Silver Spring, Md. (Nov. 10, 2008) – Discovery Education has been honored with a 2008 Award of Excellence from Tech & Learning magazine for Discovery Education Assessment. Discovery Education Assessment employs a model of academic monitoring that quickly and accurately tracks student progress toward meeting state standards for reading/language arts, math and science. The service’s research-based benchmarks and reports enable educators to revise instruction, enhance learning and improve test scores.

“We work very hard to provide educators and students with innovative and effective assessment tools that can help them improve academic achievement,” said Hardin Daniel, Vice President of Educational Assessment for Discovery Education. “And we are honored to have been recognized for our efforts by Tech & Learning.”

Research shows that more than 90 percent of schools using Discovery Education Assessment maintain or improve Adequate Yearly Progress status. Recently, educators in the School District of Palm Beach County’s Polo Park Middle School found improvement in student achievement in science with Discovery Education Assessment.

In the 2007-2008 school year, Polo Park Middle School educators used Discovery Education Assessment’s science benchmark tests twice to measure eighth graders’ academic progress toward meeting Florida state science standards. Following each benchmark test, Polo Park Middle School educators reviewed the test data and adjusted their classroom activities to address areas and concepts students’ test scores showed needed improvement.

This summer, school administrators discovered that their eighth grade students had registered a 14-point gain on the science portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). According to Principal William Latson, Polo Park’s students achieved the highest gains in science scores of all the eighth graders in the county for the 2007-2008 school year.

The prestigious Awards of Excellence program highlights innovative software and Web products that break new ground in some important way and demonstrate clear superiority over similar products in the market. This year’s winners were chosen by a panel of more than 30 educator-judges who test-drove more than 100 entries.

More Information

For more information about the Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence program, visit www.techlearning.com.

For more information about Discovery Education and its services, explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

About Discovery Education

Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISAD, DISBD, DISCK) revolutionized television with the Discovery Channel and is now transforming classrooms through Discovery Education. Powered by the number one non-fiction media company in the world, Discovery Education combines scientifically proven, standards-based digital media and a dynamic user community in order to empower teachers to improve student achievement. Already, more than half of U.S. schools access Discovery Education digital services.

Contacts

Discovery Education
Stephen Wakefield
240-662-2893
stephen_wakefield at discovery dot com
www.discoveryeducation.com

C. Blohm & Associates, Inc.
Sandy Fash
608-839-9800
sandy at cblohm dot com
www.cblohm.com

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