special education students today. Educational leaders will take away practical tips for utilizing state standards & high stakes testing data as a guide for instructional change to achieve student success.

“Standards Based Goals, Objectives and Benchmarks,” the third webinar in the series will be hosted by Ginger Sewell, November 28, 2007. Sewell is a Facilitated Individual Education Plan (IEP) trainer with extensive experience in building strong teams while minimizing conflict reduction in special education.

Each webinar is free of charge and will be presented live at 3:00 PM EST. Scheduled to be one hour in length, the sessions will include an interactive Q&A session. To register: www.spectrumk12.com/resources/webinars.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving approximately 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. Secures $5.7M in Expansion Funding

Towson, MD., 09/11/2007 - Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc, provider of Encore® the leading special education and Individualized Education Program (IEP) management software, today announced it has secured an additional round of venture funding led by Updata Partners and Novak Biddle Venture Partners. The funding will be used to accelerate development and marketing of Spectrum K12’s patented, award-winning solutions for K-12 school districts.

Founded in 1994, Spectrum K12 provides school districts with solutions designed to close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students by more effectively managing the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 has received recognition from leading organizations including EdNet and the Software & Information Industry Association and is endorsed by the Council of Administrators of Special Education.

"The market for K-12 education technology solutions is rapidly expanding,” said Roger Novak, General Partner with Novak Biddle. “We are excited about Spectrum K12’s product vision and ability to leverage proven technology to extend their market leadership.”

"With their award-winning solution, strong management team and extensive customer list of leading K-12 districts, Spectrum K12 has a formula for great success," said Tim Meyers, General Partner of Updata. “Expanding marketing and selling efforts will further increase Spectrum K12’s rate of growth and bring the benefits of Spectrum K12’s solutions to an even larger set of school districts and students.”

“We are thrilled Updata and Novak Biddle have validated our view of the market opportunity and Spectrum K12’s leadership position,” Jim Marshall, President and CEO of Spectrum K12 added. “Our long history of delivering value to our customers and our continuous innovation are proof points for why we are the leader in our market. With this investment we are able to expand our product development, sales and marketing so we can help K-12 school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
 Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and Individualized Education Program (IEP) management software serving approximately 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

About Updata Partners 
Based in Reston, Virginia and Edison, New Jersey, Updata Partners is a leading venture capital firm that invests in growth stage information technology companies with innovative intellectual property enabling market-leading products and services. Led by an investment team averaging more than 20 years of operational and private equity experience in the technology industry, we seek investments where the combination of our financial backing and operating expertise will accelerate growth. With over $400 million under management, the firm also selectively provides recapitalization and management buyout financing. For more information, please visit www.updatapartners.com.

About Novak Biddle 
Venture Partners Novak Biddle Venture Partners is a leading early stage venture capital firm focused on unique, cutting-edge technology investments in the Eastern United States, as well as targeted opportunities nationwide. With $580 million under management, Novak Biddle operates five venture funds that currently provide equity financing and management assistance to 42 portfolio companies. Novak Biddle continues to seek business situations where the combination of ideas, dollars, experience, and relationships can create long term, sustainable value. A sampling of companies funded by Novak Biddle include: RFID first-mover Matrics, voice over IP trailblazer Telogy, education technology leader Blackboard Inc. and intelligent video surveillance pioneer ObjectVideo. For more information, visit www.novakbiddle.com.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Names Steve Benfield Chief Technology Officer

TOWSON, MD– August 13, 2007 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. today announced that it has named Steve Benfield Chief Technology Officer. Benfield brings more than 20 years experience as a proven technology visionary, evangelist, architect, and educator. Steve is responsible for product management, technology innovation, and cultivating strategic partnerships.

Most recently, Steve served as CTO of Agentis Software which developed advanced artificial intelligence-based process management systems. Before Agentis, Steve helped establish ClearNova as an early player in the Web 2.0 application development space which led to a successful acquisition by Infor. Steve was also Chief Technology Officer of SilverStream a publicly traded pioneer of Java Application Servers. Steve established SilverStream as a visionary in Web Services and SOA Business Processing resulting in a successful acquisition by Novell. Prior to SilverStream, Steve served in executive management positions for several start-up ventures & IT consultancies.

“Steve is a proven visionary who acts as a catalyst for innovation and the practical application of technology to real-world problems. His dedication to and knowledge of technology is unparalleled at the executive level,” said Jim Marshall, Spectrum K12 CEO. “Spectrum K12 is the market innovator in technology solutions in the area of special education and at-risk populations and Steve will focus his time on specific key strategic initiatives to enhance the company mission. We know that Steve’s expertise will enhance our breakthrough technology offerings that school districts find invaluable.”
Benfield said, "I am very pleased to join the Spectrum K12 team. Spectrum K12 has proven technology solutions that are providing critical functionality to K12 school districts. I’m excited about the possibilities for innovation and growth centered on applying technology and dynamic process automation to enable schools to more effectively manage the needs of special education and at-risk populations."

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions 

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

ENCORE!® from Spectrum K12 School Solutions Earns Schools Interoperability Framework Certification

TOWSON, Md. – July 25, 2005 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions, the leading provider of comprehensive management solutions for special populations in K-12 education, today announced that ENCORE!® has achieved Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) Certification for release 1.5r1 of the SIF specification, the most current standard against which products may be certified.

The SIF Certification program is a voluntary program of the Schools Interoperability Framework Association (SIFA). SIFA is a nonprofit organization that brings together software vendors, school districts, state departments of education and other organizations in the K-12 education market to develop protocol and data specifications that ensure disparate software applications can seamlessly share data. SIFA established the SIF Certification program to provide accessible third-party documentation of an application agent’s compliance with the standard.

To achieve SIF Certification, Spectrum K12 School Solutions completed a multi-step process that involved performing development and quality assurance testing; completing a conformance statement describing ENCORE! and the way in which it meets the conformance requirements; registering ENCORE! for certification; performing formal testing; and undergoing an audit by the Open Group, SIFA’s third-party certification authority.

“The ability to seamlessly exchange data among diverse applications is becoming more and more important to school districts as their use of technology grows. In our work with districts across the country, we have found that ENCORE!’s ability to seamlessly interface with their student information system was a key consideration in their selection of ENCORE!,” said Nathan Day, director of product management for Spectrum K12 School Solutions. “ENCORE!’s compliance with the SIF 1.5r1 standard provides districts with another option for eliminating redundant data entry and ensuring that their applications share critical student-related data in a timely and effective manner.”

According to Day, the use of an application such as ENCORE! that adheres to the SIF standard results in less up-front customization to achieve interoperability between multiple applications, as well as in improved data accuracy. “In short,” he said, “ENCORE! now provides school districts with one more way to reduce administrative burdens while improving access to student information. The result is more time to focus on students and learning.”

SIF Certification is valid for a period of 12 months.

About ENCORE!

Designed specifically for the K-12 education market, ENCORE! helps school districts increase the effectiveness of their programs for all special populations by automating time-consuming data collection and reporting processes, and reducing the paperwork burden. The comprehensive, Web-based software solution serves as a foundation for managing all phases of the individualized education plan (IEP) process for both general and special populations. As data is entered, compliance requirements are automatically verified, ensuring that paperwork is completed accurately and on time. As a result, educators can spend more time in the classroom, focusing on improving student learning and achievement.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions
Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of comprehensive management solutions for special populations. Building upon its deep expertise in special education, 4GL helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions, including special education, at-risk, Section 504 and Limited English Proficient (LEP) students.

