Update to Pearson's Online Tool for Building Student Writing and
Reading Comprehension Skills Unveiled
WriteToLearn 4.0 Includes More Than 200 Passages From Scott
Foresman "Reading Street," Enhanced Teacher Tools
BOULDER, Colo. - Oct. 10, 2007
- Today Pearson unveiled WriteToLearn™ 4.0, the newest update of
its award-winning Web-based learning tool for developing writing and
reading comprehension skills. This new release includes more than 200
reading passages from Pearson's popular Scott Foresman Reading Street, a
reading program designed to help elementary teachers build readers
through motivating and engaging literature, scientifically research-based
instruction and reliable teaching tools. Other updates include enhanced
teacher tools, such as increased support for managing class and student
rosters. All schools and districts with current WriteToLearn
subscriptions will receive the update free of charge.
With WriteToLearn, students practice essay writing and summarization
skills, and their efforts are measured by Pearson's state-of-the-art
Knowledge Analysis Technologies™ (KAT) engine, which automatically
evaluates the meaning of text by examining whole passages. The KAT
engine is a unique automated assessment technology that evaluates the
meaning of text, not just grammatical correctness or spelling. Earlier
this year, scores for each of six traits of writing - ideas,
organization, conventions, sentence fluency, word choice and voice - were
added to WriteToLearn, making it an even more powerful tool for building
writing skills.
"Teachers and students are quickly discovering what the research
behind the development of WriteToLearn demonstrates. When students
practice writing and summarizing online in an engaging environment and
receive immediate feedback, they show marked improvement in their
writing and reading comprehension skills," said Lynn Streeter,
president of the Knowledge Technologies group of Pearson. "With
this latest update, we are offering teachers who use WriteToLearn with
their students even more ways to use this Web-based learning tool to
build literacy skills across the curriculum."
Earlier this year, WriteToLearn received a 2007 Distinguished
Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP),
cited as the best "Curriculum: Reading and Language Instruction Web
Site for Grades 6-8," and a 2007 Best Educational Software (BESSIE)
Award from California's ComputED Learning Center for best language arts
Web site in the "Upper Elementary" category.
More information about WriteToLearn is available at
http://www.WriteToLearn.net.
About Pearson
Pearson is the global leader in educational publishing, assessment,
information and services, helping people of all ages to learn at their
own pace, in their own way. For students preK-12, Pearson provides
effective and innovative curriculum products in all available media,
educational assessment and measurement for students and teachers,
student information systems, and teacher professional development and
certification programs. The company's respected brands include Summary
Street, WriteToLearn™, Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, AGS,
PowerSchool, SuccessMaker, TeacherVision and many others. Pearson's
comprehensive offerings help inform targeted instruction and intervention
so that success is within reach of every student. Pearson's other
primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin
Group.
For more information, press only:
Lisa Wolfe, L. Wolfe Communications, 773-325-9935, lwolfe@lwolfe.com
|
