Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Approves Grade Results

As Supplemental Educational Services Provider

DALLAS (July 30, 2010) – Grade Results, the leading innovator of live, one-to-one online instruction, today announced that the company is poised to continue and expand its efforts working with students and schools in Louisiana to help improve performance through its proprietary online instruction solution. The Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has approved Grade Results as an official Supplemental Educational Services (SES) provider. While Grade Results has already established a successful track record working with students and schools in Louisiana, this SES classification will open the door for additional students to access and benefit from Grade Results’ proven education system.

“The increase in academic achievement we’ve seen working with students in Louisiana over the last two years is very compelling. Grade Results has made a tremendous impact on the academic gains for students and schools that we’ve had the privilege of serving; and we look forward to having a greater impact on additional students and schools,” said David Thomas, Executive Vice President of Grade Results.

Since 2008, Grade Results has worked with schools in the Louisiana Recovery District, the Algiers Charter School Association, and others to provide educational support to increase performance on the Louisiana Education Assessment Program (LEAP) exams as well as the Graduation Exit Exam (GEE). With the SES provider designation, under-performing schools and districts around the state will have the opportunity to select Grade Results as one of their SES providers.

Grade Results is the only online education provider that combines powerful content, dynamic live instruction, and unparalleled technology to enhance the performance of students across the country. Grade Results’ proprietary content is aligned to Louisiana state standards, is taught by advanced-degreed instructors, and is delivered via live, on-demand, one-to-one instruction. Grade Results curriculum spans all subjects and grade levels, making the services flexible to meet the needs of any student.

About SES [Supplemental Education Services]
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act [ESEA], reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, is the main federal law affecting education from kindergarten through high school. Under No Child Left Behind, states are working to close the achievement gap and make sure all students, including those who are disadvantaged, achieve academic proficiency.  Annual state and school district report cards inform parents and communities about state and school progress.  Schools that do not make progress must provide SES such as free tutoring or after-school assistance.
Every SES provider must be approved on a state-by-state basis.  

About Grade Results

Grade Results is the leading innovator of live one-to-one online instruction, providing a comprehensive set of services to public, private, charter and alternative schools, as well as community colleges and universities. Grade Results is the only provider that combines powerful content, dynamic live instruction, and unparalleled technology to enhance the performance of students across the country. Grade Results’ sate aligned content is developed and taught by advanced-degreed instructors and expands the educational spectrum from basic skills, such as reading and math, to highly specialized courses for gifted and talented students. In addition, Grade Results provides college entry exam prep, and a full range of college courses. Grade Results provides critical solutions to its clients, including one-to-one tutorial services, distance learning, credit recovery, retention management, graduation advancement, remediation, and intervention. Grade Results currently serves elementary through college students in Texas, Illinois, Oklahoma, New Jersey and Louisiana. For more information, visit www.graderesults.com

Grade Results Supports College’s Growing Distance Learning Program

Through Innovative One-To-One Live Tutoring and Instruction

DALLAS (August 6, 2010) – Grade Results, the leading innovator of live, one-to-one online instruction, today announced that Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) has selected it as its exclusive online tutoring and instructional services provider. Grade Results will support OCCC’s traditional students as well as its growing population of distance learners.

OCCC students will have access to Grade Results’ proprietary curriculum and live, one-to-one instruction for help in any course they need by simply requesting the service. Grade Results employs instructors with advanced degrees in their field to serve as an on-demand resource for students and are available 24/7. Grade Results replaces an incumbent provider.

“Meeting the needs of our varied student body is our first priority. We are pleased to offer our students a new solution for online instruction and tutoring that is not only cost-effective, but is also of the highest quality and reputation,” said Dr. Felix Aquino, Vice President for Academic Affairs for Oklahoma City Community College. “We are impressed with Grade Results’ proven track record at other community colleges and the quality they bring, within the caliber of instructors, innovative technology and superior content and curriculum. We are eager to see the impact it has on our students.”

Distance learning is one of the fastest growing offerings at OCCC and the college’s leadership has identified a substantial increase in the number of students who want to access an education on their own terms, or even from great distances, including students who are deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Meeting the needs of non-traditional students is sometimes difficult due to varying time zones and the ever-increasing desire for on-demand educational services. The Grade Results solution will help fill this need, providing students with access to instructors even when on-site professors are not available.

“The Grade Results platform is ideally suited for institutions such as Oklahoma City Community College. Our proven, live, one-to-one instruction platform serves as an extension of their faculty, allowing students to achieve better results, no matter the time or location,” said Matti Prima, Executive Vice President of Grade Results. “We are thrilled to work with such a respected institution and are honored that they chose Grade Results to help them support the academic achievement of its students.”

