Study Island products were utilized by approximately 8.3 million students in over 19,200 schools in 50 states. The company also offers classroom and school website portals, digital lockers and teacher productivity tools through its TeacherWeb services and online postsecondary programs through its Northstar Learning product line.
Founded in 2000, the company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas and is majority owned by Providence Equity Partners, a media focused private equity firm.
Study Island, which constitutes the bulk of the company's revenue and earnings, creates online learning programs for teachers and students in K-12 schools across the United States and Canada. Study Island develops, sells and supports state and province standards specific online learning software for use in the classroom or at home with an Internet connection in 50 U.S. states, and 3 provinces in Canada (Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia). Study Island is also involved in developing a series of state-specific Benchmarking products for use in schools in order to allow school administrators to assess their students' skill level before test taking occurs.
EducationCity
EducationCity is a leading developer and publisher of online educational learning solutions with offices in Chicago, USA and Rutland, UK. Since its founding in 1999, EducationCity has remained committed in producing unparalleled and innovative online quality educational solutions.
EducationCity creates the most innovative, engaging and fun learning solutions for children. Exclusively delivered online, teachers and administrators are strategically choosing EducationCity as their schools’ web-based digital teaching and learning solutions. By embedding everyday teaching instruction, EducationCity helps schools engage students in the learning process which helps students improve their academic performance.
Archipelago acquired EducationCity in June 2010.
Northstar Learning
Northstar Learning, which was launched in April 2009, uses the same web-based platform as the company's Study Island products to provide various instruction, assessment and exam preparation content, however focused on the postsecondary educational market.
History
Study Island was founded in May 2000 by Cam Chalmers and Dave Muzzo, originally providing tools related to the Ohio Proficiency Test Program. By 2002, Study Island had expanded to four states, Ohio, North Carolina, New York, and Michigan and serviced 180 schools. Continuing its rapid growth plan, Study Island, which moved its offices to Dallas, Texas added six states in 2003 and expanded its coverage to 750 schools.
In January 2007, Providence Equity Partners and MHT Partners together with co-founders Cameron Chalmers and David Muzzo completed a recapitalization of Study Island in which Archipelago Learning was created to acquire 100% of the outstanding shares of Study Island.
In June 2008, the company acquired TeacherWeb and in August 2009 the company acquired a minority interest in Edline, a private educational technology company. Also, in April 2009, the company launched Northstar Learning, marking its first entry into the postsecondary education market.
In October 2009, it launched in Canada.
In November 2009, Archipelago Learning launched a $75 million initial public offering on the NASDAQ under the symbol "ARCL". It also sold TeacherWeb in November 2009.
Study Island is a web-based program. Students learn at their own pace with no software to download or to install. There are practice questions for math, reading, writing, science and social studies. The program is organized into topics that cover each state’s academic content standards. Currently, over 36 states have their standards aligned with Study Island’s programs.
Study Island Is a Tool for Teachers and Students
Teachers and students can log-on to the site in a computer lab setting or at home. Students can chose a subject area to work on and a standard or indicator in which to focus. If students are unfamiliar with a topic, they can view a lesson that explains the basic concepts. If students meet a goal, they receive a blue ribbon. If they do not meet the goal, then they have the option to try the section again. All of their scores are reported on their computer screen. Teachers can easily keep track of all of their students’ progress through the computer program.
“Study Island is good but more as a tool to reinforce indicators already taught. It is great for self-motivated students but most students need a lot of guidance to use it successfully,” said Myles Kiphen, Logan Hocking Middle School Principal in an email interview, August 11, 2008.
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Connection to State Standards and NCLB
No Child Left Behind requires educational dollars to be spent on research-based programs to help children learn. The Study Island and No child Left Behind: Solid Research Equals Solid Results report, by Study Island in 2003, explains how the developers based much of their program on the Assessment Forum and the Advancing of Student Learning through Outcomes Assessment project by the University of Arizona. A new independent research report will be published in August 2008.
The main premise behind the program is that it is data-driven and computerized. This helps the program to assess what students already know, allows teachers to see trends in student performance, and lets students see progress and work towards a goal. Study Island connects student performance with each state standard.
"What really sets Study Island apart from many other programs is the fact that we actually 'build' our standards mastery and preparation programs from each specific state standard as opposed to simply “aligning” pre-existing generic content to the standards," said J W Marshall, Study Island Marketing Manager in an email interview on August 11, 2008.
Read on
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* Do Brain Training Exercises Boost Mental Skills?
* Common Core State Standards Initiative
Schools See Increase in Test Performance
Many schools report an increase in tests scores after using Study Island. The increases are based on test scores before using the program and after using the program. A few results are as follows:
* Northport K-8 in St. Lucie County School Districts in Florida reports an increase in math -- 2006 47% to 2007 52% and in reading 2006 52% to 2007 57%.
* Manchester Middle School in Lakehurst, New Jersey shows an increase in math in grade six in 2005-06 73% to 2006-07 87%, grade seven in 2005-06 69% to 2006-07 74%, and grade eight seven in 2005-06 65% to 2006-07 78%.
* Explorer Middle School of Technology, Paradise Valley Unified School District in Arizona reports four years of eighth grade data. In math the eighth graders performed as follows: 2004 36%, 2005 83%, 2006 80% and 2007 88%. In reading, the eighth graders performed as follows: 2004 69%, 2005 80%, 2006 82% and 2007 89%.
