Press Releases

Deaf Education Program at Texas Woman’s University and Spectrum K12 Solutions Inc. Partner

TOWSON, MD. – October 11, 2007 – Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc, the leading provider of comprehensive data management solutions for special populations in K-12 education and the Deaf Education Program at Texas Woman’s University today announced that their efforts to train future teachers of the deaf to use Encore to create successful, federally compliant Individual Education Plans (IEP)/ Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) packets has exceeded all expectations.

“Graduates of the deaf education program are now able to enter the teacher workforce prepared to develop effective, legally compliant IEP packets because of their experience with Encore,” stated Dr. Chad Smith, Director of Deaf Education and Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders at TWU. “Encore has provided the TWU Deaf Education teacher preparation faculty the assurance that future deaf education teachers will be able to readily address academic concerns and IEP issues that will arise among their own students,” stated Smith.

In an effort to promote both the IEP development and ARD process, TWU contacted Spectrum K-12 to secure access to the Encore data management system. The plan included teaching the system as a whole, and then using it in various courses in the degree plan. Students were required to review the system, to create appropriate IEP goals, develop appropriate coursework and lesson plans, and to create federally compliant ARD/IEP packets. Encore was also incorporated into Literacy and Deafness, Speech for the Deaf, Language and Deafness, and Parent- Professional Communication courses.

“Helping TWU expand their teacher preparation programs with practical, hands-on training of the IEP/ARD process and compliance using our market leading product, Encore, was the impetus behind this new strategic alliance,” stated Spectrum K12 CEO, Jim Marshall. "Working with TWU is an integral part of Spectrum K12’s ongoing mission to show the next generation of teachers how software like Encore ensures compliance while streamlining the IEP/ARD process so they can focus more time on student achievement.”

TWU and Spectrum K12 both support the significance of graduating truly high quality educators and understand that the process of teacher education has never been greater.

See Dr. Smith’s powerpoint from his presentation at the Deaf Education conference

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions

Spectrum K12 School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of special education and IEP management software serving approximately 10% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States. Spectrum K12 helps school districts close the achievement gap for special education and at-risk students through more effective management of the individualized learning process for all students receiving special services or interventions. Spectrum K12 works collaboratively with districts of all sizes to deliver scalable, easy-to-use software solutions that lift the administrative burden from education professionals so they can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement. For more information visit http://www.spectrumK12.com.

About Encore

Designed specifically for the K-12 education market, Encore helps school districts increase the effectiveness of their programs for all special populations by ensuring compliance, 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 individualized education plan (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. Learn more...

About Texas Woman’s University

Texas Woman’s University occupies a notable position in higher education as the nation’s largest university primarily for women. Its four campuses in Denton, Dallas and Houston are joined by a fifth “e-Learning” campus that offers innovative online degree programs in business, education, and general studies. Six consecutive semesters of enrollment growth have produced a record enrollment of 12,183 students. www.twu.edu