ORANGEBURG, S.C., Sept. 22, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Officials at Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five have selected the Complete Assessment Solution from Scantron(r) - an integrated product that includes Achievement Series(sm) and Performance Series(sm) -- as their choice for formative and diagnostic testing citing its ability to provide the information needed to help children learn the district curriculum and meet or exceed goals for the state's assessment tests, Palmetto Achievement Challenge Tests (PACT).
Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five (OCSD) is nationally recognized for its ability to improve academic performance. The district will use Performance Series three times per year to assess grade-level proficiency: the Fall test will help in student placement, the January test will evaluate student grade-level progress, and the Spring test will determine which students could benefit from taking Summer School. Achievement Series will be used periodically throughout the year as a benchmark assessment to measure gains against the district curriculum and pacing guide.
"OCSD Five is strongly committed to academic excellence and we always select the best resources available to help us on our journey," said Melvin Smoak, Superintendent of OCSD Five. "The Scantron assessment programs are now an integral part of our plan for excellence and high achievement for every student in our district."
"We selected the combined solution of Achievement Series and Performance Series because it gives us a tightly-integrated resource to administer many types of assessments and to manage the resultant data effectively," said Nancy Ford, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction, and assessment. "Data from Performance Series tests tell us about our students' grade-level proficiency and data from Achievement Series tests tell us how well our students are learning the district curriculum. Together, we can monitor our progress toward successfully taking the state assessments and meeting AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress)."
The web-based platform for both assessment tools make it easier for OCSD Five teachers to administer the tests, read the data and then adjust their instructional plan as necessary. Performance Series has already been used this year as students returned from their summer break. With the information it generated, teachers very accurately determined what each student needed to focus on and thus planned lessons to keep students on pace with their peers and the district curriculum.
"This integrated solution from Scantron is a powerful resource for helping us make educated decisions about our instructional plans," said Superintendent Melvin Smoak. "We have lofty goals for our students and to help us reach those goals, we will rely on Scantron's Complete Assessment Solution to empower teachers and administrators with the information they need to be successful."
The combined Performance Series/Achievement Series platform completes a "full-circle" approach to testing because it manages benchmark tests, summative assessments and formative assessments in one source and provides a single, Web-based resource to compile, analyze and report test results immediately. The solution was introduced at the National Educational Computing Conference in June and is the first complete assessment resource modeled after recommendations of the U.S. Department of Education National Education Technology Plan that call for a unified assessment in a single, online platform.
About Achievement Series
Achievement Series(sm) is a powerful web-based assessment platform that educators use to develop and administer tests both online and on paper, capture results, and produce standards-based reports. The system makes it easy for teachers and administrators to access the timely data needed to measure growth, make decisions, and inform instruction. Achievement Series is a winner of the 2005 Distinguished Achievement Awards sponsored by the Association of Educational Publishers.
About Performance Series
Performance Series(sm) is a web-based, computer-adaptive test that educators use as a diagnostic, for student placement, and to do progress reporting. By administering a reliable and valid standards-based test that adapts automatically to each student's level and reports results instantly, educators gain clear snapshots of students' performance across a range of subjects including mathematics, language arts, science and reading. Performance Series is a winner in the 2005 Distinguished Achievement Awards sponsored by the Association of Educational Publishers and a finalist in the SIIA 20th Annual Codie Awards.
About Scantron Corporation
Scantron Corporation (www.scantron.com) is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based John H. Harland Company (NYSE:JH). Scantron is a leading provider of software services and systems for the collection, management and interpretation of data to the educational, financial and commercial markets. The company has approximately 600 employees worldwide and annual revenues exceeding $110 million. For more information call: 1-800-722-6876.
About Harland
Atlanta-based John H. Harland Company (NYSE:JH) (www.harland.net) is a leading provider of software and printed products to the financial and educational markets. Harland Financial Solutions, Inc. (www.harlandfinancialsolutions.com), a wholly owned subsidiary, supplies software and services, including customer relationship management, deposit and loan origination, core systems and mortgage services, to thousands of financial institutions of all sizes. Harland's printed products offerings include checks, direct marketing and financial forms.
This press release contains statements, which may constitute "forward-looking statements." These statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of John H. Harland Company and members of its respective management, as well as the assumptions on which such statements are based. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Reference is made to the Risk Factors and Cautionary Statements in Harland's Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed under the Securities Exchange Act.
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