4GL works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the immense burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. Focused solely on K-12 education, 4GL’s proven, data-driven solutions help districts reduce paperwork, increase efficiency, improve staff morale and retention, increase revenue recovery, eliminate compliance issues, reduce unnecessary referrals to special education, and support successful achievement of individualized education plan (IEP) goals.

Founded in 1996, Spectrum K12 School Solutions is based in Towson, Md. For more information, visit www.4glschools.com or call 1-800-490-84GL (8445).

Education Industry Association, December 2006

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District Administration, June 2006

By Pamela Wheaton Shorr

Thirty years ago, Congress announced that more than half of American children with disabilities were not receiving appropriate educational services. Today, American schools have a world-class system for differentiating instruction for all students, regardless of cognitive, emotional or physical limitations. That’s quite an accomplishment, and something about which educators should be proud.

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Scholastic Administrator, January 2006

By Walter G. Amprey

In today’s economic climate, technology can be a tough sell. Educators tend to view tech expenditures as yet another operating expense that squeezes more money from strained budgets and heaps more work on already overworked staff. In the corporate world, on the other hand, technology is viewed as an investment that will pay for itself and possibly improve revenues by replacing inefficient systems and increasing productivity.

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School Business Affairs, November 2005

This article originally appeared in the November 2005 School Business Affairs magazine and is reprinted with permission of the Association of School Business Officials International (www.asbointl.org). The text herein does not necessarily represent the views or policies of ASBO International, and use of this imprint does not imply any endorsement or recognition by ASBO International and its officers or affiliates.

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The Heller Reports, September 2005

DENVER (Sept. 13, 2005) - The Heller Reports, a QED company and leading provider of education market news and events, today announced the EdNET 2005 Industry Award recipients. The finalists and winners were honored for their positive work in education at a luncheon ceremony today during the 17th Annual EdNET Conference at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla in San Diego.

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AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice, September 2005

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District Administration, June 2005

By Lisa Fratt

Quick—think special education. The typical district leader groans at high costs, paperwork and inefficiency. The assessment is frighteningly accurate, but a few districts are bucking the status quo by embracing technology.

Special education can eat districts alive, confirms Clark Easter, founder and chairman of 4GL School Solutions, Inc. It devours 20 percent to 25 percent of the average district’s budget with only 11 percent to 12 percent of students. Many special education teachers spend nearly half of the day buried under piles of paper. Inequitable resource allocation, staff burnout and turnover and near-zealous focus on compliance rather than instruction further complicate the scene.

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Spectrum K12 School Solutions Names Carmi Paris Vice President of Corporate Development

TOWSON, MD– July 10, 2007 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. today announced that it has named Carmi Paris Vice President of Corporate Development. She brings to the company and its customers more than a decade of leadership in education technology. At Spectrum K12, Paris will expand collaborative partnerships and strategic alignments with corporations and other organizations committed to educational excellence for all students.

Paris began her career as a science teacher and high school track coach. With the advent of classroom technology, Paris pioneered curriculum development for at-risk youth, creating a web-based program called “I AM, WE ARE” (IAWA) that helped students develop goals and objectives to celebrate their ethnicity and cultural diversity. This drew Paris towards her current work in educational technology and in developing and educating the whole child, one who is engaged, healthy and academically challenged. Before joining Spectrum K12, Paris spent the past decade working with Riverdeep and then SchoolNet as national director of business development for both companies.

"Carmi brings a wealth of experience to her role with Spectrum K12,” said Jim Marshall, Spectrum K12 CEO. “Her proven ability to develop and manage partnerships will be an important part of Spectrum K12’s expansion into current and new markets. Her leadership ability and commitment to help narrow the achievement gaps for all students and enhance teaching proficiencies will impact our entire team and our valued customers.”

Paris said, “I am honored and pleased to join Spectrum K12’s outstanding team. Working to level the playing field for special populations—including special needs and at-risk students—has always been an area of education close to my heart. I have every confidence that, with the outstanding solution that Spectrum K12 offers, we will continue to lead the industry in helping school districts across America do an outstanding job managing the critical needs of these populations.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Names Two Education Industry Leaders to its Team

TOWSON, MD– June 27, 2007 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. today announced that it has named Dr. Searetha Smith-Collins as vice president education strategist and Jodie Butler as vice president of government relations.

Smith-Collins is a lifelong educator and businesswoman. Before joining Spectrum K12, she was senior education consultant for Promethean, Inc. and president of SEA-S Consultants. For more than 37 years, she has worked in a variety of positions in education and leadership, from teacher to principal, from curriculum and reading specialist to curriculum executive director and as deputy/associate superintendent and chief academic officer in large urban and suburban school districts. She was also manager of strategic initiatives at Apple Computer, Inc., and executive vice president of Syfr Corporation.

Smith-Collins holds a doctorate degree in policy, governance, and administration and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Washington, Seattle, and a BE degree in English and education from Seattle University. She is an accomplished author, a sought-after education consultant and popular keynote speaker.

Butler’s experience includes leadership roles in state government, education, a computer technology company, nonprofit organizations, and statewide education associations. In the 1990s, Butler, a former teacher, served as the Iowa governor’s education policy director for five years, helping him initiate innovative technology programs for Iowa schools.

She also served as the governor’s representative at the National Education Summit during the creation of Achieve, a public-private organization aimed at improving the quality and rigor of public schools. Butler represented the National Governor’s Association on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) during its 2000 study and helped prepare recommendations authorized by the National Assessment Governing Board. Butler was also a manager of state-level initiatives and key accounts at Apple Computer and has managed her own consulting firm. She is a graduate of Wayne State College and holds a masters degree from the University of Iowa.

“Searetha and Jodie add considerable skills and experience to Spectrum K12’s established leadership in education and education technology,” said Jim Marshall, CEO. “Their backgrounds include a wide range of strengths in solving education problems on the local, regional and national levels. We’re very excited to welcome them aboard.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

Clayton County (GA) Public School System Chooses Spectrum K12 School Solutions

TOWSON, MD– June 19, 2007 – The Clayton County Public School System, which comprises 61 schools and nearly 51,000 students in Georgia, has adopted the use of Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc.’s special education IEP management software product ENCORE!®.

According to county special education administrators, ENCORE will provide Clayton with a powerful and effective system of administrative reporting and tracking for students who need special services. ENCORE! helps districts dramatically improve special education management by eliminating mistakes in IEP compliance, saving training time, eliminating duplicate data entry, providing ease of access to centralized information and – ultimately – saving hundreds of dollars per student.

Tamera Foley, director of special education for secondary schools and Brenda Keegan, director of special education for elementary schools, said ENCORE will significantly increase the system’s capability. Said Foley, “Clayton County selected ENCORE because no other special education IEP management software provides the accountability, ease of use and accessibility to data that we need. ENCORE’s automatic compliance checking and reporting will virtually eliminate manual verification of IEPs. ENCORE will also provide us with instantaneous access to more and better data that, among other things, will help us optimize our caseloads. With the data and reminders that ENCORE provides, we will be able to increase compliance in all areas.”

