GREENVILLE, Wis., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — School Specialty, Inc. (NASDAQ:SCHS) — The California State Board of Education has recognized the importance of active, hands-on science education by approving curricula from School Specialty Science for adoption at its November meeting. Two programs, The Full Option Science System(TM) (FOSS(R)) from Delta Education (Grades K-5) and Focus on Earth, Life and Physical Science from CPO Science (Grades 6-8), were approved after earning a recommendation by the state’s Curriculum Commission.
Both programs were developed specifically for California and are completely aligned with California state science standards. The programs were also designed to help improve student test scores, especially important now as No Child Left Behind science testing begins in 2007.
“The acquisition of Delta Education LLC in September 2005 was a strategic move to bring School Specialty Science to a leadership position within the science marketplace. We believe the approval of our product offering by the California State Board of Education is a significant achievement as California represents 12% of the US School market,” said David Vander Zanden, President and Chief Executive Officer of School Specialty, Inc.
The two adopted programs, FOSS and CPO Focus, offer a significant advantage over competitive programs because they utilize active learning and hands-on activities, original content area reading, and comprehensive teacher support materials. Active, inquiry-based learning helps students comprehend and retain complex science concepts and can be adapted easily for different levels and styles of learning. Previous editions of the FOSS program have also been used successfully by numerous California school districts over the past 15 years.
The State Board of Education approval entitles the two School Specialty programs to compete for state allocated Instructional Materials Funds (IMF). Local school districts will receive approximately $200 million from the state to purchase state approved programs during the current science adoption cycle. FOSS, developed by the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley, is one of five programs approved for elementary schools. CPO Focus is one of six approved middle school programs. Only adopted programs are eligible for IMF monies.
Local California school districts will review the adopted programs throughout the remainder of the current school year and make purchasing decisions next spring. The selected programs will be implemented in district classrooms at the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year and will form the instructional backbone for science for the next six or more years. California districts generally have separate committees evaluating elementary and middle school programs.
Twenty-two states, primarily in the southern U.S., conduct a state adoption process. Each of these states sets a six to seven year cycle for each subject area. In the remaining twenty-eight states each school district sets its own adoption cycle with little state supervision. Historically, programs that gain significant market share in California generally also experience success in the remainder of the country.
School Specialty Science is the Pre K-12 science education division of School Specialty Inc.
About School Specialty, Inc.
School Specialty is an education company that provides innovative and proprietary products, programs, and services to help educators engage and inspire students of all ages and abilities.
Through leading brands, School Specialty designs, develops, and provides PreK-12 educators with the latest and very best curriculum, supplemental learning resources, and classroom basics.
Working in collaboration with educators, School Specialty reaches beyond the scope of textbooks to help teachers, guidance counselors, and school administrators ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential.
For more information about School Specialty, visit http://www.schoolspecialty.com/ .
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