Some educational vendors offer palm os software for teachers. Palm os software for teachers is software that is compatible with the palm operating system. Since educators are highly mobile professionals, technology tools should be designed to meet the demands of their work environment. Therefore, palm os software for teachers, or software that can be loaded on to personal digital assistants or handheld devices, is a good fit. Wireless Generation designs palm os software for teachers. The software allows teachers to enter reading scores on simple handheld computers and receive real-time diagnoses of any problems. In addition, at the press of a button, teachers can get curriculum recommendations to help address any weaknesses.
Wireless Generation has developed mCLASS® (for Mobile Classroom Assessment) software and created handheld computer versions of commonly used, paper-based early reading assessments, including TPRI®, DIBELS®, PALS™ and reading records. The company's product development cycle was described in an IAETE journal article entitled "Formative Vision: Using Handheld Computers to Support Diagnostic Instruction."
Today, Wireless Generation is the leading provider of palm os software for teachers to conduct preK-12 observational assessments. The company's customer base includes ten state Reading First contracts, and an increasing number of the country's largest districts. The foremost researchers in the field of reading are collaborating with the company to develop handheld versions of their assessments, including Dr. Barbara Foorman and Dr. Jack Fletcher of the Center for Academic and Reading Skills (CARS) at the University of Texas-Houston; Dr. Roland Good and Dr. Ruth Kaminski at the University of Oregon; and Dr. Marcia Invernizzi at the University of Virginia. During the spring of 2004, Wireless Generation worked with Dr. Susan Landry and her team at the Center for Improving the Readiness of Children for Learning and Education (CIRCLE) to develop a handheld version of CIRCLE's preK early literacy assessment and portfolio building tools.
Additionally, Wireless Generation has partnered with leading educational publishers to integrate their material into the company's assessment products. Fifteen of the leading educational publishers have partnered with Wireless Generation to offer electronic text of their leveled readers on mCLASS:Reading software, which allows teachers to perform reading records and other observational assessments on the handheld. Harcourt Achieve and Wireless Generation have collaborated to create e*Assessment, a benchmark assessment system that runs on the mCLASS platform and that is marketed by Harcourt Achieve.
Wireless Generation's rapid success stems from its identity as an education company first and a technology company second. The staff immerses themselves in the complex dynamics of teaching and learning, and listens closely to education professionals - from the classroom teacher to the state school chief. Its solutions are based upon the principle that technology should be easy to use, and should help educators to realize concrete, defined goals and operational efficiencies. An early math inventory is currently in development. The company also plans to expand into other areas of education where mCLASS technology can serve a genuine need for teachers and administrators.
Wireless Generation, Inc. provides educators with the most advanced system for collecting and using assessment data, helping to create a culture of continuous feedback and improvement in classrooms across the country. The company provides in-depth professional development and training services.
The company offers the leading early reading assessments on the mCLASS platform, including TPRI®, DIBELS®, PALS™, Reading Records, CIRCLE™, Tejas LEE®, and Reading 3D™. Each component features Web-based reporting, analysis, data management, and instructional planning tools to provide a complete assessment solution.
Since mCLASS software's introduction in 2002, more than 100,000 educators in 48 states have adopted it for observational assessment. Today, two million PreK-6 students are being assessed using mCLASS solutions.
Wireless Generation continues to develop new products and services based on its mission of maximizing the educational value of every teacher-student interaction.
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