Keegan said, “Since ENCORE is web-based, our teachers will be able to access data from anywhere while also letting multiple team members collaboratively work on a single IEP.” She added, “It is reassuring to our teachers that – even with all of its powerful features – ENCORE is so easy to use. Our teachers can focus on teaching, not technology.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving nearly 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Names Chuck Amos Executive Vice President of Field Sales Operations

TOWSON, MD– June 13, 2007 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. today announced that it has named Chuck Amos executive vice president of field sales operations. Amos brings to Spectrum K12 nearly 15 years of experience in the education market.

Before joining Spectrum K12, Amos served as CEO of Atomic Learning where he refined and enhanced the organizational structure, product development methodology, business planning processes, budgeting processes and sales programs that resulted in significant year-over-year growth every year since joining the company in 2003. Also, under his leadership, the company experienced significant decrease in time-to-market, growth in new markets such as international and higher education and significant growth in its worldwide customer base. Amos will continue as chairman of the board of Atomic Learning. Prior to Atomic Learning, Amos spent eight years with Apple Computer where he was regional manager for the central U.S. Throughout his long career Amos has been committed to assisting schools with a wide range of technology related needs including hardware, software, networking and training solutions.

“Chuck’s track record in the K-12 education technology market shows that he is a strong, results-driven executive,” said Jim Marshall, CEO of Spectrum K12. “His ability to organize and drive a field team to success and his experience working with decision makers at all levels of the education market from districts to state, federal and various international education ministry levels will be an asset to our entire team and to our customers.”
“I am extremely excited about my move to Spectrum K12,” said Chuck Amos. “Spectrum K12 is a company on the move and the team Jim Marshall, Spectrum K12 CEO has assembled is absolutely top-notch. Spectrum K12’s industry-leading solutions take a huge burden off schools and help schools effectively and efficiently manage the critical needs of special education and at-risk students. This is an essential area for schools and I am extremely excited to work with the industry leader in the market to serve the needs of special education administrators, teachers, students and parents.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving almost 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

School Districts in U.S. in Early Adopter Stage for Response to Intervention (RTI) Says Spectrum K12

TOWSON, MD– April 25, 2007 – Only 2% of school districts in the U.S. have fully adopted the use of Response to Intervention (RTI) while 22 % are in the process of district-wide implementation and another 20% are piloting RTI and determining whether to adopt it, according to a survey recently conducted by Spectrum K12 School Solutions.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004 provides school districts with the option of using a response to intervention model for early intervention for students experiencing difficulties. Using RTI can help districts identify students with learning disabilities sooner than they would otherwise and can help prevent students who do not have special needs from being mistakenly enrolled in such programs. IDEA 2004 authorizes up to 15% of IDEA funds to be used to provide services to students before they are identified with a disability.

Spectrum K12 found that among the school districts that responded to the survey, RTI has been implemented or will be implemented for reading (52%), math (24%), behavior (20%), writing (15%) and language (13%). In the majority of districts, RTI was initiated by the special education team with implementation championed by special education in 52% of the districts and by general education in the remaining 48%.

The Spectrum K12 School Solutions survey on RTI adoption was administered via a web-based survey between February 22 and March 26, 2007. Respondents were all district administration personnel (primary titles included RTI director, special education director, assistant superintendent). 41% of survey respondents work in districts with 2,500-5,000 enrollment, 15% in districts with 5,000-10,000 enrollment, 17% with 10,000-20,000 enrollment and 24% with more than 20,000 enrollment.

“Our recently completed survey provides unique visibility into how quickly, to what extent, and in what areas RTI is being adopted by school districts,” said Jim Marshall, CEO of Spectrum K12. “With this survey, Spectrum K12 continues its leadership in providing K-12 districts with information and solutions for managing students receiving special services or interventions.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, Md., Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information and to download a copy of the Response to Intervention (RTI) Adoption Survey report visit www.spectrumK12.com.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Names Jim Marshall CEO

TOWSON, MD– March 15, 2007 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. today announced that it has named Jim Marshall CEO of the company. Marshall brings more than 30 years of enterprise-focused experience helping to lead high technology companies such as Apple and Oracle to profitability and market growth.

Spectrum K12 provides the industry’s benchmark special education software. Its ENCORE!® suite of products serves districts with enrollments of 250 through those exceeding 250,000 students. Designed expressly for the K-12 education market, its powerful benefits and ease of use help school districts more effectively manage the individualized education process (IEP) for students receiving special services or intervention.

Before joining Spectrum K12, Marshall was CEO of Agentis Software where he led the company through venture funding, a management buyout while driving several large new sales transactions. Prior to Agentis, Marshall was vice president of named accounts at FileNet where he created, deployed and managed a mid-market plan and unit for the corporation. Prior to that assignment, Marshall was vice president of Apple’s US Education Division, leading the overall education effort at Apple. This unit of Apple accounted for approximately 25% of the company’s annual revenues.

Marshall has also held executive positions at Informix, NeoMedia Technologies, Tandem Computers and Unisys. He has extensive experience in helping technology companies build and develop accomplished management, sales, marketing, professional services and channels teams.
“The chance to join the Spectrum K12 team is truly exceptional,” said Marshall. “Spectrum K12 is the industry leader and is dramatically changing the way K-12 school districts manage the special education and IEP process to eliminate special education compliance issues and achieve adequate yearly progress. I am thrilled to have an opportunity to play a leading role in such an innovative and impactful company.”

Marshall has received public recognition from the Governors of Michigan, Maine and Florida for his work in those states. He has been an active member of the Cobb County (Georgia) Education Foundation, where he has worked to help raise funds and drive awareness programs for the counties school system and has been recognized by the state school system of Georgia for his contributions. He was also a Director for the Florida Council on Economic Education that is charted with teaching fundamental finance and business concepts to high school students.

He holds a B.A., Management and General Sciences from the University of South Florida.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, Md., Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

Folsom Cordova Unified School District Chooses Spectrum K12 School Solutions

TOWSON, MD– February 28, 2007 – Seeking to create a more powerful and effective system of administrative reporting and tracking for students who need special services, Folsom Cordova Unified School District in California has adopted the use of Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc.’s special education IEP management software product ENCORE!® California. Folsom Cordova had been primarily paper-based and entering special education IEP and reporting data by hand. Spectrum K12’s ENCORE! software will provide Folsom Cordova with a solution that provides better compliancy, improved data integrity and management as well as a real-time system that will streamline and manage the entire workflow process. ENCORE! helps school systems dramatically improve special education management by eliminating mistakes in IEP compliance, saving training time, eliminating duplicate data entry, providing ease of access to centralized information and – ultimately – saving of hundreds of dollars per student.

Maureen Burness, Folsom Cordova’s assistant superintendent of student support services, said, “We wanted a system that would streamline our operations and give us the ability to much more accurately capture and report special education data. ENCORE! is a very robust system that is easy to implement and teacher friendly. That was important to us because we wanted it up and running by the 07-08 school year.”

Dr. Kelly J. Calhoun, Folsom Cordova’s director of Educational Technology & Information Systems, said, “In order to best serve our students with special needs, we need all that data and information we’ve gathered in the hands of the right people, when they need it, and where they need it. ENCORE! is designed to help us accomplish that goal. It’s designed to be sophisticated enough to keep track of the myriad of compliance requirements, but simple to use for our staff. Complete, seamless integration between ENCORE! and our student information system was another major reason we selected Spectrum K12. Eliminating redundant data entry will immediately reduce the time to complete IEPs, giving our teachers more time to focus on improving student achievement.”

