Co-nect Introduces System to Help Districts Improve Instructional Quality in Classrooms

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The IQT combines data from classroom practice, teacher
perceptions , and student work to develop a profile of instructional
quality.
"LeapFrog has always set the standard for personal learning tools,
creating an impressive legacy that we strive to live up to with every product
launch," said Craig Hendrickson, director of marketing.

Pricing and Availability
The Leapster L-MAX learning game system and new software titles are
available immediately in retail stores, including Wal-Mart, Target, and Toys R
Us. In addition, the
company has created more than 35 stand-alone educational products for children
from birth to 16 years. LeapFrog SchoolHouse(TM) products have won numerous awards from the
education industry, including the Golden Lamp Award and Distinguished
Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers, the Award of
Excellence from Technology + Learning magazine and the Teacher's Choice Award
from Learning magazine. Kaplow Communications
510-420-5223 212-221-1713
shannone@kaplowpr .

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The tools are based on Co-nect's proprietary Evidence
of Quality Teaching rubric and set of research -based indicators of
instructional quality.
Co-nect helps a district to outline a customized implementation
program, which includes designing an observation timeline and sampling
routine, survey administration , processing and interpretation of data. Compatible Leapster learning game system titles retail
for $24.S.

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Business Editors/Education Editors

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Professional development is focused on building the
capacity of district and school leaders to implement the IQT system,
interpret instructional quality data, and target training to key areas
of need. These diagnostics are available in General
Instruction, Literacy, Math, and Technology Integration formats,
allowing districts and schools to focus within a particular curricular
area. The data may be collected
three different ways - via scannable forms, online Web entries, or
PDAs.

Research

The Evidence of Quality Teaching tool and other components of the
IQT are based on a large body of research connecting classroom -level
and building-level factors with student learning.co-nect. It has a suggested retail price of $99. with over 200 interactive books and
over 450 skill cards representing more than 6,000 pages of educational
content.

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NEW YORK, Toyota USA Foundation Board of
Directors today announced grants totaling $650,836 to fund four math and
science education initiatives for K-12 grade students across the country. The awards will help them
implement these initiatives and provide additional training for teachers, in
order to maintain and expand them throughout the years."
The University of Michigan College of Engineering will use its $150,000
award to enhance its Summer Engineering Academy, a structured series of math
and science enrichment on-campus programs that introduce 7th - 12th grade
students throughout the U. Environmental Education Program that will
support a new Keep America Beautiful education web site created by a grant
from the U. The IQT is currently
involved in a rigorous validity and reliability study, conducted by
Dr.

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The tools have been
field-tested over several years in more than 200 schools, from primary
to high school, in all parts of the country as key elements of
Co-nect's School Improvement(TM) program.

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Award recipients include the University of Michigan College of
Engineering, Ann Arbor, MI; the University of Southern California School of
Pharmacy, Los Angeles, CA; Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
Keep America Beautiful , Inc.
Earth's Birthday Project, a former Foundation award winner, will receive
$255,000 over two years to underwrite the creation, development and
implementation of the Earth Day Science Symposium , an annual hands-on,
inquiry-based science research program for 30,000 middle school science
classes and their teachers. consumer products are
available in six languages at major retailers in more than 25 countries around
the world.

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"Each of these recipients has
developed a unique initiative designed to help K-12 students become more
proficient in the areas of mathematics and science.----

Co -nect's Instructional Quality Toolkit(TM) Will Help Districts
and Schools Define and Monitor Instructional Quality, and Focus
Professional Development on Key Areas of Need

While all districts strive to deliver "high-quality instruction,"
the meaning of the term often varies significantly from one teacher to
the next, and one school to the next. "Our goal is to get at the heart
of teacher quality .
Standard on LeapFrog(R) products, the Leapster L-MAX learning game system
uses a stylus to help children better master early handwriting skills.

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, will apply its $100,000 award to underwrite
the Toyota Clean Sweep U.
In addition, Co-nect has aligned a series of online learning modules
to address gaps identified by the diagnostic tools.

(NYSE: LF), a leading vendor of
technology -based educational products. The company was founded in 1995 and is
based in Emeryville, California .

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Extensive Software Library Offers Range of Games
A software library designed to work specifically with the Leapster L-MAX
learning game system is immediately available for multiple skill levels, and
additional titles that go up to fourth grade will follow.

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to the disciplines, challenges and career
opportunities of engineering.toyota. District and school administrators can access
these reports online to quickly identify areas of need and target
professional development needs accordingly .

Professional Development

At the core of the IQT system is a comprehensive professional
development program through which Co-nect provides training for
district and school leaders on how to implement the IQT diagnostics,
interpret data from the IQT management tools, and then address areas
of need. is a leading designer, developer and marketer
of innovative, technology-based learning products and related proprietary
content, dedicated to making learning effective and engaging for all ages, at
home and in schools, around the world.

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USC
scientists, engineers, and their research laboratories, in conjunction with
elementary and secondary school educators and community experts , are creating
the program for Murchison Elementary School and a to-be-determined
neighborhood middle school in East Los Angeles. The
program may include online modules, faculty study groups, and
lesson studies. The tools helped our teachers see where they needed help
and we were able to focus professional development on just those
areas," said Dr.net, is a leading provider of
data-driven, K-12 professional development solutions focused on
improving the quality of classroom instruction district-wide.

