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District/School Needs

• Ensure teachers’ use high quality standards-aligned materials
• Increase test scores for all students
• Attract and retain the best teachers

One of the most effective ways to increase the quality of instruction for all students is to provide all teachers with well-organized, high quality planning and instructional resources. A VitalSource^TM Custom Digital Curriculum can integrate publisher and local materials into one simple interface, making them readily available for search and interaction. Furthermore, the materials can all be tied to the appropriate standards so that the best, most relevant curriculum materials are just a click away.

At the core of any VitalSource^TM Custom Digital Curriculum is VitalSource^TM Bookshelf, the most advanced e-book platform available. Bookshelf delivers content directly to the user’s desktop in a format which allows teachers and students to interact with their materials in familiar ways, namely using highlights and taking notes. The delivery of content onto the computer also enables additional tools such as the ability to search specific documents or broad swaths of content very quickly. With the recent introduction of version 4.5, VitalSource^TM takes the interactivity a step further by introducing Shared Notes. Now, VitalSource^TM becomes a platform for social learning and furthers the exchange of information between users. Teachers can make their notes and highlights available to other users. The information is automatically synched and updated each time Bookshelf is connected to the internet. One possibility among many for this feature would be for a master teacher to share notes and highlights with less experienced members of the faculty, allowing them to get quickly up to speed on the best methods and materials for teaching a particular standard.

Proven Results:

In one large mid-Atlantic public school system, test results from the 2005-06 school year are proving the power of a well-designed CDC:

Biology 10 percentile increase (59% to 69%)
LSN Government 14 percentile increase (63% to 77%)
Algebra 20 percentile increase (53% to 73%)*

*Of note is that the largest increase of any particular AYP sub-group was for African-American on the algebra exam, 37% to 62%.

Teacher Surveys:

With 88 percent of Algebra I teachers agreed that the materials aligned with their curriculum and 95 percent of Biology teachers stated that the materials foster active learning, this

School system has been thrilled with the outcome. The district now knows that all teachers are delivering the instruction they should, using the best materials available. As the superintendent has noted, “This is the kind of thing every school district wants!”

VitalSource^TM Custom Digital Curriculum delivers more effective teacher resources:

Selected Comments

“VitalSource^TM has reduced teachers’ work load by 80 percent. They are in heaven. This is truly a teacher’s dream come true.” - Dr. John Cox, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction

Teacher Comments

"It has made my planning more convenient and helpful."

"(I) have 90% of my resources at my fingertips"

"I can better accommodate all of the different learners and allow for higher student achievement as a result."

"It has allowed me to become more familiar with the subject and thus more competent in teaching it (I am an Earth Science specialist teaching Biology)"