Press Releases

Pittsburgh Public Schools Chooses Spectrum K12 School Solutions

District to Implement Comprehensive Solution to Manage Data and IEPs for Special Education and Gifted Students

TOWSON, Md. – May 3, 2005 – Pittsburgh Public Schools has chosen Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. (4GL) to provide a comprehensive, Web-based solution for managing its programs for students with exceptionalities. 4GL is the leading provider of comprehensive management solutions for special populations in K-12 education.

Pittsburgh Public Schools will implement 4GL’s ENCORE!® suite of software and service solutions for special populations. ENCORE! will help the district automate and streamline data collection and management, and manage individualized education plans (IEP) for more than 10,000 students participating in special education and gifted education programs in its 86 schools.

“In our district of 35,000 students, we continue — as most urban districts do — to have compliance issues. We have about 7,000 students with disabilities and 3,000 gifted students, so we manage IEPs and data for about 10,000 students. We wanted a system that could help us better manage timelines, data, and state reporting,” said Dr. J. Kaye Cupples, executive director of programs for students with exceptionalities for Pittsburgh Public Schools. “Because of the complexity of special education in the state and nationally, you can’t keep up with paper and pencil processes. We are pleased that 4GL can do everything we asked them to do.”

Designed specifically for the K-12 education market, ENCORE! helps school districts increase the effectiveness of their programs for all special populations by automating time-consuming data collection and reporting processes, and reducing the paperwork burden. The comprehensive, Web-based software solution serves as a foundation for managing all phases of the IEP process for both general and special populations. As data is entered, compliance requirements are automatically verified, ensuring that paperwork is completed accurately and on time. As a result, educators can spend more time in the classroom, focusing on improving student learning and achievement.

“When we met with 4GL, we were very impressed with their level of knowledge about what special education teachers go through on a daily basis,” said Dr. Cupples. “They understand special education instruction and compliance processes, and showed us how ENCORE! could help us save money and help teachers recover a number of hours per week in instructional time by helping them to complete their paperwork. The system’s point-and-click features and drop-down menus make it very teacher friendly. Our staff is quite pleased.”

About Pittsburgh Public Schools

Pittsburgh Public Schools enrolls more than 34,000 students in 53 elementary schools, 17 middle schools, 10 high schools, two alternative programs and four special schools.

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of comprehensive management solutions for special populations. Building upon its deep expertise in special education, 4GL helps school districts more effectively manage the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions, including special education, at-risk, Section 504 and Limited English Proficient (LEP) students.

4GL works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the immense burden of paperwork from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. Focused solely on K-12 education, 4GL’s proven, data-driven solutions help districts reduce paperwork, increase efficiency, improve staff morale and retention, increase revenue recovery, eliminate compliance issues, reduce unnecessary referrals to special education, and support successful achievement of individualized education plan (IEP) goals.

Founded in 1996, Spectrum K12 School Solutions is based in Towson, Md. For more information, visit http://www.4glschools.com or call 800-490-8445.