McGraw-Hill Education Expands Educational Services Offerings Through Groundbreaking College Readiness Program

NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With 63 percent of students at two-year colleges and 40 percent at four-year institutions in need of remediation nationally and statistics showing that those who take remedial courses are more likely to drop out, it is critical that students have options to prepare for college. Through the Bridging to College Success remedial education program launched today, McGraw-Hill Higher Education is offering a scalable solution that seeks to reduce the alarming percentage of students who enter college academically unprepared.

Bridging to College Success is a first-of-its kind program offering summer "bridge" classes for students that have tested below college-ready standards and need to rebuild their foundational knowledge before freshman year begins. The program couples adaptive learning tools with a mix of in-person and online instruction so that participants will enter college on-pace with their peers, and will be more likely to graduate. McGraw-Hill Education partnered with the Ohio Board of Regents to pilot the program at six Ohio campuses this summer. The successful pilot program graduated several hundred students that are now enrolled in four- and two-year colleges with the skills they need to succeed, as opposed to spending additional money and time completing developmental courses that are required to begin college level work. In fact, more than nine out of 10 participants said they are more prepared to be successful in their next math class as a result of completing this program.

"Institutions across the country are spending billions of dollars annually on remediation, and we are placing an additional financial burden on our students when they are required to take remedial courses. Finding a way to decrease the extreme rates of remedial education is critical if we want to truly solve the nation's education crisis," said Beth Mejia, executive director of developmental education at McGraw-Hill Higher Education. "We are confident that the Bridging to College Success program is taking us in that direction, and we are excited to continue working with partners like the Ohio Board of Regents to ensure we are giving our students every opportunity for success."

As part of the Bridging to College Success program, McGraw-Hill Education analyzes the profile of a student that is most likely to successfully complete an accelerated hybrid program and be ready for college level work.  By examining student data, such as the ideal mix of online and in-person instruction and average number of hours spent studying, and correlating to demographic and other qualitative information, McGraw-Hill Education will guide schools in student recruitment and how to build and deliver programs that make students ready to succeed in their college credit bearing courses.

"In order to remain competitive with other major economies and meet the President's 2020 goal of ensuring that all American children are prepared for at least one year of higher education or job training after high school, the U.S. must sharply increase its supply of educated workers over the coming decade," said Jim Petro, chancellor, Ohio Board of Regents. "We all have a commitment to making this happen, and McGraw-Hill Education's investment in finding ways to reduce the remediation rates across the country is an important step toward meeting this goal."

The program utilizes McGraw-Hill's industry-leading adaptive tools, ALEKS (math), Connect Reading and Connect Writing, to offer a personalized learning program for each student, pinpointing knowledge and skill gaps and providing instruction and guided study based on areas where that individual student needs improvement.

The pilot took place at six schools in Ohio this summer including the University of Akron, Cleveland State University, Edison Community College, Ohio University, Reynoldsburg High School and Kent State (Salem).

About McGraw-Hill Education:
McGraw-Hill Education is a content, software and services-based education company that draws on its more than 100 years of educational expertise to offer solutions, which improve learning outcomes around the world. McGraw-Hill is the adaptive education technology leader with the vision for creating a highly personalized learning experience that prepares students of all ages for the world that awaits. The company has offices across North America, India, China, Europe, the Middle East and South America, and makes its learning solutions available in more than 65 languages. For additional information, visit http://www.mheducation.com/.

SOURCE McGraw-Hill Education

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