As we are gearing up to hit the Alabama Educational Technology Conference (AETC) this week, we have had the opportunity to speak with several exhibitors. Among these exhibitor companies is Curriculum Associates. Curriculum Associates offers educators research-based, classroom-proven materials that give every student the chance to succeed. We recently had a chance to ask Courtney Marsh, of Curriculum Associates, a few questions about the company:

Curriculum Associates

What is Curriculum Associates?

Curriculum Associates is a rapidly growing education company committed to making classrooms better places for teachers and students. We believe that all children have the chance to succeed, and this drives the decisions we make every day. Our research-based, award-winning products, including cloud-based i-Ready®, provide teachers and administrators with flexible resources that deliver meaningful assessments and data-driven, differentiated instruction for children. We serve millions of students with our i-Ready®, Ready®, BRIGANCE® and other programs because of our laser focus on educators’ needs over our own bottom line, and a belief that thoughtful and continuous innovation leads to a positive impact on classrooms and measureable growth for students.

Tell us about the users of Curriculum Associates.

Curriculum Associates publishes research-based, classroom-proven materials that provide flexible, focused, and targeted instruction to help educators effectively address the diverse levels and needs in every classroom. Our programs are designed to meet state-specific standards to help K-12 schools across the country meet the rigorous demands of AYP.

What makes Curriculum Associates unique?

i-Ready® is a powerful online assessment and instruction program that prepares students for the increased rigor and complexity of the Common Core and college and career readiness standards. A single K–12 adaptive diagnostic for reading and mathematics that pinpoints individual student needs down to the sub-skill level, in addition to ongoing progress monitoring to see if students are on track to achieve end-of-year targets. i-Ready gives teachers three ways to deliver “what’s next?” through online instruction, teacher-led instruction, and targeted skill development. This delivers a true blended learning solution through online, print, and mobile access.

Why did you get involved in the Ed-Tech space?

In order to make differentiated instruction a true reality for teachers, we provide a blended learning solution that seamlessly integrates with both online instruction and print materials that are flexible and easy to implement for teachers.

Tell us about your team and their backgrounds

Rob Waldron, Chief Executive Officer?: Rob joined Curriculum Associates as President in 2008 and became CEO in 2009. He previously served as an operating executive at Berkshire Partners and CEO of Jumpstart for Young Children, a national nonprofit that prepares disadvantaged children for school success. Rob graduated from Northwestern and Harvard Business School and is a former Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He has been recognized as one of the Top 25 Social Entrepreneurs by Fast Company magazine and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and is currently a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow. Rob is also a board member at Roxbury Prep Charter School in Boston, MA.

Renee Foster, President and Publisher?: Renee joined Curriculum Associates in 2009 from the American Museum of Natural History. As the Senior Director of Business Development, Renee significantly increased the museum’s funding by $40 million over five years through the renovation of business operations. Renee also served as Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company and was the youngest Plant Manager for Shell Oil. Since her arrival at CA, Renee has led key product development initiatives related to online assessment and instruction, Common Core, and foundational skills and continues to lead the company’s product strategy direction. She received a degree in engineering from Rice and an MBA from Stanford.

What is the next step for Curriculum Associates?

With over a million active i-Ready users, we are always looking for ways to ensure that all students have an opportunity to succeed through the use of adaptive technology. i-Ready personalizes learning and diagnoses individual students’ areas of strength and weakness, monitors progress with the appropriate assessments and offers engaging learning opportunities delivered in the right media formats to enable student growth.