“We are excited that Folsom Cordova has joined the expanding community of California districts using Spectrum K12’s ENCORE! special education and IEP management software,” said Jim Hermens, vice president of product management at Spectrum K12. “Folsom Cordova’s selection of Spectrum K12 after a comprehensive review of available solutions is a strong vote of confidence in our products, support services, and our team.”

About Folsom Cordova Unified School District

Folsom Cordova comprises 18,000 students in 30 schools—19 elementary schools, four middle schools, two high schools (with a third about to open), two continuation high schools, adult education and other service centers. It encompasses an area northeast of downtown Sacramento and includes the cities of Folsom and Rancho Cordova.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, Md., Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit www.spectrumK12.com.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. Teams Up with Tyler Technologies, Inc.

TOWSON, MD- January 23, 2007 - Teachers, administrators and school district staff across the country will now have seamless access to student data in real time thanks to a new alliance between Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc and Tyler Technologies, Inc (NYSE:TYL). The comprehensive Web-based package will track grades, schedules, attendance, billing, service programs, discipline information and other important data.

Districts will benefit by having a fully integrated solution through a single best-of-breed vendor. Seamless integration between Spectrum and Tyler’s Education Management Solution guarantees current and accurate data-100% compliance that is critical for state reporting-in both systems, without duplicate data entry. This will save time for teachers, administrators and IT staff regardless of which system generated or recorded the information. Also, it will help schools raise student achievement while fulfilling accountability requirements set by NCLB.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc., provides the industry’s benchmark special education software. Its ENCORE!® suite of products serves districts with enrollments of 250 through those exceeding 250,000 students. Designed specifically for the K-12 education market, its powerful benefits and ease of use help school districts more effectively manage the individualized education process for students receiving special services or intervention. Spectrum and Tyler have more than two decades of combined experience in providing software solutions to school districts across the country and have established long-term relationships with their customers.

"Enabling school districts to adopt a full suite of services will cut even further the time, costs and efforts involved in carrying out administrative duties," said Scott Cary, Spectrum K12 vice president of marketing. "Tyler is one of the great industry leaders in providing solutions to K-12 school districts and we are excited to team up with them for the benefit of teachers, administrators and district staff."

Tyler’s Education Management Solution (TEMS) is a feature-rich, scalable solution for any size school, district, or state-wide education system. With Tyler Education Management, clients can meet state and federal reporting requirements, increase productivity and communication, and easily track student and staff information-online, and within one fully-integrated system. This system includes student registration, health and immunization, scheduling, grading, attendance, discipline, testing and assessment, reporting, staff management, transportation, and a parent portal.

"This really rounds out Tyler’s ability to deliver a fully integrated system that includes our financial management and student information system, and now the country’s leading special education management system," stated Gary Dube, Tyler’s Education Management Solutions national sales manager. "Few companies have had more success in the education software market than Tyler and Spectrum K12."

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, Md., Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement.

About Tyler Technologies, Inc.

Based in Dallas, Tyler Technologies is a leading provider of end-to-end information management solutions and services to local governments. Tyler partners with clients to make local government more accessible to the public, more responsive to needs of citizens, and more efficient. Tyler’s client base includes nearly 6,000 local government offices throughout all 50 states, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. Forbes Magazine named Tyler one of the "200 Best Small Companies" in America in 2004. More information about Tyler Technologies can be found at www.tylertech.com.

Northern and Central Indiana School Cooperatives Choose Spectrum K12 School Solutions

TOWSON, MD– January 16, 2007 – Two major Indiana school cooperatives have chosen Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc.’s special education management software product ENCORE!® to handle administrative reporting and tracking for students in all of their districts who need special services.

The Elkhart County Special Education Cooperative (ECSEC), which is made up of six districts—Baugo, Concord, Fairfield, Goshen, Middlebury and Wa-Nee Community Schools—is in the northern part of the state. It comprises 34 elementary, secondary and high schools. The other organization is the RISE Special Services Cooperative in central Indiana, serving 41 schools in four districts including Beech Grove City and the townships of Perry, Decatur and Franklin.

Both cooperatives chose Spectrum K12’s ENCORE! to help them more effectively manage the special education process for students receiving special services or interventions so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. ENCORE! helps schools dramatically improve special education management by eliminating mistakes in IEP compliance, saving training time, eliminating duplicate data entry, providing ease of access to centralized information and – ultimately – saving of hundreds of dollars per student.

“We chose Spectrum K12 for many reasons,” said Mary Beth Hamilton, ECSEC’s director of special education. “Most of all, we found it to be more comprehensive than any of the other programs we looked at. It is also teacher friendly and visually compatible with what we are already using, so it is easier for teachers to learn. The end result will be that we will be able to improve the way in which we serve our students. That is the main value to us.”

Bill Dreibelbis, director of RISE Special Services, said, “We have been using a paper-based IEP data collection process, with some teachers using an older electronic template of the IEP form, where the forms come to the cooperative’s office from our schools and districts. Data must be entered by hand into the state’s CODA reporting system. This dual entry of data has been very frustrating and time consuming to us and is one of the key reasons we selected ENCORE!. Spectrum K12’s web based, centralized software application and database offers improved efficiency and accuracy, while maintaining confidentiality. This will permit teachers, administrators, and central personnel to save time and resources that can be better used in assisting student achievement.”

Dreibelbis said that another factor in RISE’s decision is the tracking ability that ENCORE! provides regarding general education intervention and progress monitoring. Should a referral to special education be required, the data is already logged and available to staff involved. He said, “This will be an advantage for our teachers and providers.”

“A major factor for both cooperatives is that ENCORE! captures student and teacher certification data directly supporting Indiana state CODA reporting requirements,” said Jim Hermens, vice president of product management at Spectrum K12. “This will allow the cooperatives to provision files that provide data necessary for CODA reporting, allowing the districts to in-turn, directly upload data to CODA.” He added, “The choice of Spectrum K12 by both Elkhart and RISE is a strong vote of confidence in our products, support services and our team. We’re excited to work with both organizations.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, Md., Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc., Announces Addition of Three Executives to its Team

TOWSON, MD– January 9, 2007 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc., a special education software company helping school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions, today announced the addition of three new executives to its team. The new executives are Scott Cary, vice president of marketing; Don Fabricant, executive vice president of sales; and James Hermens, vice president of product management.

“Spectrum K12 has become the standard by which other special education software products are judged,” said Lou Pugliese, Spectrum K12 chairman of the board. “Scott, Don and Jim bring to our team and our customers years of hard-won accomplishments in marketing, sales and product management. We’re excited to welcome them aboard.”

Cary has more than 20 years of experience in product management and marketing in the technology industry, and has led more than 50 product launches. Prior to joining Spectrum K12, he founded the Product Management Institute where, for 10 years, he helped organizations transform product management into product performance. He also led marketing organizations at Legent, Best Software and British Telecom. Scott holds a B.S. in systems engineering with a concentration in management information systems from the University of Virginia.

Fabricant leads the national sales team in selling the full suite of products including ENCORE® and professional development training. Prior to joining Spectrum K12, he was senior vice president of sales for Thomson Learning’s career and professional group division. He was responsible for sales strategy and results across all education markets. Fabricant received his bachelor’s degree from Tufts University, and is a cum laude graduate of the Babson Graduate School of Business where he received his M.B.A. degree.

