Edison Schools Signs Significant "Full-Service" Achievement Management Contract: Three-year Agreement with Perry Township, Indiana Thursday, September 25, 2003 Formerly known as Edison Affiliates, Tungsten Learning specializes in helping school districts raise student achievement through cost-effective "behind-the-scenes" achievement solutions that are customized to each client's needs. Tungst en's suite of full-service achievement management products and services include Edison's highly effective and innovative "Benchmark Assessment System." "Tungsten Learning and its services are a natural extension of Edison's core competency - management of instructional services for K-12 students," said Jim Howland, Edison CEO for Educational Services. "With nearly a decade of experience in whole-school management, we have developed powerful, cost-effective achievement management systems that provide tea chers and administrators with the data and support they need to improve instruction and drive student achievement. Now, through Tungsten Learning, others can benefit from this practical know-how." In Perry Township, Tungsten will implement the Benchmark Assessment System, a revolutionary electronic student assessment system with real-time reporting capability that is used in every Edison partnership school in the country. With its split-ASP technology platform, the Benchmark system is able to provide i nstantaneous feedback to both students and instructors, thereby helping teachers to gauge and improve student learning in real time, meet accountability goals, and ultimately help make average yearly progress (AYP). Tungsten will also provide targeted, ongoing professional development for teachers and administrators on topics that range from achievement planning support to effectively analyzing data to inform instructional practice. Doug Williams, Perry Township Superintendent and Indiana's Superi ntendent of the Year expressed optimism for the partnership. "For several years we have searched for a resource to assist teachers in assessing student progress on an ongoing basis and a product that can greatly assist teachers in addressing the learning needs of those students. We believe that we have finally found that resource through Tungsten Learning." This agreement complements an already existing relationship between Edison Schools and MSD Perry Township. In collaboration with the MSD, Edison c urrently operates two partnership schools in Perry Township - Jeremiah Gray-Edison Elementary and Rosa Parks-Edison. Rosa Parks-Edison, a K-5 school with approximately 630 students, opened its doors this fall. Jeremiah Gray-Edison, a K-5 school with app roximately 650 students, now in its second year with Edison, is already receiving high marks from students and parents. On an independent survey conducted by Harris Interactive, 84 percent of students rated the school and A or B; 94 percent of teachers rated their school an A or B; and an impressive 93 percent of parents rated the school an A or B -- with 73 percent of parents giving their school an A. Jeremiah Gray-Edison principal (recently named Perry Township's Administrator of the Year), Ann Puckett-Harpold, also shared her enthusiasm: "The Edison program has helped change the lives of our students by providing the right tools for success. We are thrilled that other children in our community will now be able to benefit from some of the opportunities afforded to the students at Jeremiah Gray-Edison. This new relationship with Tungsten Learning will provide valuable support to fulfill our township's strategic achievement goals."
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