Grade Results is the only online education provider that combines powerful content, dynamic live instruction, and unparalleled technology to enhance the performance of students across the country. Grade Results’ proprietary content is aligned to Oklahoma and national educational standards, is taught by advanced-degreed instructors, and is delivered via live, on-demand, one-to-one instruction. Grade Results curriculum and expertise spans all subjects and courses.

About Grade Results

Grade Results is the leading innovator of live one-to-one online instruction, providing a comprehensive set of services to public, private, charter and alternative schools, as well as community colleges and universities. Grade Results is the only provider that combines powerful content, dynamic live instruction, and unparalleled technology to enhance the performance of students across the country. Grade Results’ state aligned content is developed and taught by advanced-degreed instructors and expands the educational spectrum from basic skills, such as reading and math, to highly specialized courses for gifted and talented students. In addition, Grade Results provides college entry exam prep, and a full range of college courses. Grade Results provides critical solutions to its clients, including one-to-one tutorial services, distance learning, credit recovery, retention management, graduation advancement, remediation, and intervention. Grade Results currently serves elementary through college students in Texas, Illinois, Oklahoma, New Jersey and Louisiana. For more information, visit www.graderesults.com

http://www.pr.com/press-release/250745

http://www.bluemaumau.org/grade_results_announces_national_expansion_and_introduces_franchise_organization

http://www.pitchengine.com/graderesults/graderesultsannouncesnationalexpansionandintroducesfranchiseorganization/77586/

Online Learning is Rising Trend, Future of Education – Grade Results, an online instructional company offering interactive, on-demand learning services, today announced the formation of a national franchise organization and the subsequent roll-out of a nationwide expansion.

Dallas, FL, July 24, 2010 –(PR.com)– Grade Results, an online instructional company offering interactive, on-demand learning services, today announced the formation of a national franchise organization and the subsequent roll-out of a nationwide expansion.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for an individual or franchise group to be involved in a fast-growth, high-impact industry and work with a company that has consistently demonstrated tangible, measurable results for school districts and colleges,” said Steve Berkman, President of Grade Results Franchising, LLC. “The added – and most important – benefit is that we can help improve the lives of the students we serve every day.”

Grade Results’ scalable results-driven solution can be customized for a number of learning environments, encompassing K-12 public schools and districts, charter schools, community colleges and universities. Grade Results has developed an exclusive technology platform that provides interactive tools for students to engage with the company’s proprietary, state-aligned curriculum, or receive one-to-one live instruction from advance-degreed teachers. The curriculum spans the educational spectrum from basic skills, such as reading and math, to courses for gifted and talented students, as well as college entry exam prep modules.

Grade Results helps schools improve student performance and mitigates some of the most significant challenges facing schools today, including remediation, credit recovery and drop out prevention.

“Grade Results is focused on helping schools and colleges achieve tangible improvements. We’re not limited to one mode of learning the way typical software solutions are,” said Suzanne McElyea, CEO of Grade Results. “Our advance-degreed instructors create custom programs based on the specific needs and objectives of our clients, leveraging our extensive resources, technology and flexibility. We’re very excited about the development of the franchise organization, which will help to bring this innovative learning solution to more schools across the country.”

Grade Results currently serves elementary through college students in Texas, Illinois, New Jersey and Louisiana.

Individuals or business groups interested in developing a Grade Results territory in their area may contact Steve Berkman at sberkman@graderesults.com or (888) 627-6488.

About Grade Results
Grade Results is an online instructional company offering interactive, on-demand learning services for K-12 school districts, charter schools, community colleges and universities. Grade Results’ proprietary, state-aligned curriculum is developed by its team of advance-degreed experts and enhanced by its superior technology platform. Providing a number of instructional tools, including self-paced modules, one-to-one live tutoring and a hybrid of the two services, Grade Results’ student-focused, prescriptive methodology equips each student to measurably improve his or her performance. For more information, visit www.graderesults.com

Contact Information

Grade Results
Lynaia Lutes
817-226-4332
lynaial@bsapr.com
www.graderesults.com

Pembroke enjoys dramatic academic gains

In 2002, the year B.J. Howery was hired as Pembroke Community Consolidated School District 259 superintendent, the district’s academic performance was in shambles.

Pembroke was a regular fixture on the state academic watch list. And that year, in a dismal display of academic failure, only 6.8 percent of eighth-grade students were meeting Illinois State Learning Standards in math.

It took time, focus and plenty of persistence to do it, but Lorenzo R. Smith School, the district’s single school, has completely reversed its fortunes. And as Howery is set to retire this year, she has plenty of solid data to prove it.

The percentage of eighth-graders meeting state standards in math climbed to 62.1 percent of students in 2009, according to the latest published results. In 2008, the entire school district met state standards for the first time and was subsequently lifted off the state academic watch list.