Hermens leads product management of the complete product line including the innovative ENCORE® product suite. Prior to joining Spectrum K12, he served as senior vice president of global services at Blackboard Inc., a leading provider of e-Education enterprise software applications and services. Prior to Blackboard, Hermens served as a managing director with Hollinger Digital and with Laureate Education (formerly Sylvan Learning Systems) as vice president of operations for Laureate International Universities, implementing emerging educational and business strategies among the company’s initial university network of institutions in Latin America and Europe. Hermens earned a B.S. with honors from Princeton University and an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, Md., Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the special education process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. Partners with Edustructures

TOWSON, MD and SALT LAKE CITY, UT – December 14, 2006 – School systems across the country that use Spectrum K12 School Solutions to manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions will have a more seamless integration of instructional, administrative and communication tools thanks to a new business partnership between Spectrum K12 and Edustructures.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all K-12 students receiving special services or interventions. Edustructures is the leading provider of Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF®) solutions for the K–12 education market.

The companies will be working together to bring a more comprehensive, SIF-compliant special education data management solution to districts and educational service centers based on Spectrum K12’s ENCORE! and Edustructures SIFWorks integration platform.

SIF is a leading industry standard, based on a robust technical specification, which enables diverse education software solutions to interact and share data efficiently, reliably, and securely regardless of the platform. SIF increases the value of school districts’ technology investments, allowing them to integrate new software and online tools into the ones they are already using. A single investment in SIF infrastructure provides interoperability across all SIF compliant software solutions resulting in greater effectiveness and significant cost savings.

“This partnership between market leaders—Spectrum K12 in special education software and Edustructures, the top SIF-based solution provider—will give our customers the greatest flexibility and power to use technology tools most effectively,” said Scott Cary, vice president of marketing for Spectrum K12 School Solutions.

“As more districts and state education agencies adopt SIF for data interoperability, we’re seeing a growing demand for the integration of special education data via SIF,” said Steve Curtis, CEO of Edustructures. “We’re pleased that our partnership with Spectrum K-12 will allow both companies to better respond to the needs of educators.”

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, Md., Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement.

About Edustructures

Edustructures is the recognized leader in SIF integration solutions for the K-12 education market, making it possible for market-leading solutions to reliably and securely share data in real-time. Through its SIFWorks® integration platform, comprehensive professional services and business relationships with technology providers and educators, Edustructures connects the systems that power education. For more information about Edustructures, please visit www.edustructures.com.

Denver Public Schools Selects Encore! from Spectrum K12 School Solutions

TOWSON, Md. – November 14, 2006 – Denver Public Schools (DPS) has selected ENCORE!® from Spectrum K12 School Solutions to provide a comprehensive, Web-based solution for managing its special education program. The district, which serves approximately 75,000 students across 151 schools, joins several Colorado districts — including St. Vrain Valley School District, Cherry Creek School District, and the South Central BOCES — in implementing the award-winning ENCORE! solution to manage all phases of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process for special populations.

“Previously, our teachers created IEPs using a ‘home-grown’ software program that was installed on individual computers throughout the district. The program was rarely networked and was never available on the Web. Paper copies of the IEPs were created at meetings and sent to the central office. Once received, salient pieces of the paper documents were manually entered into the districts’ student information system. This process was staff intensive and did not adequately manage the increasing demands for student data," said Lisa Bernadett, director of operations for student services at Denver Public Schools.

"We were looking for a more robust, yet efficient, system that would streamline the management of IEP paperwork, guide our teachers gently through an IEP meeting, while tracking and making available the data we need for reporting,” Bernadett said. “The people at Spectrum K12 focus exclusively on special education. They know the complexities inherent in the process, and have built a solution that will save our teachers time, and allow them more time to deliver quality instruction while increasing the quality of the collected data.”

Designed specifically for the K-12 education market, ENCORE! helps school districts increase the effectiveness of their programs for special populations by automating time-consuming data collection and reporting processes, and reducing the paperwork burden. As data are entered, compliance requirements are automatically verified, ensuring that paperwork is completed accurately and on time. As a result, educators can spend more time in the classroom, focusing on improving student learning and achievement.

“Coupled with our dedication to student achievement, the Denver Public Schools is committed to compliance with special education law,” said Bernadett. “So, one of the main reasons we selected ENCORE! was its built-in compliance engine. It prompts the user when data entered into the system aren’t compliant so the data can be corrected before the completion of the IEP meeting. With ENCORE! we can also build prompts into the program and customize it to match the unique processes we have implemented in Denver. We conducted a thorough review of all available products, and there is no question that ENCORE! is by far the superior solution.”

About Denver Public Schools

While its roots can be traced to 1859, when the city was founded, the Denver Public Schools was officially created in 1902 when voters approved a constitutional amendment that created the City and County of Denver. Today, the district is widely recognized as one of the best urban school systems in the country. Under the direction of Superintendent, Michael Bennet and Chief Academic Officer, Jaime Aquino, the DPS embraced the Denver Plan which outlines the revitalization of this urban school district and delineates the changes required in its relentless pursuit of student achievement.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, Md., Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from educational professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement.

Jim Hermens Joins Spectrum K12 School Solutions As Vice President Of Product Management

TOWSON, MD. – Oct. 3, 2006 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc., the leading provider of comprehensive management solutions for special populations in K-12 education, today announced that Jim Hermens has been appointed vice president, product management. In this position, Hermens will oversee all product management activities, including future releases of the ENCORE!® suite of software and service solutions for special populations in K-12 education. Hermens will report directly to Spectrum K12 President and CEO Allison Duquette.

“Spectrum K12’s mission is to provide K-12 schools with the foundation for managing all phases of the IEP process for special populations so that educators can spend less time on paperwork and more time in the classroom focusing on improving student learning and performance,” said Duquette. “The addition of Jim to our senior management team will ensure that Spectrum K12’s record of innovative, market leading solutions continues to uniquely serve educators’ needs.”

"I am tremendously excited to be joining the market leading provider of software applications and professional development for teachers and administrators of special populations. Spectrum K12’s record of product innovation has been recognized by its customers and industry leaders alike. The combination of innovative products and a customer base ranging from districts of 250 to over 250,000 students perfectly positions Spectrum K12 for further expansion and rapid growth,” said Jim Hermens.

Most recently Hermens served as Senior Vice President, Global Services at Blackboard Inc., a leading provider of e-Education enterprise software applications and services. In that position he oversaw a considerable broadening and growth of the training, hosting and consulting solutions offered in support of higher education and K-12 deployments of Blackboard’s software solutions.

Prior to Blackboard, Hermens served as a managing director with Hollinger Digital, the venture capital arm of Sun Times Media Group (formerly Hollinger International), and with Laureate Education (formerly Sylvan Learning Systems). At Laureate, Hermens served as Vice President, Operations for Laureate International Universities, implementing emerging educational and business strategies among the company’s initial university network of institutions in Latin America and Europe.

Hermens holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from Princeton University and an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School. An Air Force and Desert Storm war veteran, Hermens served as a White House military social aide for Presidents Bush (41) and Clinton.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, Md., Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Partners with Software Answers

TOWSON, MD. – Sept. 12, 2006 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. the leading provider of comprehensive management solutions for special populations in K-12 education and Software Answers, Inc., the leader in comprehensive solutions for monitoring student progress in a standards-based world, today announced a partnership designed to provide school districts with Spectrum K12’s market-leading ENCORE! solution. For those districts or educational service centers with a strong need for a comprehensive special education data management solution, Software Answers will refer customers to Spectrum K12’s ENCORE! solution.

