Virtual Science Labs, Included In Study Island's Latest Product Enhancements, Provide Interactive Labs For Middle And High School Students, Allowing Them To Simulate Science Experiments They Might Not Have Access To In A Regular Classroom Setting.

Archipelago Learning (NASDAQ: ARCL) announces the launch of its latest enhancements for award-winning Study Island, a web-based instruction, practice and learning program built from individual state testing standards. New features include virtual science labs for middle and high school students, embedded Khan Academy videos, and a district dashboard for administrators. In addition, Archipelago Learning has made available a new Common Core Benchmarking Program for educators to evaluate proficiencies for the Common Core State Standards in grades 3-5, math and reading.

Virtual science labs for middle and high school students provide interactive labs that allow students to simulate science experiments they might not have access to in a regular classroom setting. New embedded Khan Academy videos help reinforce middle and high school math lessons by giving students a brief, step-by-step lesson of specific math concepts and examples. The videos also provide extra support for parents, who may need help explaining lessons to their children.

“We’re excited to announce the latest round of product enhancements for Study Island,” said Donna Regenbaum, executive vice president of marketing and product development for Archipelago Learning. “The new virtual labs offer students a chance to interact with content, enhancing their learning experience by allowing them hands-on participation to build understanding.”

District administrators have access to a new district dashboard, which allows them to monitor district-wide progress from a single location. Also included in the district dashboard is a new weekly district report that shows weekly and yearly district statistics broken down by grade level, school, subject, and numbers of questions answered. Additionally, students can now access Cup Speed Stacking and Slingshot games on their mobile devices, allowing for more practice and reinforcement outside of normal school hours.

“Among the new feature releases, Study Island has also released our new Common Core Benchmarking programs for teachers,” added Regenbaum. “Unlike other benchmark products, each Study Island benchmark test is built specifically from the Common Core State Standards. These assessments will prove useful in highlighting areas where students may need more practice prior to end-of-year testing.”