Headsprout Early Reading Program Selected By Memphis City Schools For All 1st Grade Students

Leading Scientifically Developed Online Reading Program Guarantees Grade-Level
Reading Skills for More Than 8,700 First Grade Students In All 112 Memphis City
Schools
MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(Business Wire)--
Memphis City Schools, the 24th largest school district in the U.S., has selected
Headsprout Early Reading for all of its 8,718 First Grade students. In addition
to accessing Headsprout Early Reading’s 80 online lessons, each student will
receive his/her own set of the 80 printed stories that accompany the lessons.
The implementation involves more than 500 classrooms across 112 Memphis
elementary schools. Headsprout Early Reading complements the other literacy
programs currently being used in the Memphis City Schools and supports
Superintendent Kriner Cash’s key initiatives of a comprehensive and seamless
K-12 Literacy Plan.

According to Dr. Irving Hamer, Deputy Superintendent of Academic Operations,
Technology & Innovation, “Closing the achievement gap in our urban school
systems is a challenge. To meet that challenge, we must accelerate the rate of
learning for all students and particularly for our most challenged students. Not
only does Headsprout meet that challenge by helping to get students reading at
grade level in 30 hours of instruction, but they also stand behind their program
with a money-back performance guarantee.”

With a track record of proven reading results success in school districts across
the country, the Headsprout Early Reading program dramatically improves phonemic
awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, all vital to a
reader’s success. Headsprout Early Reading offers a unique adaptive experience
for each learner because its patented Sprout Learning Technology immediately
adjusts to each student's reading strengths and weaknesses. As the child
proceeds through the lessons, the technology adapts to his/her individual
performance, ensuring success for every student. Lessons average 20 minutes and
are available from any Internet-connected computer with minimal training
required for teachers. Children complete each lesson independently.

“We're very pleased and excited to be a trusted partner in the Memphis City
Schools’ unwavering commitment to help their students learn to read,” said Dave
Anderson, Headsprout CEO. “We also recognize and respect the economic challenges
schools and districts across the country are facing today. As with all of our
customers, we will stand shoulder to shoulder with Memphis and share
accountability for student success – each First Grader will read at grade level
after completing the program, or Headsprout will refund the cost of the program
for that student.”

Headsprout, the publisher of Headsprout Early Reading, is willing to share
accountability because of the unique development process it undertook in
designing this program, testing it with hundreds of beginning readers, one at a
time. If the students did not meet the established learning objectives, the
program was revised until each student did. As a result of this process,
Headsprout’s Student Performance Guarantee becomes self-evident. Simply stated,
each Kindergarten or First Grade student who completes Headsprout Early Reading
will be reading at grade level, or the school gets its money back.

“Our goal is to partner with Headsprout to implement Headsprout Early Reading
with fidelity. The goal is for 75% to 80% of our First Grade students to be
reading at or above grade level by the end of the school year,” said Linda
Kennard, Director of PreK-12 Literacy, Memphis City Schools. “After extensive
evaluation through our district pilot, we recognize Headsprout’s
research-developed program performs as an equivalent to a personal reading
tutor, giving students specialized individual attention in addition to what the
structured classroom environment is able to provide.”

About Headsprout

Headsprout was founded in 1999 by a team who has spent the last 20 years
improving education for young children. Headsprout's Sprout Learning Technology,
which powers Headsprout Early Reading, provides a low-cost, easy-to-use
instructional solution for reliably teaching fundamental literacy skills.
Headsprout's mission is to be a major force in helping eliminate illiteracy in
young children in this country in this decade, by making its Sprout Learning
Technology available for children everywhere through the Internet. Headsprout is
a privately-held company based in Seattle, WA. For more information about
Headsprout, please visit their website at www.headsprout.com.

Contacts:
Headsprout
Victoria Burwell, 800-401-5062 X1600
vburwell@headsprout.com
or
Press:
LP Group
Cherie Le Penske, 206-420-2490
cherie@lpgmedia.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008