“Software Answers is excited to partner with Spectrum K12 School Solutions, the market leader in special education data management. Spectrum K12 is known for helping school districts eliminate compliance issues, reduce paperwork, increase efficiency, and improve staff morale and retention,” said Paul Chaffee, founder and President of Software Answers, Inc.

Formally endorsed by the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) and named a finalist for the EdNET 2006 Pioneer Award, Spectrum K12’s ENCORE! is a web-based software solution that serves as a foundation for managing all phases of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process for special populations. In addition, Spectrum K12 also offers professional development training courses to meet the needs of all K-12 educators and administrators.

Spectrum K12’s ENCORE! is an award-winning, web-based solution suite. ENCORE! uses effective business practices and proven data and process management systems to help districts eliminate compliance issues, reduce the administrative paperwork burden, increase efficiency and revenue recovery, improve staff morale, ensure accountability, automate Medicaid claims processing, and support successful achievement of individual education program goals — directly and positively impacting student learning.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, Md., Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement.

About Software Answers, Inc.

Based in Akron OH., Software Answers, Inc. helps K-12 school districts more efficiently track and report student progress in both a traditional and standards-based educational environment. Software Answers software product ProgressBookTM is a web based grade book, lesson plan and parent access system integrated into one comprehensive solution.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Names New Vice President of Sales

TOWSON, MD. – Sept. 6, 2006 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc., the leading provider of comprehensive management solutions for special populations in K-12 education, has named Don Fabricant as executive vice president of sales. Fabricant comes to Spectrum K12 from another K-12 market leader, Thomson Learning, where he spent the past 15 years in executive level sales positions in various Thomson divisions.

"Spectrum K12’s field force is known for helping school districts master the complexity of managing special populations so teachers can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. Maintaining such a reputation requires outstanding leadership skills and an in-depth knowledge of the K-12 marketplace. Don is clearly the ideal person for this position," said Allison L. Duquette, president and CEO of Spectrum K12 School Solutions.

"I am tremendously excited to be joining the market leading provider of software applications and professional development for teachers and administrators of special populations. The strength of Spectrum K12’s product and scope of its customer base ranging from districts of 250 to over 250,000 students perfectly positions Spectrum K12 for further expansion and rapid growth,” said Don Fabricant.

Fabricant joined Thomson Course Technology in December 1991 as the national sales manager for institutional sales. Over the years he was promoted to various senior management positions including vice president of channel sales, senior vice president of the corporate training strategic market group, and executive vice president of global sales.

Most recently, Fabricant was senior vice president of sales for Thomson Learning’s career and professional group division. In that position he was responsible for the sales strategy and results across all education markets, including the two- and four-year college, vocation/technical, career ed and school markets.

Fabricant received his bachelor’s degree from Tufts University, and is a cum laude graduate of the Babson Graduate School of Business where he received his M.B.A. degree.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, Md., Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement.

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Selected as Finalist for EdNET 2006 Pioneer Award

Towson, Md. – Aug. 16, 2006 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc., the leading provider of comprehensive management solutions for special populations in K-12 education, has been named one of three finalists for the EdNET Pioneer Award. Part of the prestigious EdNET Industry Awards, the EdNET Pioneer Award is given to the organization that has most significantly contributed to the growth of the education market over the previous year.

This marks the third consecutive year Spectrum K12 (formerly 4GL School Solutions Inc.) has been named a finalist in the EdNET Industry Awards program. In 2005 Spectrum K12 won the EdNET HERO Award and in 2004 it was a finalist for the same award, which honors organizations that have made the most significant positive impact on education through educational technology and telecommunications.

This year, Spectrum K12 earned finalist consideration for its leadership role in driving innovation in education. In 2006, Spectrum K12 introduced State Editions of its award-winning ENCORE!® suite of products to meet the unique needs of students and school districts. Designed specifically for K12 education, ENCORE! is a web-based software solution that serves as a foundation for managing all phases of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process for special populations. In addition, Spectrum K12 further expanded industry offerings by introducing Professional Development training courses to meet the needs of all K-12 educators and administrators involved in the development and facilitation of IEPs.

“Since 1996, innovation and expansion of Spectrum K12’s products and services have fueled its rise to market-leading provider of special population solutions for school districts of all sizes,” said Allison Duquette, president and CEO of Spectrum K12 School Solutions. “Today Spectrum K12 helps districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. To be honored by the EdNET Industry Awards three years in row is a testament to the vital roles cutting-edge technologies and innovation play in helping districts positively impact learning for all students.”

A panel of leading education industry experts selected the finalists for the EdNET 2006 Industry Awards, which is coordinated by The Heller Reports and Quality Education Data (QED). The EdNET Industry Awards program recognizes organizations that have made important contributions through their products and programs to the education industry in the past year.

“Our goal in providing ongoing coordination of the EdNET awards is to recognize the finalists as model organizations that are moving the industry forward, making a unique contribution that embodies the spirit of business in service of K-12 education,” said Michael Jay, president of Educational Systemics.

“We commend the EdNET Industry Award finalists for going the extra distance to inspire and support educators in their efforts to advance classroom learning, so that our nation’s students will be prepared to compete in an global economy,” said Andy Lacy, general manager of QED.

Award winners will be announced Sept. 19 during the EdNET Conference in Boston.

About EdNET

The EdNET Industry Awards program was created in 1992 to champion the efforts of progressive organizations helping to revitalize the nation’s educational system. The program has become a focal point of the EdNET Conference, the education market’s premier annual networking conference produced by The Heller Reports, a Quality Education Data company. The EdNET Conference brings together education executives, school administrators, and policymakers to network and build strategic business partnerships. The EdNET 2006 Conference will be in Boston on Sept. 17-19. For more information about the EdNET Conference and awards program, visit www.QEDData.com or phone 877-435-5373, ext. 9421.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, Md., Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement.

Lou Pugliese Named Chairman of the Board at Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Towson, Md. – Aug 3, 2006 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc., the leading provider of comprehensive management solutions for special populations in K-12 education, today announced the appointment of Lou Pugliese as chairman of its board of directors. Pugliese succeeds Clark E. Easter, who has served as chairman since the company’s founding in 1996 and will remain on the board.

Pugliese is president of Learning Diagnostics Inc. (LDI), an education holding company and consulting organization that provides assistance to Fortune 500 organizations involved in global e-learning initiatives. Prior to LDI, he held several senior executive positions including CEO of Blackboard Inc., a leading provider of enterprise software and services to the education industry; Educational Testing Services; Scholastic Inc.; and Turner Education Services. Pugliese also served as an Entrepreneur In Residence at Novak Biddle Venture Partners.

Pugliese serves on numerous local and regional boards in education and software related businesses. He also served on George W. Bush’s Presidential IT Steering Committee and the Commission on Technology and Adult Learning.

According to Allison Duquette, president and CEO of Spectrum K12 School Solutions, recent changes in student demographics and other trends have coalesced to put huge pressures on K-12 districts to track and provide services to a rapidly increasing number of students, both in and outside of special education programs. "This convergence means expanding markets and applications for Spectrum K-12’s solutions," said Duquette. "Lou Pugliese brings an incredible breadth and depth of experience in all levels of the education technology market. We’re very excited about the contributions he will make toward our continuing growth."

