ATI In the News
Assessment Technology, Incorporated is Sourced for PBS: A NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
TUCSON, AZ/ July 24, 2002 - Assessment Technology, Inc. (ATI), a leading developer of online assessment and planning tools for early learners, is recently mentioned and used as a source for the PBS: A NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. The segment produced by Jim Hockberg entitled "Getting A Head Start" aired July 5, 2002, on PBS stations nation wide.
National attention is focusing on school readiness for preschoolers from low income families and whether they are succeeding. This PBS segment addresses the debate over just how literate the 900,000 preschoolers in the nation's Head Start classes really are and if their development is in line with the federal government expectations.
"ATI was able to provide Mr. Hockberg outcome documentation from a grass roots initiative in which Head Start programs joined together, pooled data and shared information about children's learning and development. ATI was able to aggregate the outcome data and present a Portrait of children's learning. This Portrait illustrated reports that demonstrated progress over time in Head Start Programs," states Jason Feld, Ph.D., Vice President of Corporate Projects for ATI. "We at Assessment Technology, Inc. were proud to be a source for this PBS segment where the common goal was to provide accurate information on young children's progress in Head Start programs."
A copy of the Portrait on Head Start Child Outcomes can be found on ATI's website at www.ati-online.com. ATI makes no claims that the data are representative of the learning of Head Start children as a whole. The programs participating in the Portrait are volunteers. Although participating programs cannot be regarded as representative of Head Start as a whole, the data that they have gathered for the Portrait does provide a current and updated picture of the learning of several thousand Head Start children.
". . . a study of 3,300 Head Start students by Assessment Technology, an educational consultant, finds Congress' reforms are having impact, and the kids are better mastering number concepts and literacy skills," reports Lee Hockberg, PBS Reporter in the segment.
A pioneer in the electronic learning industry, ATI has developed numerous products including Galileo Online, Online Reporter, Galileo G-2 and Merlin. These tools provide educational programs with assessment, planning and case management tools for the Electronic Management of Learning (EML). EML empowers programs with a research-based, integrated technology for creating supportive learning environments that enable children to achieve their full potential. By providing caregivers, teachers, administrators and policy-makers electronically aggregated information used to promote learning, EML helps to ensure that each of the stakeholders in children's development have rapid access to evidence-based decision-making data.
Assessment Technology, Inc. has customers in all early childhood education segments, including Head Start programs nationwide and proprietary preschools. Galileo is recommended by the state Head Start Association in Florida and North Carolina and is mandated by the Ohio Department of Education for use in all State funded Head Start, Public School Preschool and Special Education Preschool programs.
Incorporated in 1986, the mission of ATI is to create, distribute and support the use of technology to promote learning from infancy through adulthood.
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jody@assessmenttech.com