IRVINE, Calif., April 14, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Scantron, a recognized leader in education testing and assessment tools for more than three decades, today announced the release of a Classroom Testing module and new item-sharing capabilities for Achievement Series(tm). The enhancements give educators new collaboration capabilities and allow teachers greater flexibility to use Achievement Series for all their testing needs from classroom quizzing to district assessments.
Achievement Series is used by educators to develop and deploy tests, capture results and manage the vital information needed to make data-driven decisions that guide classroom instruction. The new Classroom Testing module makes it easier for teachers to create tests and make them "active" with the click of a button. Reporting tools specifically for the classroom level give the teacher quicker access to student performance data and the ability to view results in a single screen. The module gives districts one platform for all levels and the same report formats regardless of whether they are from district tests or classroom tests.
The "remote sharing" enhancements mean districts can also more easily share their non-copyrighted test items within the district or with other districts, which is the quickest way for a district to build a comprehensive library of item banks based on their state standards. Districts can allow collaborative access to their item banks or copy-only access, which is a unique feature in a powerful Web-based assessment platform like Achievement Series.
"With the release of these enhancements for Achievement Series, we focused on ease-of-use for teachers and increased flexibility throughout the district," said Tim Loomer, president of Scantron's Testing and Assessment Division. "In the past, districts have had no way to share banks of questions they have created for their district benchmark tests. Now they can collaborate on item development and share items with any other district they choose."
"We use Achievement Series as the assessment component in the Santa Clara County Office of Education's School Plan because it brings quality and efficiency to the item development process," said Dr. Dale Russell, Director of Standards and Assessment for Santa Clara County Office of Education. "Our ability to collaborate across the consortium of districts is exciting because it means that we will be able to share valid and reliable items with every member school district using Scantron's latest version of Achievement Series. No other vendor that I am aware of offers such a capability in a secure online environment."
These latest enhancements reflect Scantron's commitment to making Achievement Series more powerful yet easier to use and deploy through every level of district testing. In October 2004, Scantron released plain-paper scanning capabilities, allowing schools with limited access to computers, the Internet or high-volume Scantron OMR scanners to benefit from the management and reporting capabilities of Achievement Series. These features have contributed to the rapid acceptance of Achievement Series since its launch in March 2004 and its first pilot installation in Jackson County School District, Ga.
About Scantron Corporation
Scantron Corporation (www.scantron.com) is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based John H. Harland Company (NYSE:JH). Scantron is a leading provider of software services and systems for the collection, management and interpretation of data to the educational, financial and commercial markets. The company has approximately 600 employees worldwide and annual revenues exceeding $110 million.
About Harland
Atlanta-based John H. Harland Company (NYSE:JH) (www.harland.net) is a leading provider of software and printed products to the financial and educational markets. Harland Financial Solutions, Inc. (www.harlandfinancialsolutions.com), a wholly owned subsidiary, supplies software and services, including customer relationship management, deposit and loan origination, core systems and mortgage services, to thousands of financial institutions of all sizes. Harland's printed products offerings include checks, direct marketing and financial forms.
This press release contains statements, which may constitute "forward-looking statements." These statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of John H. Harland Company and members of its respective management, as well as the assumptions on which such statements are based. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Reference is made to the Risk Factors and Cautionary Statements in Harland's Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed under the Securities Exchange Act.