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, MD, Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement.

Loudoun County Public Schools Chooses ENCORE! to Manage Programs for Special Populations

TOWSON, Md. – April 24, 2006 – One of the nation’s fast growing districts, Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) in Loudoun County, Va., has selected Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. to provide a comprehensive, Web-based solution for managing programs for special populations. LCPS will implement Spectrum K12’s ENCORE!® program to manage data and individualized education plans (IEPs) for students receiving special services or interventions, including special education, Section 504 and English as a Second Language (ESL) students.

“We had an in-house solution that we’d been using for a number of years but it was very cumbersome and time-consuming,” said Mary Kearney, director of special education for LCPS. “We asked our stakeholders to look at a number of products and compare the options available. It was their consensus that Spectrum K12 had all the features we needed in one product, rather than having to pick and choose pieces from other companies’ products.”

The ENCORE! suite of products serves districts with enrollments of 250 to over 250,000 students. Designed specifically for the K-12 education market, ENCORE! serves as a foundation for managing all phases of the IEP process for special populations. ENCORE! is a software solution that reduces the time required to plan and track student achievement while increasing the completeness, accuracy and accessibility of program information. As a result, educators can spend less time on paperwork and more time in the classroom focusing on improving student learning and performance.

“One aspect we particularly like about ENCORE! is that it is user friendly. Our district is growing so rapidly. We need a solution that will allow us to track and manage student data across the district in a very concise way,” said Kearney. “We also want to make certain that our special education process is in compliance. ENCORE!’s built-in compliance checks prompt the user when something isn’t compliant so it can be corrected. With ENCORE!, we can also build prompts into the system to meet the way we conduct the special education process in our district, unlike off-the-shelf products that may or may not be able to be customized. That was another key feature provided by Spectrum K12.”

About Loudoun County Public Schools

Loudoun County Public Schools enrolls more than 47,000 students in 68 school facilities. Located 25 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., LCPS is annually ranked in the top 10 of 140 public school systems in Virginia, according to student achievement test results.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, Md., Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement.

4GL School Solutions Changes Name to Spectrum K12 School Solutions

TOWSON, MD — April 5, 2006 — 4GL School Solutions, Inc. announced today that it has changed its company name to Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. Along with the name change, the company adopted a new corporate identity, including a new logo, visual identity and Web site that can be found at www.spectrumk12.com.

“Our new name reflects the full range of value we now provide for K12 special population students and educators,” said Allison Duquette, CEO of Spectrum K12 School Solutions. “Innovation and expansion of Spectrum’s ENCORE! suite of products has enhanced our position as the market leading provider of special population solutions for K12 school districts of all sizes. Our new corporate name and identity are more representative of the breadth of solutions we provide to our customers and the future direction of the company.”

In addition to the ENCORE suite of products, Spectrum K12 School Solutions also provides professional development training for K12 educators and administrators involved in the development and facilitation of individual education plans for special populations.

About ENCORE!

The ENCORE! suite of products serves districts with enrollments of 250 to over 250,000 students. Designed specifically for the K12 education market, ENCORE! serves as a foundation for managing all phases of the IEP process for special populations. ENCORE! is a software solution that reduces the time required to plan and track student achievement while increasing the completeness, accuracy and accessibility of program information. As a result, educators can spend less time on paperwork and more time in the classroom focusing on improving student learning and performance.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, MD, Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information, visit www.spectrumk12.com or call 1-800-490-8445.

Farmington Municipal School District Chooses ENCORE! to Manage Special Education Program

TOWSON, Md. – March 15, 2006 – Farmington Municipal School District in Farmington, New Mexico will transform how it manages its special education program when it replaces its paper-based system with a comprehensive, Web-based solution. The district will be the first in New Mexico to implement the ENCORE!® suite of software and service solutions for special populations from Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. (Spectrum K12), the leading provider of comprehensive management solutions for special populations in K-12 education.

ENCORE! will help the district reduce the amount of time teachers spend on paperwork, manage individualized educations plans (IEPs) and automate and streamline data collection and management. Additionally, the Web-based system will ensure compliance with state and federal requirements.

“It takes a tremendous amount of time to do all the paperwork required for special education and individualized education plans,” said Sandi Sandrick, director of special education for Farmington Municipal School District. “With our paper-based system, there were no compliance checks so it was easy to accidentally skip a page or leave an area blank. One of the main reasons we selected ENCORE! was the built-in compliance checks. If you leave something blank that shouldn’t be, the system lets you know and won’t let you finalize the document until all of the required pieces are complete. Our goal is that this will help improve compliance with state and federal regulations, and help teachers reduce the amount of time they spend on paperwork and meetings so they can spend more time in the classroom with students.”

The ENCORE! suite of products serves districts with enrollments of 250 to over 250,000 students. Designed specifically for the K-12 education market, ENCORE! serves as a foundation for managing all phases of the IEP process for special populations. ENCORE! is a software solution that reduces the time required to plan and track student achievement while increasing the completeness, accuracy and accessibility of program information. As a result, educators can spend less time on paperwork and more time in the classroom focusing on improving student learning and performance.

About Farmington Municipal School District

Farmington Municipal School District in Farmington, New Mexico is located in the Four Corners region of the American Southwest. The district consists of 10,200 students and 1,200 staff members.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, MD, Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement.

Baltimore City Public School System Chooses 4GL’s ENCORE!® Solution

TOWSON, MD – Feb. 14, 2006 – Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) will transform how it manages its special education program when it replaces its current Special Education Tracking System (SETS) product with the comprehensive, Web-based solution ENCORE! The district, Spectrum K12 School Solutions’ (4GL) first public school client in 1996, chose ENCORE! to reduce the amount of time teachers spend on paperwork and individual education plans (IEPs) for its special education population.

“4GL is very proud of our reputation as the premier provider for special education administrative technology and professional development. We are particularly pleased that BCPSS has chosen to upgrade their older SETS product, as their conversion to ENCORE! enables us to realize a 100 percent successful conversion of our SETS client base to our web-based product,” said Allison Duquette, president and CEO of 4GL. “BCPSS, as with our numerous clients across the country, will realize dramatic improvements in the time that teachers are able to dedicate to instruction and student achievement through removing the enormous paperwork overhead associated with managing special education students.”

The ENCORE! suite of products serves districts with enrollments of less than 2,500 through districts exceeding 250,000 students. Designed specifically for the K-12 education market, ENCORE! serves as a foundation for managing all phases of the IEP process for both general and special populations. ENCORE! is a software solution that reduces the time required to plan and track student achievement while increasing the completeness, accuracy and accessibility of program information. As a result, educators can spend more time in the classroom focusing on improving student learning and performance.

About Baltimore City Public School System

Baltimore City Public School System, the fourth largest school district in Maryland, serves more than 87,000 students in over 195 schools.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Based in Towson, MD, Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. 4GL works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information, visit www.4glschools.com or call 1-800-490-84GL (8445).

