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Pearson Test of English Academic Recognized by University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa Graduate School

Tuscaloosa, AL (PRWEB) November 11, 2009

The University of Alabama (UA) at Tuscaloosa announced today that it will recognize Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) , the company’s computer-based English language test that measures the English language proficiency of candidates for admission who are non-native English speakers. UA is a major, comprehensive, student-centered research university founded in 1831 as the state’s first public college.

UA’s Graduate School enrolls more than 4,300 students in 120 master’s and doctoral programs. Combining high-quality programs with renowned faculty and excellent facilities, the school prepares students for careers in teaching, research and service. UA’s graduate students and more than 650 faculty members come from every part of the United States and 50 foreign countries.

“As we recruit and admit international students as part of the overall growth of UA enrollment, PTE Academic will provide us with a powerful tool for measuring the English language ability of candidates for admission,” said Libby Williams, International Graduate Admissions Officer, Graduate School, UA. “Our university-wide vision is for UA to be the university of choice for the best and the brightest students.”

PTE Academic is the preferred English language test of the prestigious Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®), owner of the Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT), and is now available to test takers at Pearson’s global network of secure testing centers.

“PTE Academic will give UA a powerful tool to support its focus on enrollment growth and academic excellence,” said Mark Anderson, President, Pearson Language Tests. “We are honored to have this prestigious, public research university recognize our new measure of academic English language proficiency.”

Pearson combined the power of international test development, in-depth research and proven, proprietary automated scoring technologies to develop PTE Academic. The test will fill a critical need by providing a test that accurately measures the English language Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing abilities of non-native speakers.

PTE Academic will deliver real-life measures of test takers’ language proficiency to universities, higher education institutions, government departments and other organizations requiring academic-level English. The test is designed to predict more efficiently the ability of test takers to function in an English-oriented academic environment.

For more information, contact usreco(at)pearson(dot)com or visit http://www.pearsonpte.com

About Pearson Language Tests

Pearson Language Tests (PLT) is part of Pearson plc. PLT is developing PTE Academic in collaboration with the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC).

About Pearson

Pearson (NYSE:PSO), the global leader in education and education technology, reaches and engages today’s digital natives with effective and personalized learning, as well as dedicated professional development for their teachers. This commitment is demonstrated in the company’s investment in innovative print and digital education materials for preK through college, student information systems and learning management systems, teacher professional development, career certification programs, and testing and assessment products that set the standard for the industry. The company’s respected brands include Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, Addison Wesley, Benjamin Cummings, PEMSolutions, Stanford 10, SuccessNet, MyLabs, PowerSchool, SuccessMaker and many others. Pearson’s comprehensive offerings help inform targeted instruction and intervention so that success is within reach of every student at every level of education. Pearson’s commitment to education for all is supported by the global philanthropic initiatives of the Pearson Foundation. Pearson’s other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group. For more information, visit http://www.pearson.com

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PC Pandora Computer Monitoring Software Will Help Parents Keep Kids Safe From Internet Predators as They Head Back to School

Las Vegas, Nevada (PRWEB) September 01, 2011

It is official: schools across the United States are back in session. Over the past month, retailers have slashed prices on new PCs in hopes of enticing parents to make a big purchase for the new school year. James Leasure, co-founder of Pandora Corp., is urging parents to protect those new machines with a proper monitoring tool. Right now until Labor Day, the company is offering their flagship computer monitoring software at 50-percent off and extending the free trial period of their subscription-based add-on LIVE! service as a back-to-school promotion.

“The computer has become a necessary tool for school,” says Leasure. “But parents must understand this very powerful technology they are placing in very young hands. It is essential to have tools in place that monitor how your child is utilizing their new connection to the world.”

Pandora Corp. is the maker of PC Pandora computer monitoring software. The program records all activity, both on and offline, through detailed screen captures and data logs. Parents are able to get full details on who their kids are talking to, how they are spending their time online, what programs they are using, what websites they are visiting, and much more. Rather than relying on programs that scan social network profiles and search only for select words and phrases, PC Pandora gives parents full knowledge of what their kids are doing so they can be absolutely certain they are safe.

PROTECTION FROM ANYWHERE

While PC Pandora’s built-in IRIS feature sends email updates and alerts on PC activity to busy parents at work, it’s the PC Pandora LIVE! service that really gives parents an edge. The subscription-based add-on lets parents view their child’s activity and make changes to parental controls from anywhere they can access the Internet, including most smartphones.

“The LIVE! service lets you view screenshots of recorded activity, something that is not featured in the IRIS updates,” says Leasure. “It also allows you to make changes to the parental controls. For example, if your child has found a new pornography website that slips through the filters you have set up, you will see them visiting the site and can make immediate changes to blacklist the site.”

BACK-TO-SCHOOL SPECIAL OFFER

As a special back-to-school promotion, Pandora Corp. is offering the PC Pandora software at 50% off the regularly discounted price, plus a free month of the PC Pandora LIVE! service.

“In this rough economy, we don’t want parents to forgo their child’s safety online because of family finance issues,” says Leasure. “We want to give parents the best tools available to keep their kids safe online, so we’re offering a huge discount on PC Pandora and extending the LIVE! service free trial period. It’s going to give parents a major jump on keeping up with the new computer and Internet activity that their kids are sure to dive into.”

Leasure says the PC Pandora computer monitoring software can be used to keep kids safe from one of the biggest threats they face online: Internet predators.

