New Partnership Extends the Power of Online Learning to Special Education Students

Fuel Education and PresenceLearning Team to Provide Schools Innovative, Flexible Special Education Solution

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Feb 04, 2015, 09:00 ET

SAN FRANCISCO and HERNDON, Va., Feb. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Across the country, schools and districts are leveraging digital learning to overcome staffing and resource challenges to improve outcomes and to address the many needs of their K-12 students—whether to expand course options, to provide assistance to those who need additional help, or to provide an alternative learning environment. Now, through a partnership between PresenceLearning and Fuel Education (FuelEd™), schools can use digital learning to address the needs of their special education students, too.

More than 13 percent of America's school-age population—more than six million children—require special education today, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Given this challenge, compounded by a nationwide shortage of special education teachers and related services clinicians, schools struggle to provide the federally mandated services that these students need to progress academically.

Together, Fuel Education and PresenceLearning deliver a live, online special education solution that provides schools and districts expanded access to a nationwide network of highly qualified speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, special education teachers, and mental health/behavioral health professionals. These services are available as part of an integrated solution in which schools and districts can enroll students through PEAK™, Fuel Education's Personalized Learning Platform. Students also gain access to their live therapy sessions through PEAK.

"Schools are increasingly using a distributed workforce to enhance offerings to students," said Tom Vander Ark, CEO of Getting Smart. "This partnership between FuelEd and PresenceLearning connects students to 'anytime anywhere' therapy services from live professionals to which they may not otherwise have access."

Using a full suite of online tools and evidence-based therapeutic activities, PresenceLearning teachers and therapists work directly with students via web-based videoconferencing. PresenceLearning is the only online special education services provider fully aligned with HIPAA and FERPA regulations that can operate at large scale, delivering thousands of sessions every day. Recent research funded by the Department of Education shows that the PresenceLearning solution yields equal or better outcomes compared to national norms for traditional speech therapy. To see how online special education works, watch this video about PresenceLearning's work in Murray County Schools in Chatsworth, Georgia.

"As diagnoses continue to rise for disorders such as autism and ADHD, there is a growing need for more highly individualized and effective services for these students. By partnering with Fuel Education, PresenceLearning expands schools' access to high quality live services for all children," said Clay Whitehead, Co-CEO for PresenceLearning.

Gregg Levin, general manager for Fuel Education, added, "PresenceLearning and Fuel Education both focus on using technology-enabled education to better serve students on an individual, personalized level. Now, through this partnership, we can extend the power of online learning to provide our school and district partners a new, innovative way to meet the needs of special education students."

To learn more about FuelEd and PresenceLearning's online special education solution, visit www.getfueled.com/presence-learning.

About Fuel Education
Fuel Education™ partners with school districts to fuel personalized learning and transform the education experience inside and outside the classroom. The company provides innovative solutions for pre-K through 12^th grade that empower districts to implement successful online and blended learning programs. Its open, easy-to-use Personalized Learning Platform, PEAK™, enables teachers to customize courses using their own content, FuelEd courses and titles, third-party content, and open educational resources. Fuel Education offers the industry's largest catalog of digital curriculum, certified instruction, professional development, and educational services. FuelEd has helped 2,000 school districts to improve student outcomes and better serve diverse student populations. To learn more, visit getfueled.com and Twitter.

About PresenceLearning
PresenceLearning (www.presencelearning.com) is the leading provider of online speech and occupational therapy, behavioral and mental health services and assessments for K-12 districts and families of children with special needs. PresenceLearning's nationwide network includes hundreds of highly qualified speech language pathologists (SLPs), occupational therapists (OTs) and mental health professionals. Therapy sessions are delivered "anytime anywhere" via live videoconferencing using the latest in evidence-based practices combined with powerful progress reporting.

Serving thousands of students in public, charter and virtual schools across the U.S. and globally, PresenceLearning has shown that online delivery of related services is practical, convenient and highly effective.

©2015 Fuel Education LLC. All rights reserved. Fuel Education, FuelEd, and PEAK are trademarks of Fuel Education LLC or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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