Three Texas Districts Choose New ENCORE! Service Deployment Model from Spectrum K12 School Solutions

TOWSON, Md. – Dec. 13, 2005 – Three Texas school districts have chosen Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. (4GL) to provide a comprehensive, Web-based solution for managing their programs for special populations. Sherman Independent School District (ISD), Tomball ISD and Goose Creek ISD will implement 4GL’s ENCORE!® suite of software and service solutions for special populations, accessing ENCORE! through 4GL’s new Application Service Provider (ASP) deployment model.

During the 2005-06 school year, each district will transition from its own paper-based system to the ENCORE! solution to automate and streamline data collection and management, and manage individualized education plans (IEP) for its special populations. ENCORE!’s ASP deployment option provides small to medium-sized districts with a cost-effective alternative to the traditional local implementation approach, enabling them to minimize their investment in hardware infrastructure and related support personnel. Utilizing a combination of “pre-customized” state forms and service offerings, the ASP model maintains all the features and benefits of the current, Web-based ENCORE! suite, providing a complete solution for managing the administrative complexities and critical decision-making processes inherent in programs for special populations.

Sherman Independent School District

Sherman ISD in Sherman, Texas will implement ENCORE! to manage programs for all its special populations, including about 1,000 special education students. Located approximately 50 miles north of Dallas, the district enrolls approximately 6,500 students in seven elementary schools, two intermediate schools, two high schools and one alternative school.

“We reviewed a number of different programs and felt that ENCORE! was the one program that best aligned with the needs of our staff. With ENCORE!, our administrative and instructional staff will be able to access information in real time, rather than have to wait for paperwork, which will help us better address the needs of our students,” said Vicki Hubbard, director of special education and health services. “What I appreciate about 4GL is that they recognize the fact that smaller school districts have as many critical needs as large districts for this kind of system, if not more, because we tend to wear multiple hats in our positions. This will be a powerful solution for everyone for data integrity, collection and accessibility.”

Tomball Independent School District

Tomball ISD will implement ENCORE! to manage its special education program, which serves approximately 775 students. The district encompasses 83.4 square miles in northwest Harris County and southwest Montgomery County, and is located approximately 30 miles from downtown Houston. It enrolls more than 8,600 students in five elementary schools, three intermediate schools, two junior highs, and one high school.

“Because we’re a growing district, we needed better access to student data and reports. We had some data integrity problems and saw an increasing need to move from paper to electronic forms,” said Rebecca Lofton, director of special services for Tomball ISD. “When we compared ENCORE! to other programs, we felt that it was the most comprehensive program for the price. With ENCORE!, we’ll be able to provide our staff with secure access to student data from any computer that’s connected to the Internet, which is very important to us. It will make data management much easier.”

Goose Creek Independent School District

Goose Creek ISD will also implement the ENCORE! system to manage its special education program, which serves approximately 1,750 students. Just a short drive from southeast Houston, the district covers 128 square miles in Harris and west Chambers counties. It enrolls nearly 20,000 students and encompasses 25 educational centers and additional support facilities.

“One of challenges we faced was the need to improve the integrity of our data. We also wanted to be able to update special education forms more easily and to use technology during ARD/IEP meetings to facilitate a more collaborative planning process,” said Jackie Townsend from Goose Creek ISD. “We selected ENCORE! because of the quality of the product, the reputation of the company, and the excellent people who work with 4GL in Texas.”

About ENCORE!

Designed specifically for the K-12 education market, ENCORE! helps school districts increase the effectiveness of their programs for special populations by automating time-consuming data collection and reporting processes, and reducing the paperwork burden. The comprehensive, Web-based software solution serves as a foundation for managing all phases of the IEP process for both general and special populations. As data is entered, compliance requirements are automatically verified, ensuring that paperwork is completed accurately and on time. As a result, educators can spend more time in the classroom, focusing on improving student learning and achievement.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions, including special education, at-risk, Section 504 and Limited English Proficient (LEP) students. 4GL works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. The company is based in Towson, Md. For more information, visit www.4glschools.com or call 1-800-490-84GL (8445).

 

Awards and Recognitions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions is pleased to provide this listing describing awards and recognition our company has earned and presented.

2010

Spectrum K12 Student Achievement and RTI Software Chosen as “Best Education Solution” and “Best K-12 Enterprise Solution”

2009

Spectrum K12 School Solutions named winner for 2009 CODiE Awards for "Best K-12 Enterprise Solution"

2008

Spectrum K12’s EXCEED® RTI named one of the Top 100 Products of 2008 by the readers of District Administration Magazine List of winners: www.districtadministration.com/winners

 Tech & Learning Magazine named Spectrum K12’s EXCEED/RTI solution in their Best of NECC article.

 

Spectrum K12 School Solutions named winner for 2008 CODiE Awards for "Best Education Solution"

Spectrum K12 named “Best Education Solution” winner for the Software & Information Industry Association’s 23rd Annual CODiE Awards List of winners: http://www.siia.net/codies/2008/winners.asp SIIA Press Release: www.spectrumk12.com//uploads/file/SIIA_CODIES_Release.pdf

Dr. Shirley Neely recognized at the Women of Educational Distinction Awards

The award ceremony, “Ladies Tributes” is sponsored by Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc. and Horn, Smith, Wood & Preston

2007

Spectrum K12 School Solution’s"Special Education Advocate Extraordinaire Award"
The Special Education Advocate Extraordinaire Award program was created in 2007 as a way for Spectrum K12 to recognize the efforts of non-traditional advocates of families and students involved in special education.

ms. holly lu conan rees

Tennessee’s Disability Coalition on Education Director Named Special Education Advocate Extraordinaire

2006

2005

2005 EdNET Hero Award Winner

ENCORE!® Endorsement from Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE)

2005 Codie Award Finalist

Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) Certification

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Publishes White Paper Forecasting Trends in K-12 Special Populations

TOWSON, Md. — Dec. 2, 2005 — Thirty years ago today, President Gerald R. Ford signed into law the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), completely overhauling the education of children with disabilities. In honor of that signing, Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc., the leading provider of comprehensive management solutions for special populations in K-12 education, has published a white paper analyzing current and future trends that affect the management of special populations.

A “Perfect Storm” in K-12 Education: Tough Trends and Mandates Require Tracking Technology explains that NCLB mandates, requirements of the 2004 renewal of IDEA, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), changes in student demographics and other trends, have coalesced to put huge pressures on K-12 districts to track and provide services to a rapidly increasing number of students, both in and outside of special education programs.

The current reporting system for special education is a costly "morass of rules, regulations, and litigation," according to the President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education. Adding other special populations—Limited English Proficient, gifted and talented, Section 504, at-risk, and early intervention, among others—to the list of those that must be tracked will present significant management challenges for K-12 districts.

The paper summarizes that specialized software systems has become a necessity for K-12 districts to manage the timelines, triggered events and reams of legal paperwork for special education, as well as track the progress, learning trends, and academic outcomes of all students with individualized learning plans. The benefits of such systems include: decreased expenses, more in-class time for special educators, increased achievement of student goals, and prevention of unnecessary referrals to costly special education programs.

A copy of A “Perfect Storm” in K-12 Education: Tough Trends and Mandates Require Tracking Technology can be downloaded from the Spectrum K12 School Solutions Web site at: http://www.4glschools.com/. For more information contact Spectrum K12 School Solutions at 800-490-84GL (8445).

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions, including special education, at-risk, Section 504 and Limited English Proficient (LEP) students. 4GL works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. The company is based in Towson, Md. For more information, visit www.4glschools.com or call 1-800-490-84GL (8445).