“School districts across the country face logistical challenges that limit participation in after-school programs, including limited space, transportation complexities, and geographic barriers,” noted Jeffrey H. Cohen, president, Catapult Learning.

“Catapult Online helps districts overcome these challenges because the service is delivered in the safety and convenience of each student’s home. No other supplemental education product or service can deliver live, individualized instruction with this breadth, and no other program has our proven track record of helping students improve academically. For all these reasons, early district response to Catapult Online has been extremely favorable.

We look forward to establishing more district partnerships in the coming months to deliver academic services via Catapult Online.”

Catapult Online is already being used by school districts large and small, urban and rural, to overcome logistical challenges and geographic barriers that often prevent students from participating in after-school programs, including supplemental educational services required under NCLB. Approximately 1,500 students are currently enrolled in the Catapult Online tutoring program.

Some of the school districts that have utilized Catapult Online to serve these students include: Los Angeles Unified School District (CA), Hartford Public Schools (CT), Chicago Public Schools (IL), Central Consolidated Schools (NM), Prince George’s County Public Schools (MD), Richland County Public Schools, District One (SC), and Albuquerque Public Schools (NM).

Catapult Learning recently partnered with the Association of Education Service Agencies (AESA) to develop a pilot program supported by a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to deliver Catapult Online to students in rural and remote areas. Under the grant, Catapult Online is working in partnership with AESA to provide free tutoring to 2,300 rural public school students in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Georgia over the next five years.

Catapult Online blends 25 years of proven instructional methodology with digital technology to provide a unique and enriching learning experience that generates consistent academic achievement.

On average, students participating in 36 hours of Catapult Online instruction achieve a grade level gain of 1.2 years in reading and 1.8 years in math. The Catapult Online curriculum was accredited in July 2002 by the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA) and in November 2002, by the Middle States Commission on Elementary Schools.

Catapult Online’s proprietary curriculum is delivered on a personal computer that is provided free of charge by Catapult. Students earn the right to keep the computer by completing the program. Unlike most online programs that offer only asynchronous instruction, Catapult Online provides, live, synchronous instruction, using voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and electronic whiteboard technologies.

 Catapult Online’s state-certified U.S. teachers utilize more than 11,000 math and reading lessons to engage students in live, two-way verbal instruction and written exercises. Student work is continuously monitored, and teachers can view session history and track progress on specific skills for each student using an online Curriculum panel. Parents are also given the ability to log-on to a secure web page to check on their child’s progress or modify the schedule at any time during the program.

Catapult Online’s diagnostic and prescriptive curriculum allows teachers to deliver the most appropriate lessons to address specific needs of individual students. Students are taught one skill at a time, according to an individualized learning plan. They must demonstrate skill mastery and the ability to apply new skills in the classroom before advancing in their learning plan. Catapult Online offers maximum flexibility and customization by enabling teachers to monitor student work continuously and adjust the curriculum accordingly.

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About Catapult Online
Catapult Online is a wholly-owned and operated subsidiary of Catapult Learning, a leading provider of public school, non-public school and community-based education services. Catapult Online provides a research-based, online tutoring program that delivers live, individualized, direct instruction to students – right in their homes. Catapult Online combines powerful, state of the art technology with state certified teachers and a proprietary instructional methodology to deliver measurable, proven gains in student achievement. School districts large and small, urban and rural, have turned to Catapult Online to break down geographic barriers and overcome logistical challenges to deliver supplemental instruction and test preparation services to thousands of students in grades 3-12. Catapult Online and Catapult Learning are owned by parent company, Educate, Inc. (NASDAQ: EEEE)