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 Pearson Digital Learning Announces NovaNET 2004 Student Essay Contest WinnerMesa, Arizona, June 29, 2004–Pearson Digital Learning today announced that Mark Dragich, a 17-year-old senior from East Valley High School in Spokane , Wash. , is the winner of the NovaNET® 2004 Student Essay Contest. NovaNET® is an online, standards-based curriculum, assessment, and student recordkeeping system designed specifically for middle and high school learners. In his winning essay, titled “Reaching My Potential,” Dragich described how the NovaNET system helped him to care more and more about school, and showed him that he was an intelligent young man who could excel beyond what he thought was possible. Dragich accessed the NovaNET system in East Valley High School ’s Learning Opportunities Center , where students in grades nine to 12 use the online curriculum for remediation, credit retrieval, and course acceleration. Working on the NovaNET system, Dragich recovered credits in core academic areas and then went on to take college prep courses. During his senior year, he worked as a tutor in the school’s Peer Tutoring Program to help other students who were using the NovaNET program for remediation and earn college credit for himself. Dragich graduated from his high school on June 7 and plans to begin college in the fall, thanks to the success he experienced in high school with NovaNET. Dragich explained in his essay, “With NovaNET's help, I have raised my GPA from the mid one point range to the high three point range … I have applied myself in school, taken college prep courses, and I have been accepted to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, which I consider a great achievement. I plan to further my education there and for this, I thank NovaNET. Now, I think, I have set myself on the right path to reaching my potential in the learning community, as well as being a productive member of society. I hope that others take the path that I have found so inspirational. NovaNET was the key to unlocking my future, and I am sure it will do so again for others.” “Mark used NovaNET for remediation a few years ago to get caught up,” said Sonja Wolferman, a teacher and site director for NovaNET at East Valley High School . “He came in, got to work and just excelled at it. Mark was able to catch up on seven classes in one year. I recruited him to come back in his senior year to work as a tutor in our Peer Tutoring Program. NovaNET has made such a difference for so many students, and has saved them from dropping out of school. Mark has been an incredible example of the success of this program. NovaNET shows you what students can accomplish. It builds their confidence and gets them back on track. What I love about the program is that it helps students realize that they are smart.” As the winning contestant, Dragich and his teacher, Wolferman, will receive an all expenses paid trip to Pearson Digital Learning’s 2004 Users’ Conference on November 3-5 at the Hilton Anaheim in Anaheim , Calif. At the conference, Dragich will have the opportunity to read his essay in the General Session. The essay also will be published on the Pearson Digital Learning Web site. The NovaNET 2004 Student Essay Contest was open to all students using the NovaNET system. Students were asked to compose an essay, not to exceed 500 words, on the topic, “ NovaNET: Extending Your Reach ,” and explain how NovaNET has helped them reach new heights. Students then submitted the essay online, using the NovaNET system. “We had some amazing entries this year that showed some great thinking from a broad range of students. While it’s always a challenge to select a winner from such a wonderful pool of entries, Mark’s essay really captured the theme and brought it to life in a personal way. Students like him are why we’re all so dedicated to NovaNET,” said Sandra Lassiter, NovaNET senior product manager.
The NovaNET system delivers the most comprehensive, interactive and engaging online curriculum, testing, assessment, student management, and record-keeping, designed specifically for middle and high school learners. The NovaNET system’s thousands of hours of basic skills, middle and high school English, mathematics, science, social studies, electives, ESL, GED preparation, SAT/ACT preparation, life skills, school-to-work, and post-secondary curriculum and assessment programs are aligned to national and state standards. Continuously upgraded and enhanced, it continues to evolve to incorporate the latest technology and meet the changing needs of education
Working side by side with educators for over 40 years, Pearson Digital Learning is the leader in proven, comprehensive technologies for preK-12 education. Our mission is to provide innovative, research-based digital learning solutions that elevate the art and science of teaching, and inspire children to reach their greatest potential. Reaching more than 20 million students annually, our products include: the SuccessMaker® Enterprise and NovaNET® educational courseware; the KnowledgeBox® digital learning system; Concert™ solution for integrated instructional management, and SASIxp™ student information system. Pearson Digital Learning is also the exclusive distributor for the Waterford Early Reading Program™ and Waterford Early Math & Science™, adaptive computer-based instruction developed by the Waterford Institute. Pearson Digital Learning is part of Pearson
Education (NYSE: PSO), the world’s leading integrated
education company. Contact Matt Murphy, Corporate Communications Manager |
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