“She is relentless,” Edna Dixon, the school’s speech and language pathologist, said of Howery. “She can be tenacious, especially if it’s best for the children. That’s her motto — what’s best for the children.”

For her part, Howery will be returning to Atlanta to be near her son and daughter when her tenure expires June 30. But she’ll be bringing
good memories with her, including one of her most cherished.

This year, the Illinois State Board of Education designated Lorenzo R. Smith School as one of the state’s 975 “Honor Roll” schools for maintaining academic excellence. It has also been named a “Spotlight School” for beating the odds overcoming a high poverty rate to achieve
that designation.

“I got to see that,” Howery said. “That’s enough fanfare for me.”

Rodney Johnson, Ed.D.

Dropout Reduction

March 7, 2010

The dropout rate is highest for Blacks, Hispanics, and low-income students. Researchers agree that Texas’ statewide dropout rate hovers around 33 percent, which is about 20 points higher than official statistics compiled by TEA. After surveying many students, it has been determined that the barriers to high school graduation are diverse as the participating students. Thirty-three percent indicate a lack of course credits to graduate. 33% of those surveyed contribute their poor performance in lower grades as a contributing factor that prevented their graduation. These factors were by far the leading causes which students identified as barriers to graduation. A lack of time, a lack of self-confidence, and a lack of family support were identified as additional barriers that led to negative graduation rates.

There are several dominant factors impacting our dropout rate— failures related to high-stakes assessment, working students, working parents who are students, credit deficiencies, and disenfranchised students. A comprehensive program for over age students in grades 9-12, should be designed to help students return to school and ultimately to obtain their diploma. There is a tremendous gap between the high aspirations of high school students and low inequitable high school graduation and college completion rates in the United States. Two-thirds of ninth graders graduate from high school within four years. Additionally, less than 18% of ninth graders finish high school within four years, go on to college right after high school, and complete an associate’s degree within three years or a bachelor’s within six years. Flexible scheduling is key to any program design for at-risk students specifically to accommodate work schedules and other factors which might otherwise prevent students from attending a traditional campus.

Research shows that there are specific steps to reducing the dropout rate in the United States. Make sure students receive individual attention in safe schools, in smaller learning communities within large schools, in small, and in programs during the summer, weekends, and before and after school that provide tutoring and build on what students learn during the school day. Act early so students do not drop out with high-quality, universal preschool and full-day kindergarten; strong elementary programs that ensure students are doing grade-level work when they enter middle school; and middle school programs that address causes of dropping out that appear in these grades and ensure that students have access to algebra, science, and other courses that serve as the foundation for success in high school and beyond. Additionally, monitor, accurately report, and work to reduce dropout rates by gathering accurate data for key student groups (such as racial, ethnic, and economic), establishing benchmarks in each state for eliminating dropouts, and adopting the standardized reporting method developed by the National Governors Association.

The benefits of being a productive member of society are directly proportional to the level of education achieved. High school graduates earn over $200,000 more in life time earnings. Those achieving an associate’s degree earns over $600,000 more in life time earnings, and Bachelor’s degree recipients earns over $2.5 million more in life time earnings. 2.5 million students have dropped out in the past 20 years. The long-term cost to Society is $730 billion in lost revenue and cost for the state of Texas. If students are not encouraged to stay in school, state demographers predict that average household incomes in Texas will decline. Prevention cost at least $1.7 billion to keep dropouts in four years of school. And through the High School Allotment of $275 per high school student, that is money well spent for dropout-prevention and college readiness.

Association of 23 Private Colleges and Universities Joins with Grade Results to Support Students who Want to Attend College and Those Already Attending their ACI schools.

Chicago, IL, March 4th, 2010—The ASSOCIATED COLLEGES OF ILLINOIS (ACI) (www.acifund.org) has partnered with Grade Results, LLC (www.graderesults.com) to offer the best of breed online educational services to the 23 private colleges and universities that belong to its consortium. Thousands of underserved high school students around the state will have the opportunity to benefit from distance-learning opportunities that are based on the state standards of Illinois. ACI helps solve some of the nation’s most challenging educational problems through scalable and sustainable programs that extend new learning opportunities to low-income, minority, and first generation students.

“Grade Results will provide our colleges and universities with the high quality online instruction, tutoring, writing lab and online content they need to ensure success,” said Jerry Fuller, Executive Director of the ACI. “We think Grade Results can make a difference and help thousands of students in Illinois succeed. By enhancing teaching and learning for students that need help, we can raise graduation and college entrance rates, while improving the chances of college success for first-generation entrants.”

“We are very excited to partner with a leading organization like ACI and their outstanding group of colleges and universities,” said Aisha Mallory, Vice President of Grade Results, LLC. “We want to help students close the achievement gap by offering an affordable learning opportunity.”

