NJ schools pilot digital math program

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) today announced a year-long pilot program for its digital math program HMH Fuse™: Algebra 1 Appin Edison Township School District. The district will lead the way this fall as the first in NJ to integrate a curriculum completely executed on a tablet device. Sixty high school students will participate in a benchmark study during the 2011-12 school year, which will seek to identify the benefits of HMH’s digital program. The Fuse students’ progress will be measured against a control group in a traditional classroom.

“In order to have our students fulfill their potential as leaders and innovators in a global economy, we must engage them in the education process,” said Dr. Richard O’Malley, Superintendent, Edison Township School District. “As the first school in NJ to introduce HMH Fuse, we are bringing cutting edge technology into our classrooms, and then back home with the students to create an ongoing digital learning environment that fosters individualized education.”

The HMH Fuse: Algebra 1 app is a full-curriculum algebra app created for the iPad. Students receive step-by-step animated instruction, instant feedback on practice questions, the ability to write, record and save notes, and access to over 400 video tutorials. The app's programming combines instruction with ongoing support and intervention, allowing teachers and students to customize learning and meet individual needs. The app also helps teachers monitor performance with real-time student-specific feedback via Wi-Fi.

The school district will also be starting Journeys – a core reading program by HMH that was designed at the school and classroom level by classroom teachers. Journeys employs student e-books, leveled and write-in readers readers online, includes support for ELL and intervention programs, and provides continuous assessment of student progress throughout each unit.