News - KEH Communications

PresenceLearning Expands Leadership Team

New President of Therapy Essentials Platform and Chief People Officer tapped to support company’s substantial growth

NEW YORK, August 17, 2021 – PresenceLearning, the leading provider of live online special education related services and behavioral and mental health services for K-12 schools nationwide, has made two key additions to the leadership team. The company has hired Louisa Balach as President, Therapy Essentials Platform, and has promoted Shanelle Reese to become the company’s first Chief People Officer.

Alma Announces System Upgrades to its Student Information System

Alma offers a Spanish version of its parent and student portals and adds new features to make it easier for districts to onboard schools and use third party apps

Portland, Ore. (August 12, 2021) – Alma Student Information System (SIS) has updated its award-winning SIS platform with several new features to support schools and families this school year. Upgrades include the addition of Navigator to help schools transition to Alma, the App Center to integrate third party apps, and Multilingual Parent and Student Portals which allow families to use the Spanish version of the portals to register their children and access their grades. The upgrades are all available now to start the new school year.

Mississippi Department of Education Approves Curriculum Associates’ Programs as Evidence-Based Academic Interventions

The i-Ready®, Ready®, Phonics for Reading™, and Teacher Toolbox programs can be used by schools across the state to support the academic needs of Tier II and Tier III students

NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., August 3, 2021—The Mississippi Department of Education’s (MDE) Office of Student Intervention Services recently named a number of Curriculum Associates’ programs as approved academic interventions. Through this approval, which is valid until November 2025, schools across the state can confidently use i-Ready Assessment and Personalized Instruction, Ready Mississippi Reading and Mathematics, Teacher Toolbox for Ready Writing, and Phonics for Reading to support the academic needs of Tier II and Tier III students in Grades K–8.

PresenceLearning Becomes New Corporate Partner of ASHA

PresenceLearning Platform Will Expand Teletherapy Options for SLPs

(Rockville, MD – July 27, 2021) The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) announced today that PresenceLearning, a provider of live online special education–related services for grades preK–12, has become an ASHA Corporate Partner.

Oklahoma State Department of Education Names i-Ready® a Reading Sufficiency Act K–3 State Approved Screening Instrument

With this approval, schools across the state can use Curriculum Associates’ award-winning Diagnostic starting in the 2022–2023 school year

NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., July 14, 2021—The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OKSDE) recently named Curriculum Associates’ i-Ready as a Reading Sufficiency Act (RSA) K–3 State Approved Screening Instrument. With this approval, schools across the state can start using the award-winning Diagnostic in the 2022–2023 school year to screen students’ reading skills and receive actionable criterion-referenced and normative data to deliver impactful student instruction. Today, the award-winning i-Ready program serves more than nine million students and 25 percent of all K–8 students in the United States.

PBLWorks Announces its 2021 PBL Champions

District, school and individual champions are recognized for their commitment to high quality Project Based Learning

Novato, CA (July 13, 2021) – PBLWorks, the leading provider of professional development for Project Based Learning (PBL), has announced its 2021 PBL Champions – a program that honors schools, districts and individuals for their commitment to high quality Project Based Learning. This year for the first time, the program includes two school district Champions, and a PBL Champion of the Decade. The 2021 PBL Champions are:

PBL Champion Districts

Pearl City Waipahu Complex Area (Waipahu, Hawaii)
Manchester School District (Manchester, New Hampshire)

PBL Champion School

Waxpool Elementary School (Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia)

PBL Champion Individual

Dr. Yolanda Roberson, Interventionist at John P. Freeman Optional School (Memphis, Tennessee)

PBL Champion of the Decade

George Lucas, film director, producer, screenwriter, and entrepreneur

Vernier Software & Technology Publishes New E-book to Support Middle School Students in Exploration of Climate and Weather

‘Climate and Meteorology Experiments’ features 11 Earth science investigations that engage students with data-collection technology and hands-on experimentation

BEAVERTON, Oregon, July 13, 2021 — Vernier Software & Technology recently published the new Climate and Meteorology Experiments e-book to engage middle school students in the use of data-collection technology as they explore weather, climate, and other important Earth science topics. Climate and Meteorology Experiments includes 11 interactive investigations utilizing wireless Vernier sensors such as the Go Direct® Light and Color Sensor, Go Direct Surface Temperature Sensor, and Go Direct Weather System, as well as the Vernier Graphical Analysis™ app.

PresenceLearning Wins Two Stevie® Awards in 2021 American Business Awards

Therapy Essentials honored as Gold and People’s Choice Stevie® Award winner for favorite solution serving students with special needs

NEW YORK, July 8, 2021 – PresenceLearning, the leading provider of therapy tools and live, online special education related services for preK-12 schools nationwide, was named the winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the Solution for Special Needs Students category in the 19th Annual American Business Awards®. Additionally, it was named a winner of a People’s Choice Stevie® Award for Favorite New Products.

New Mexico Public Education Department Names Curriculum Associates to Its High-Quality Professional Learning Marketplace List for 2021

Educators to receive robust, high-quality professional learning during the implementation and ongoing use of i-Ready® Classroom Mathematics and Ready® Reading

NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., July 6, 2021— The New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) recently named Curriculum Associates' i-Ready Classroom Mathematics and Ready Reading programs to its High-Quality Professional Learning (HQPL) Marketplace List for 2021. The list acts as a guide for teachers, schools, and districts across the state to identify professional learning provider programs that support orientation and ongoing implementation of high-quality instructional materials. Today, Curriculum Associates’ programs are used by more than a dozen districts across the state, including Las Cruces Public Schools, Gadsden Independent School District, and Grants Cibola County Schools.

ALAS Opens a Women Superintendents Policy Leadership Academy

Female superintendents can apply through July 31, 2021 for year-long program focused on developing leadership in policy and advocacy

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 1, 2021) – The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) has created a new leadership academy specifically to help new female superintendents learn advocacy skills and develop their understanding of navigating and implementing education policies. The Women Superintendents Policy Leadership Academy is accepting applications through July 31, 2021 for its 2021-2022 cohort, which begins in September, 2021 and runs through May, 2022.

To learn more or to apply, visit www.alasedu.org/wspla-women-superintendents-policy-leadership-academy/. Please note the due date has been extended to July 31, 2021.