News - KEH Communications

PresenceLearning Adds CASL Language Assessment Tool to its Online Speech Therapy Offerings

Expanding districts’ options for assessing students so speech-language therapy can start sooner

SAN FRANCISCO, October 2, 2013 – Getting students evaluated for speech-language services at the start of the school year is a time-consuming process, especially when speech-language pathologists are in short supply. The persistent nationwide shortage of highly trained experts can mean that much-needed services for students may be delayed as districts scramble to meet the demand for time-intensive assessments. To help address this issue, PresenceLearning, the leader in online speech therapy services for K-12 students, has partnered with Western Psychological Services (WPS) to add the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language (CASL) to PresenceLearning’s growing repertoire of online assessments. The CASL further expands PresenceLearning’s capability to administer the most commonly used assessment tools for identifying speech-language disorders. The CASL is a standardized assessment that measures semantic, syntactic, literal, figurative and social aspects of oral language in children ages 3 to 16.

Indiana Boys & Girls Club Chapter Battles Childhood Obesity with Innovative After School Physical Activity Program

Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County used funding from local organizations to implement SPARK™ After School (AS) Program with 5,000 students in grades K-12

San Diego, CA, October 1, 2013 — Boys & Girls Clubs across the nation are committed to promoting specific codes of conduct for youth, one of which is a healthy lifestyle. According to a recent Boys & Girls Club of America survey, 80 percent of alumni said their club had a positive impact on their attitude toward fitness and health. To help further this appreciation for physical fitness and ultimately battle childhood obesity in the youth it serves, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County, IN adopted the After School (AS) Program from SPARK™, provider of the world’s most-researched physical education (PE) program. The implementation was funded by the United Way of Porter County and the Valparaiso Mayor’s Charity Ball.

Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina Selects Teachscape to Help Prepare Student Teachers for Teaching Success

Teachscape to provide school of education with video-based teaching and learning tools to support new textbook-free initiative

SAN FRANCISCO, October 1, 2013 – Gardner-Webb University’s School of Education in Boiling Springs, N.C. has selected Teachscape, the leader in delivering Web-based solutions and expert services to improve teaching practice, to help launch a new textbook-free initiative and prepare students for success in the teaching field. The School of Education will use Teachscape’s video-based and online learning tools as an integral part of Gardner-Webb’s teaching and learning processes.

Tell-a-Teacher Referral Program Rewards Educators Who Use Free Teacher Wish List Service

Both referring and referred teachers get free Wet Ones® Antibacterial Hand Wipes just in time for flu season

Wrentham, MA (September 26, 2013) – The need for school supplies in the classroom does not end after the back-to-school rush, especially for seasonal items like antibacterial wipes and tissues. Communicating these needs to parents and ensuring that supplies are replenished can be a time-consuming process however. TeacherLists.com, the largest and fastest-growing free online service for posting and sharing school supply lists and teacher wish lists with parents, changes the antiquated process of asking for supplies and is now offering a new program to help fulfill educators’ needs for supplies – The Tell-a-Teacher referral program. This program rewards both the referring and referred teachers with free school supplies for posting lists to TeacherLists.com.

The Tell-a-Teacher referral program helps educators earn free supplies quickly and easily. Just ask Penny Woods, former teacher and current Penniless Teacher blogger and family school volunteer. Woods created TeachersList.com accounts for approximately 30 teachers at Tropical Elementary School in Merritt Island, FL and earned 75 tier one rewards and 15 tier two rewards for teachers at the school.

SMART Notebook™ Collaborative Learning Software Now Available with Epson BrightLink® Interactive Projectors

Epson and SMART Partner to Deliver More Collaborative Learning in Classrooms

CALGARY, AB and LONG BEACH, CA – Sept. 25, 2013 – Educators now have more options for delivering lessons with interactive capabilities for effective learning. SMART Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SMT) (TSX: SMA), a leading provider of collaboration solutions, and Epson, the number-one selling projector brand worldwide1, today announced an agreement where SMART Notebook software, the world’s leading collaborative learning software, can now be licensed for use with Epson BrightLink interactive projectors. The addition of SMART software to Epson interactive projectors provides a potent combination for collaborative learning.

Wanderful Apps Receive Six Coveted Parents’ Choice Awards

Includes Parents’ Choice Gold Awards for Arthur® and Berenstain Bears® Apps

San Francisco, September 13, 2013 – Parents’ Choice Foundation has awarded six of its coveted Parent’s Choice Awards to Wanderful for their highly acclaimed interactive storybooks Apps. This makes a total of eight Parents Choice awards received by Wanderful – an award for every Wanderful App that has been submitted to Parents’ Choice for review.

Learning First Alliance Welcomes New Board Member Kristen Amundson from the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)

Amundson brings two decades of experience to LFA’s board as Alliance continues its work for the advancement of public education

Washington, D.C. – September 17, 2013 – The Learning First Alliance (LFA), a partnership of 15 leading education associations with more than 10 million members dedicated to improving student learning in America's public schools, welcomes Kristen Amundson, executive director of the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE), to its board. Amundson brings more than two decades of experience as a policymaker to her recently-appointed position at NASBE, which represents America's state and territorial boards of education, as well as to this position within the LFA.

Epson Adds Robust DC-12 Document Camera to Existing Portfolio of Classroom Solutions

DC-12 Helps Teachers Take Lessons to the Next Level with HD Image Quality, Picture-in-Picture Zoom and Easy Setup

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Sept. 17, 2013 – Epson America today announced the new Epson® DC-12 document camera, Epson’s latest classroom imaging solution designed to help educators deliver engaging lessons and enhance the learning experience. With HD image quality and HDMI connectivity to deliver sharp text and bright, colorful images, the DC-12 is a valuable and easy-to-use tool that can be utilized for a wide range of learning applications, in turn creating a large impact in the classroom environment.

Providence Public Schools Selects Teachscape to Help Empower Teachers to Improve Teaching Practices

Rhode Island’s largest school district to deliver individualized PD based on fair and reliable teacher evaluations

SAN FRANCISCO, September 12, 2013 – Providence Public Schools, Rhode Island’s largest school district, has selected Teachscape, the leader in delivering Web-based solutions and expert services to improve teaching practice, to advance its teacher evaluation and professional development processes. Teachscape will help the district implement its evaluation system for 2,000 educators, including teachers, administrators, and support professionals. Teachscape will also help Providence deliver individualized online professional learning for each of its teachers.

SPARKTM Helps Classroom Teachers Get Students Moving With New SPARKabc’s Physical Activity Program

New curriculum was designed to increase students’physical activity while supporting academic learning standards

San Diego, CA, September 10, 2013 — Extensive evidence shows positive associations between physical activity and improved academic performance; yet many schools struggle to incorporate movement into their busy days. To help schools provide students with more structured physical activity minutes in each day, SPARK™, provider of the world’s most-researched physical education (PE) program, has launched SPARKabc’s (Activity Break Choices)—an innovative solution for incorporating physical activity in the classroom, during recess, and throughout the school day.