Press Release - June 5, 2007

The Center for Performance Assessment and Vantage Learning Announce New Writing Institute

Designed to empower educators with classroom-proven strategies that make an immediate difference in student writing and writing achievement, best practices are combined with 21st century technology

Englewood, Colo. and Newtown, Pa., June 5, 2007 - The Writing Institute, a new institute based on proven classroom experiences, advanced writing tools and technology, and extensive research, is being co-produced by The Center for Performance Assessment and Vantage Learning. This inaugural institute is scheduled for October 5-6, 2007 in Newport Beach, Calif.

Designed to empower educators with classroom-proven strategies that make an immediate difference in student writing and performance, the Writing Institute will include leading experts to guide both novice and experienced teachers in all content areas to: improve instruction, student engagement and performance through writing; improve student writing skills and test scores; incorporate writing technologies across core subjects; implement research-based strategies to achieve new levels of expertise; and enhance the skills of content-area teachers to incorporate writing into all subject areas.

"When students write more frequently, their ability to think, reason, analyze, communicate, and perform on tests will improve. Writing is critical to student achievement," says Dr. Douglas B. Reeves, Founder of the Center for Performance Assessment and a leading authority on academic standards, performance assessment, and accountability. "The evidence is clear that writing improves all academic subject areas. Studies that we've conducted at the Center, as well as research from others, reveal that the value of critical thinking, reasoning, and writing is widely accepted, yet rarely practiced. Whether the measure is against the frequency of writing, the frequency of writing assessment, or student performance on writing tests, all produce some of the highest correlation values we've seen with respect to results."

In addition to presentations by experts in the field of writing, school districts who have adopted these classroom-proven strategies will discuss their success using time-tested strategies and also incorporating 21st century writing tools, such as the MY Access! instructional writing program offered by Vantage Learning.

"We have over one million students in the U.S. receiving instant, accurate feedback on writing assignments, receiving tutoring and editing assistance with advanced software, and writing 10 times, 15 times, even 20 times more frequently than they could without these tools," comments Harry Barfoot, Vice President of Marketing for Vantage Learning. "Teachers spend less time grading and more time teaching. And they are excited about having more quality teachable moments in the classroom. The Writing Institute may be the first of its kind to combine proven research on writing, the use of advanced technology to support writing achievement, and the experience of experts in this field regarding how to ensure a successful writing program in your school or district. This unique combination of content offered during the Writing Institute holds the promise of substantially improving student writing and achievement in school districts nationwide."

To learn more about The Writing Institute and to register for this event, visit the Center for Performance Assessment at http://www.makingstandardswork.com/writing/index.htm or call 866-399-6019 ext.231.

About the Center for Performance Assessment

The Center for Performance Assessment (www.makingstandardswork.com) is a professional development, publishing, and consulting organization that works with schools throughout the world to improve student achievement and educational equity. Founded by Dr. Douglas Reeves, the Center's professional and technical staff now totals more than sixty people and our work has been in all fifty states and every Canadian province, as well as Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. Although most of our work is with public school systems, we have also worked with religious and secular independent schools, charter schools, community colleges, technical schools, universities, state departments of education, national ministries of education, and international educational associations.

The Center has three primary activities: professional development, publishing, and consulting. First, the Center specializes in professional development on leadership, effective teaching strategies, data analysis, and standards-based assessment. In addition, we provide seminars specifically adapted for the needs of second language and special education students. Second, the Center publishes resources, including books, videos, audio books, posters, and other tools for teachers, leaders, and parents. Some of the Center's most well known publications include Making Standards Work, by Douglas Reeves, Power Standards, by Larry Ainsworth, Show Me The Proof! by Stephen White, and the Write to Know Series. Third, the Center provides personalized consulting services, including the development of accountability systems, creation of assessment systems, research, evaluation, coaching, and individualized services designed to meet the unique need of each client.

About Vantage Learning

Delivering more than 193 million online test transactions last year, Vantage Learning (www.vantagelearning.com) is recognized as the leader in cost-effective, high volume, secure, scalable online assessment and instructional programs for K-12 and higher education. Leveraging technology such as artificial intelligence, natural language understanding, and Web-based learning objects, Vantage provides educators with high-quality tools and resources that motivate students to learn and that create meaningful interactions between students, parents, and teachers.

Acknowledged by industry leaders as the gold standard for scoring quality, consistency, reliability, and scalability of automated essay scoring using the patented IntelliMetric® engine, Vantage Learning has received accolades ranging from the prestigious CODiE Award for best instructional technology to recognition by Eduventures as one of the eight most innovative educational technology companies.