About the ASSOCIATED COLLEGES OF ILLINOIS

The ASSOCIATED COLLEGES OF ILLINOIS (ACI) is a group of 23 private colleges and universities, rooted in the liberal arts tradition, which leverages the expertise of our statewide network to provide underserved students with new educational opportunities. ACI’s goals are to enhance teaching and learning in K-12 schools serving our neediest students, raise graduation and college entrance rates among at-risk high school students, and improve the chances of college success for first-generation, low-income, and minority students.

 For more information, go to www.acifund.org or call 312-263-2391.

About GRADE RESULTS:
GRADE RESULTS, based in Carrollton, Texas, is a leader in providing online tutoring, academic support, and test preparation to students around the country. School districts, colleges, universities, and textbook publishers and companies partner with GRADE RESULTS to improve learning outcomes, one student at a time. GRADE RESULTS connects students and tutors for assistance in math, science, language arts, reading, and English language learning anytime, anywhere they have a computer and an internet connection. GRADE RESULTS currently works with students from 2^nd grade to adult education throughout the country. For more information, visit Grade Results’ Online Tutoring, or call 800-928-5570.

Press Contact

Aisha Mallory

Vice President

Grade Results, Inc.

800-928-5570

Interview with Grade Results Founder Craig Ullman

I just wanted to let you know that I just spent 2 1/2 hrs on Grade Results getting some assistance with my statistics homework and they are GREAT! They’re polite, helpful, and take their time to make sure you understand everything!

Students at Perry Walker High School in New Orleans Succeed with Grade Results’ Online Tutoring

Carrollton, Texas – June 30, 2009 — Over ninety percent of students at the O. Perry Walker charter school in New Orleans who received Grade Results’ one-to-one online tutoring passed the Louisiana state tests in Mathematics, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies.

O. Perry Walker College and Career Preparatory High School had long suffered from stagnant test results and low school performance scores. Walker educates a traditionally underserved population that is ninety-seven percent African-American. Previously, less than a third of their students were deemed proficient in English, and only forty-three percent were proficient in math.

In 2009, Walker contracted with Grade Results for its curriculum that is aligned with Louisiana state standards, and to do online instruction for students during a part of the school day designed for preparing the Graduate Exit Exam (GEE). The GEE is a statewide test administered to 10th-12th grade high school students that they must pass to graduate. The ninety-seven students received one-to-one, live online instruction in Math, Language Arts, Science and/or Social Studies for four days per week for approximately three months leading up to the GEE.

The students then took the GEE, and nearly all the students who received the Grade Results live, online instruction passed the GEE.

The Assistant Principal of O. Perry Walker, Mark Bailey, said, “Our students have benefitted from our relationship with Grade Results. The responsiveness of the organization, the effectiveness of the online tutors, and their commitment to student achievement played an integral part in our academic success. Grade Results remains a critical element of our instructional strategy as we look to build on this year’s improvement.”

“We’re delighted with the results of the statewide tests,” said Suzanne McElyea, CEO of Grade Results, Inc. “The school administration, their teachers, and their students did a remarkable job, and we’re happy to have played a role in their success.”

The results of students receiving the Grade Results’ tutoring helped drive the overall results of the school. Last year, less than a third of students were deemed proficient in English. This year, nearly half of students who took the test were. But the biggest changes came about in math, where 85 percent of students scored at proficient levels, compared with only 43 percent last year.

According an article in The Times-Picayune, “… the bounce at Walker stood out, both for its sheer size and the fact it occurred among high school students, whose test scores are usually considered harder to improve than those of students in younger grades.”

For more information, download the complete press release at http://www.graderesults.com/pdf/Louisianastatetests.pdf 

Every home-work help session in on-line tutoring is like a soccer game, where tutors are goal keepers. The soccer ball could come from anywhere and at any moment. The goal keeper should be ready to react to different situations. Similarly, a tutor may not know anything in advance about the question that’s going to be posed in a session, nor the nature or knowledge of the student. He/she may have to start tutoring from the scratch for a high school student. Here’s one such chemistry session that I did a while ago:

It was a high-school student so I had to teach some high-school topic to that student. I started the session by pushing a picture of the periodic table on the white board. After that, I asked, “What do you see on the board?”. “ crossword puzzle table.. lol I don’t know. but similar stuff is over there in my science lab,” said the student. Fortunately, the student was aware of some terms like elements and compounds, which I found out later on during the session. I used a house as an example and explained how different things are arranged in different rooms of the house like the entrance hall, kitchen, bed room, etc. I correlated the things of in a house with elements and rooms with periods and groups, and the student finally understood the periodic table. The satisfaction that I got at the end of the session was enormous. This is why I like tutoring and strive to improve my tutoring skills- Wilson, Grade Results, Inc