Medallion Reading Program Saves Districts More than $50 Million — Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Meeting Schools’ Needs during Historically Difficult Budget Times
More than 350,000 students across California benefitting from the only reading program that saves money, offers the latest academic instruction and includes free digital textbooks
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — February 17, 2010 — During California’s worst budget crisis in modern history, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has worked aggressively to help school districts provide the latest instructional materials at about one third of the cost. The Company today announced that seven more leading school districts including Fresno Unified, Garden Grove, Escondido Union, Corona-Norco, Orange, Irvine, Visalia and Ocean View Unified have adopted Houghton Mifflin Reading – Medallion Edition. Medallion Edition comes at a time when many districts in California are working to improve student test performance despite facing sharply reduced budgets and challenging student subgroups.
“The Escondido Union School District is proud to continue its literacy partnership with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, as we transition seamlessly to the new Medallion series,” Escondido Union School District Superintendent Jennifer Walters said. “Our teachers retain the same level of confidence in HMH’s California Reading program and build upon their confidence to further meet the unique needs of individual students, including English Language Learners, with the support of Medallion.”
Houghton Mifflin Reading – Medallion Edition builds upon the successful Houghton Mifflin Reading California, which is used in a vast majority of California school districts. The Medallion program provides schools with updated curriculum at about one third of the cost of a new program; thus helping districts save a combined total of $50 million. With the recent adoption by these districts, Medallion Edition has now been adopted by 54 California School Districts, representing more than 350,000 students statewide. It was approved by the California State Board of Education as part of the California Reading Language Arts adoption in November 2008 and is the only approved offering designed specifically to meet the needs of financially challenged school districts.
“As California struggles to balance its budget, educators remain committed to giving students the best possible academic resources,” Houghton Mifflin Harcourt K–12 President Mike Lavelle said. “ Houghton Mifflin Reading – Medallion Edition delivers the latest instructional materials, including a free digital version, at about one third of the costs of any other program on the state list.”
The program features enhanced academic vocabulary development and new explicit writing instruction as well as many other new components, including a Technical Skills Toolkit to make certain beginning readers master the important skills that predict their future reading success. Other new components include a state-adopted parallel and equitable Spanish edition, Edición Medallón, as well as an English Language Development program to help students learn English while mastering English language arts standards.
“Medallion provides significant cost savings and enables districts to build on their investment of time, money, resources and professional development,” Lavelle continued. “With the adoption of Medallion, teachers can continue the success they have been experiencing with Houghton Mifflin Reading.”
About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is a global education leader and the world’s largest publisher of educational materials for pre-K–12 schools. The Company publishes a comprehensive set of best-in-class educational solutions, ranging from research-based textbook programs to instructional technology to standards-based assessments for students and educators. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. With origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. To learn more about Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, visit www.hmhpub.com http://www.hmhco.com.
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Justin Joseph
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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
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justin.joseph@hmhpub.com
For Houghton Mifflin Harcourt:
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