STOP INTERNET PREDATORS

Ask any officer of the law and they will tell you that Internet predators are real. Since school was last in session, the weekly Wednesday Internet predator series on Pandora’s Blog has relayed coverage of over 70 Internet predators caught, either busted in sting operations or discovered after their victims (or their families) came forward.

Says Leasure: “In just the last couple of months, we’ve seen a lot of guys get busted all over the country for attempting to lure minors for sex, including online sting operations in Florida, Alabama, Virginia and Pennsylvania. But there were also many cases of predators achieving their goals and having sex with kids as young as 13 and 14. These are facts and real cases; every parent should be aware of these horrifying realities.”

Monitoring software can play a huge role in preventing Internet predators from sparking a relationship with your kids. When a child has made a new “friend” online, parents are able to see first-hand how their children are interacting with them. If the friendship starts to turn into a relationship, parents will have the knowledge they need to sit down and talk to their kids and prevent disaster. In some situations, it may save a child’s life.

“Since PC Pandora records all communication, parents will have actual documents they can turn over to police to aid in an arrest,” explains Leasure. “In the event that a child has gone missing, a parent will have communication records and access to possible secret accounts their child had set up. This information could literally be a lifesaver if used to aid in the search of a missing child. You won’t need to wait for police to request records from social networking sites or Internet service providers while the trail goes cold; you’ll have everything you need right there.”

Leasure tells parents they must know who their kids are talking to online, and also, who is trying to talk to them: “The bottom line is these guys are real. They do exist. And they are trying to solicit young kids for sex. But as a parent, there are tools at your disposal that will help you make sure they don’t succeed in luring your child.”

For more information on how PC Pandora can help parents keep their kids safe from online predators, visit http://www.pcpandora.com. Parents can use the code HALFOFF at checkout to get PC Pandora at half price and get a free month of the LIVE! service. The promotion runs through Labor Day (September 5, 2011).

About PC Pandora: Pandora Corporation was formed with one goal – to help our customers monitor, control and protect their families and themselves online. First released in mid 2005, PC Pandora has been constantly upgraded to industry-leading specifications and has received accolades from users, reviewers and even school districts and law enforcement agencies, who use the program to help in the day-to-day supervision of the children and citizens they are charged with protecting. The company website devotes space to helping parents by providing them with 18 Tips to Safe Surfing and Pandora’s Blog, where current news in the world of online safety is discussed regularly. In addition, the Pandora Corp. has made the PD Pandora Internet Safety Symposium available to schools and law enforcement as a free resource for spreading internet safety awareness to parents. Over the past few years, PC Pandora has vaulted into a leadership position for parental control software by boasting a combination of features that are unparalleled in the monitoring industry. In 2010, Version 6.0 was released, again widening the spectrum of coverage and protection offered by the program. Concurrently released with 6.0, the web-based PC Pandora LIVE! service affords parents the ability to keep their kids safe from anywhere at anytime. PC Pandora is also now available through the Pandora Corp. store at Amazon.com.

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Access to Pre-K Education Good, But Not Good Enough – Fifteen States Increase Budgets for Early Childhood Education for FY’05 School Year

Washington, DC (PRWEB) September 19, 2004

Support for early childhood education programs is on the rise in fifteen states that increased funding for pre-k programs by $ 205 million according to a new legislative report, released today by The Trust for Early Education (TEE), a project of The Pew Charitable Trusts and other funders. “Quality Pre-Kindergarten for All: State Legislative Report” analyzes 2005 state fiscal year budgets and found that even in tough financial times, many states reached bipartisan consensus and allocated resources needed to prepare their youngest constituents to succeed in school.

Unfortunately, the report also shows that almost half of the nation’s states flat funded or actually decreased expenditures on existing early childhood education opportunities for three and four year olds.

“Our report shows that more children than ever are attending pre-k classes, yet still too many are being left behind,” said Libby Doggett, Executive Director of the Trust for Early Education. “Scientific evidence clearly shows that the quality of a pre-kindergartener’s learning environment and social experiences lays the foundation for successes in K-12 and the rest of the child’s life.”

Additional report findings include:

Successes:

Fifteen states increased spending on pre-kindergarten, making the program available to an estimated 60,000 more three and four year olds in the upcoming year—a 17 percent increase over the 353,000 children attending pre-kindergarten in 2001: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.

A number of states, including Massachusetts and Indiana, advanced the development of pre-kindergarten programs without major budgetary commitments.

Disappointments:

Seventeen states maintained current funding levels, which amounts to a decrease in real spending due to inflation: Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas and Vermont.

Seven states decreased their funding for pre-kindergarten: Louisiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, South Carolina, Washington and West Virginia.

Ten states currently do not provide state-funded pre-kindergarten: Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

“This report demonstrates that even in times of economic deficits select state leaders understand that when children attend pre-kindergarten they have a better chance of succeeding in school and in life,” said Sue Urahn, director of Policy Initiatives and Education at The Pew Charitable Trusts. “For every dollar states invest in pre-kindergarten, they save between four and eight dollars in future costs of remedial classes, special education, welfare and expenses associated with juvenile crime.”

Read the “Quality Pre-Kindergarten for All: State Legislative Report” report.

The Trust for Early Education is a project of The Pew Charitable Trusts and other funders to advance quality pre-kindergarten for all children.

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