Press Release

New Century Education and Grant Joint Union High School District

Launch Software Partnership

(September, 2003, Piscataway, New Jersey)

New Century Education Corporation is pleased to announce a unique long-term software partnership with the Grant Joint Union High School District in Sacramento, CA. The ten year agreement includes implementation of the New Century Instructional System curriculum software across the district in seventeen middle and high schools as well as adult education programs and charter schools. At the same time, New Century Education and Grant Joint Union will collaborate in an independently conducted research study to further validate the efficacy of the New Century program and in the development of new versions and delivery models for the software.

According to Jim Griffin, Chief Executive Officer of New Century Education, “After meeting with Grant Joint Union’s administrators, it was clear that the district had unique technology assets and expertise. It was also clear that the district is led by an extraordinary Superintendent, Dr. Larry Buchanan, with focus and vision to match our own, all of which were necessary to make this partnership possible.” Karen Brandhorst, President of New Century Education, confirmed that: “We could not ask for a partner better suited to our focus and priorities and better qualified to contribute to our future development. The Grant District serves a diverse student population, and faces similar challenges to many districts across the country as they implement programs to help all groups meet escalating proficiency standards. To support that effort, the district has invested carefully in its technology infrastructure and has recruited staff members who are recognized leaders in their respective areas. “

Before entering into the partnership, Grant District conducted a pilot of the New Century program in its Transition High School. The results of the pilot exceeded expectations; not only did the participating students achieve more than two months gain per month of instruction in reading and math, but the detailed student data generated by the program served to focus classroom instruction and guide teaching strategies. Dr. Buchanan states, “The Grant district staff has been searching for a software-based curriculum program that supports the needs of all of our students – whether at or below grade level – and is consistent with our long-term technology vision for the district. The New Century program meets both requirements. The curriculum is aligned to California Standards and will be correlated to our district assessment system to support data driven decision making.”

New Century Education provides instructional software to help students of all ages and ability levels achieve proficiency in core curriculum subjects. The New Century Instructional System combines software based curriculum, integrated assessments, and valuable teacher and administrator reports. The program’s structured approach to individualized learning, its assessment and monitoring, and its curriculum are the products of New Century’s rich educational publishing experience and expertise and its original research in learning behaviors and motivations. New Century Education offers educators a complete program solution including software installation, technical support, training and staff development. Headquartered in Piscataway, New Jersey, the company has a national network of support personnel dedicated to on-site service delivery.

Grant Joint Union High School District serves approximately 26,000 middle school through adult students in Sacramento County. The district’s board, administration, faculty and staff are committed in their mission to create the optimum environment for student achievement. Grant District has made tremendous strides over the past four years to improve the quality of education of its students and to improve the overall efficiency of district operations. Its “Education First” School Board adopted a five year strategic plan to improve the quality of instruction for all of the children in the district.

Contacts: Janice Harrison, New Century Education Corporation , 732-981-5562, mailto:jharrison@ncecorp.com

Zenobia Gerald, Grant District Public Relations, 916-570-0287