There is no “silver bullet” to increase test scores. Usually, it is a combination of good teaching practices and programs like Study Island to reinforce concepts taught in the classroom. However, Study Island does have the research to show that it has helped improve many schools' test scores.
Read more at Suite101: Study Island Helps Improve Test Scores: Computerized, Data-driven Web-based Program Connects to Standards
Challenge Charter School subscribes to a computer based instructional program called Study Island. Study Island offers lessons, assessments, and games that help second through sixth graders develop skills in math, reading, writing and science.
Study Island allows students to:Students on the computer
* Practice skills and concepts they are learning in class.
* Strengthen skills in areas where they need additional help and reinforcement.
* Challenge themselves with higher level topics and concepts.
* Prepare for state standardized tests such as AIMS and TerraNova.
One of the benefits of Study Island is that it is web based. That means Study Island can be used not only from school, but from anywhere there is access to the Internet.
Logging On: (replace the information below with your student's information)
User Name: firstname.lastname@ccs
Password: your home address zip code (example: 85308)
Note: It is possible for students to change their password. The default password is your zip code.
To help you use Study Island at home, we will be including suggested topics in the second through sixth grade weekly newsletters. These topics are selected by the teachers at your student’s grade so the skills being practiced correspond with what they are working on in class. Please remember that your student is not limited to the suggested topics and should feel free to explore all the lessons offered on Study Island.
We hope you are as excited about Study Island as we are. We look forward to partnering with you to use Study Island to help your student reach their full academic potential.
Happy learning!
Web-based system for assessing students’ progress according to state standards. The service automatically addresses students’ deficiencies, provides a variety of reports, and works with several student-response systems without requiring that additional software be installed. Students are given electronic assignments to complete to state standards; if they are proficient enough, they can move on to another standard. Students who do not show proficiency receive a remediation assignment; if they do not pass it, they are given a second, easier assignment. Along the way, the system generates reports on students’ progress that can be emailed to teachers and parents.
PROS: Study Island is a very good product and easy to use and has excellent reporting capabilities. The fact that there is no additional software to install is a bonus.
CONS: Since the system can be accessed outside of school, a student could get help from a parent or a peer and an incorrect report on the student’s proficiency could be generated. To use the system effectively in the classroom, schools must ensure that there are enough computers for all students and that students who need remediation are given enough time to receive it within the normal school day.
OVERALL EVALUATION: Study Island is an excellent way to ensure that students work to state-standard proficiency.
Retail price: Varies according to product selected and school size; see Web site for further details.
Study Island is an internet resource for students in grades 3, 4 and 5. Students and families now have access both in school and at home to enhance their reading, writing, math, problem solving skills and science through a format aligned to NJASK. Osbornville is excited about the potential benefits this program can afford our students. We encourage you to go online and explore Study Island!
www.studyisland.com
*Please read the following information to see how to use the program at home.
Dear Parents & Guardians,
Our school now has access to a great resource for preparing our kids for the state standardized tests. We have purchased a building license for a web based program called Study Island, which is accessible to students from school or home. If you have Internet access, your child can access Study Island from home as well as school to prepare for the state assessments.
The information below provides an overview of the program. We are excited about the potential benefits this program can bring to our students, and we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity by using Study Island. Please feel free to contact Study Island at 800-419-3191 or
support@studyisland.com if you have any questions.
Using Study Island from Home
Since the Study Island state assessment program is completely web-based, students can access it from any computer with an Internet connection and a standard web browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape). Results from students study sessions are recorded and made available to the teachers. This includes results from sessions completed at home.
The program is divided into sections based on subject (math, reading, etc.). Each section is made up of 10 to 25 topics.
Each topic contains about 20 to 25 questions with explanations. All topics are accompanied by a lesson, which includes some brief information about the material covered by the questions in the topics. It is helpful to view the lesson before answering the questions in the topic.
Follow the instructions below, in order to use the program:
1. Go to
2. Enter your username and password at the upper-left of the screen, and click “Login”.
*Note: Students will receive a username and password from their teacher at school.
3. Click on the section tab (math, reading, etc.) that you wish to work on.
4. Click the "Pretest" in order to begin the pretest for the section. You must complete 10 pretest questions before moving on to the topic in the section.
5. Once you complete the "Pretest,” you may work through the remainder of the topics in any order you like. You must "pass" all topics before taking the "Post Test".
6. To pass a topic, you must satisfy the topic’s passing requirements which are based a minimum number of questions answered (usually 10) and a minimum percentage correct (around 70%). A blue ribbon icon is displayed next to all passed topics.
7. Once you have passed all the topics in the section, you have to pass the "Post Test" for the section before the section is complete. Ignore this step if the section has no "Post Test".
8. When you pass all topics in all sections, you have completed the program and will be well prepared to take the state test.
To access the Reports:
1. After your child has logged in, select a subject from the left-hand side of the screen to access the reports. (See the screen shot below.)
2. Here, you will find a variety of reports with information such as how much time your child has spent on various subjects, how they used their time, and what questions they missed. You will also be able to compare your child with other children in their class and in their state that are using Study Island. You can select reports by Subject or select the Summary option to get all subjects.
ohn Cusick of the Environmental Center at University of Hawaii at Manoa describes the formation process of Kilauea Iki Crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to students during a recent U.S. Department of State-sponsored environmental leadership program. (Photo special to Hawaii 24/7 by Ramon Lorenzo Luis Guinto)