CARROLLTON EXEMPTED VILLAGE SCHOOLS EXPERIENCES SIGNIFICANT GAINS IN STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Leigh Ann McCray, Carrollton Schools
330-627-2181
leighann.mccray@carrolltonschools.org

Christina Scripps, Discovery Education
240-662-6502
christina_scripps@discovery.com

– Ohio School District Jumped from 507th to Third in State Rankings –

Silver Spring, Md. (Dec. 19, 2011) – Supported by the use of Discovery Education Assessment, Carrollton Exempted Village Schools in Ohio dramatically improved student achievement from 2010 to 2011. Based on findings from Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA), the district jumped to third in the state for academic performance, up from 507th, and outpaced the state average by nearly 10 percent in math and reading proficiency scores.

Discovery Education Assessment provided Carrollton educators with the tools needed to inform instruction and drive student achievement with a combination of interim and formative assessments. Discovery Education Assessment is an assessment tool which accurately forecasts performance on OAA based on students’ continued learning throughout the year helping teachers identify those students most in need and targets specific instructional areas for remediation or advancement. The periodic interim assessments are reinforced with formative evaluation tools to support effective instruction and monitor student progress. More recently, Carrollton has expanded use of Discovery Education within the district to include, Discovery Education streaming, a digital content service with a library of over 150,000 digital assets.

Students at Carrollton schools completed the Discovery Education Assessment interim benchmarks throughout the school year. Each benchmark was customized to measure skills tested by the OAA. The results of the benchmarks measure academic growth, predict proficiency in reading and math and analyze student performance by highlighting their aptitude and content mastery.

“Discovery Education Assessment is one of the most effective practices we implemented last year, and the results undoubtedly show how our students benefited,” said Leigh Ann McCray, assistant superintendent at the Carrollton district. “The improvement of our OAA scores is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of Carrollton educators and students.”

To further showcase the district’s remarkable success, Discovery Education Assessment conducted a study examining Carrollton Exempted Village Schools 2010 and 2011 OAA reading and math proficiency scores for grades three through eight. Math scores for students improved by 11.3 percent, a significantly higher gain than the 2.5 percent increase reported statewide. For reading, students increased scores by an average of 3.9 percent, while the rest of the state increased reading scores by 1.3 percent.

“By accurately measuring and forecasting students’ academic performance, educators are able to tailor their instruction to meet the specific needs of their students,” said Hardin Daniel, vice president, Discovery Education. “We appreciate the partnership supporting Carrollton educators and congratulate their success.”

About Carrollton Schools
Carrollton School District has approximately 2,500 students in grades K-12, with one high school (Carrollton High School), one middle school (Bell-Herron Middle School) , and three K-5 elementary buildings, with our largest (Carrollton Elementary) housing 650 students in a 100 year old school building (Augusta Elementary 185 students k-5, and Dellroy Elementary 180 students K-5).

About Discovery Education
Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) revolutionized television with Discovery Channel and is now transforming classrooms through Discovery Education. Powered by the number one nonfiction 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 all U.S. schools access Discovery Education digital services. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

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