Pearson Simplifies Student Assessment with Award-Winning DRA2 Handheld - Tango Software Edition
New York, NY September 22, 2009 -- Reading teachers around the country can now transform their iPod touch® into a powerful tool for diagnosing, assessing and improving student reading skills. Pearson, the education and technology company, today announced that its award-winning DRA2 Handheld - Tango Software Edition is available for Apple's popular handheld device.
Pearson collaborated with Liberty Source, developer of the Tango handheld software, to take the leading reading assessment for grades K-8, the Developmental Reading Assessment™, Second Edition (DRA2), and combined it with state-of-the-art handheld technology to create the DRA2 Handheld - Tango Software Edition. Built on more than 20 years of research and development, the DRA2 is an accurate assessment that helps identify a student's reading ability and level, document progress, and tailor teaching to drive effective reading instruction. Earlier this year, DRA2 Handheld - Tango Software Edition took top honors in the Software & Information Industry Association's 24th Annual CODiE Awards as the winner for Best Educational Use of a Technology Device.
With DRA2 Handheld, teachers can use their iPod touch to measure student reading ability and link the results to instruction. This easy-to-use, portable technology allows teachers to administer DRA2 quickly - with no software installation required. Teachers easily and accurately identify student reading achievement, analyze the data and communicate the results to administrators, parents and students.
"By taking the nation's most widely adopted K-8 reading assessment and optimizing it for today's innovative handheld technology, we are putting a complete set of tools for fostering successful young readers right in teachers' hands," said Doug McCollum, Pearson's General Manager for Literacy. "Now educators can add the top assessment tool for improving student reading achievement to the hundreds of other applications that are available for the iPod touch."
DRA2 Handheld - Tango Software Edition qualifies for funding under a number of the current federal education stimulus programs, including Title I, IDEA-Special Education, Title II-D/Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT), School Improvement, and professional development funding for data-driven decision-making.
For more information about the award-winning DRA2 Handheld - Tango Software Edition, visit www.pearsonschool.com/dra2handheld or www.fundingforschools.com.
About Pearson
Pearson (NYSE:PSO), the global leader in education and education technology, reaches and engages today's digital natives with effective and personalized learning, as well as dedicated professional development for their teachers. This commitment is demonstrated in the company's investment in innovative print and digital education materials for preK through college, student information systems and learning management systems, teacher professional development, career certification programs, and testing and assessment products that set the standard for the industry. The company's respected brands include Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, Addison Wesley, Benjamin Cummings, PEMSolutions, Stanford 10, SuccessNet, MyLabs, PowerSchool, SuccessMaker and many others. Pearson's comprehensive offerings help inform targeted instruction and intervention so that success is within reach of every student at every level of education. Pearson's commitment to education for all is supported by the global philanthropic initiatives of the Pearson Foundation. Pearson's other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group. For more information, go to www.pearson.com.
For more information, press only:
Rod Granger, Pearson, 800-745-8489