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The Earth Day Science Symposium, using an
endangered species as its subject , will provide the curriculum and materials
needed for students to analyze, critique and present current research on an
animal in a threatened environment. "The Leapster L-MAX
system is yet another example of our ability to apply cutting edge technology
to a new play pattern that utilizes a handheld screen and a TV screen to
unlock a deeper level of learning that will thrill and delight children and
their parents. As a handheld system, it
supports portable learning for children on the go. It is
the only video game system that also uses a touch screen to support different
modes of game play.99 and the new software titles
retail for $29. LeapFrog has developed a family of learning
platforms that come to life with more than 100 interactive software titles,
covering important subjects such as phonics, reading, writing, math, music,
geography, social studies, spelling, vocabulary and science .com

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The Toyota USA Foundation is a $40 million charitable endowment created
to support innovative education programs serving kindergarten through 12th
grade in the United States , with special emphasis in the areas of mathematics
and science. Steven Ross at the Center for Research in Educational Policy
(CREP), University of Memphis.99 each.

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"Districts throughout the country currently mandate teacher
evaluations, but the real question is how leaders are helping teachers
to improve instruction. The platform will
also be compatible with the entire Leapster learning game library of more than
20 software titles to support handheld learning. LeapFrog's award -winning U.

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Since 1992, Co-nect has been a
leader in improving instructional quality - implementing data-informed
solutions in over 33 states."

Raising the Bar on Product Innovation
The new Leapster L-MAX learning game system is the only educational video
game solution that offers dual-screen technology, activated by special
software, to provide added learning opportunities.

In-Depth Tutorials Offer Better Way to Teach Key Concepts
The Leapster L-MAX system features the richest educational content
available in a learning game system. This type of guided practice not only helps them learn
as they play, but inspires confidence in mastering important skills from
preschool to fourth grade. All other
trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

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For additional information about the Toyota USA Foundation, visit
http://www.

Management Tools

The IQT includes just-in-time reports and survey instruments
- management tools - designed to help instructional leaders interpret
data from the diagnostics to provide a complete snapshot of
instructional practice.

"Co-nect helped our district staff work together to define quality
instruction.

About LeapFrog
LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.

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A.S.com/foundation. The IQT helps bring a collective focus on
those strategies and methods proven to drive results," said Andrew
Skoler, president and CEO of Co-nect. Two Screens Plus The Power of LeapFrog Learning Equals the Ultimate
in Educational Video Gaming

EMERYVILLE, Calif.

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Toyota USA Foundation Announces $650 000 in New Math and Science Awards

Co-nect
delivers training, tools , and resources to solve critical issues such
as whole school improvement, data-informed decision -making, technology
integration, and early reading failure., Two screens are
better than one in the new Leapster L-MAX(TM) learning game system, now
available from LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.

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The various formats allow districts to use the collection method
best suited to the needs of individual schools, but still have uniform
reporting of instructional practices. The four components of the IQT professional development
program are:

Using the tools to collect clean, valid data

Interpreting the results of the data to identify actionable
next steps

Using the IQT tools to coach and lead more effectively

Planning and implementing a subsequent professional
development program to directly address identified gaps.
By combining handheld learning and TV screen learning, Leapster L-MAX learning
game system offers the ultimate in educational video gaming. By
providing the best in-depth tutorials and a supporting hint structure to guide
the learning, players may seek step-by-step assistance through reading, math
or spelling concepts.99 .

NOTE: LEAPFROG, LEAPFROG SCHOOLHOUSE, LEAPSTER, and LEAPSTER L-MAX are
trademarks or registered trademarks of LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.

Contact:
Liz Einbinder Shannon Eis
LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.

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, Stamford, CT; and
Earth's Birthday Project , Santa Fe, NM. The Toyota USA Foundation award will
help promote the use of the education web site , the development of classroom
materials and a teacher training initiative that will reach 50,000 6th -- 9th
grade teachers and 1. It generates automated online reports that pinpoint areas of
strength and need, and suggests strategies for improving instructional
performance. All are
aligned and designed to generate information that makes decision
making easier.

LeapFrog Puts Handheld and TV Learning in the Palm of Kids' Hands With New Leapster L-MAX Learning System

Following the successful introduction
of LeapFrog's award-winning Leapster(TM) handheld, the first educational
option for parents whose kids wanted a portable gaming system, Leapster L-MAX
learning game system marks the company's next entry into the video game arena. The LeapFrog SchoolHouse-curriculum programs are currently in more
than 80,000 classrooms across the U.

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A grant of $145,836 will allow the University of Southern California
School of Pharmacy to implement the first two years of a projected nine-year
innovative and reproducible K-9 science, math and engineering curriculum. Department of Education .2 million students. To help address this need,
Co-nect, a leading provider of professional development solutions, is
introducing the Instructional Quality Toolkit(TM) (IQT), an integrated
set of research -based diagnostics, management tools, and training
resources that support administrators and teachers in their efforts to
define, measure, and continuously improve the quality of instruction
district -wide. In a sense, the required district evaluation
serves as the summative review while the IQT serves as a formative
benchmark to continuously monitor and improve teaching practice."

Diagnostics

The IQT integrates three critical sources of data: the Evidence of
Quality Teaching(TM) classroom walkthrough and observation tool; the
Instructional Practices Survey(TM) of teacher perceptions; and the
Evidence of Quality Work(TM), a student work analysis tool. Sterling Marshall, assistant superintendent of
Coatesville School District in Coatesville, Pa.

About Co-nect

Co -nect, http://www. Rather than designing games that assume
children understand certain reading or math concepts, Leapster L-MAX learning
game system supports children in their individual learning process.

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Connect the Leapster L-MAX
learning game system to the TV and the dual-screen functionality creates a
unique, interactive learning experience that best teaches key school skills
for multiple skill levels.

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"We're delighted to help these four outstanding organizations initiate
math and science programs," said Atsushi "Art" Niimi, president of the Toyota
USA Foundation, in announcing the grants.S.

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