Houghton Mifflin Co. News Release - March 20, 2008

Holt Partners with Action Learning Systems to Develop Teacher Training for Holt California Mathematics Meeting Requirements of SB 472

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — March 20, 2008 — Holt McDougal (www.holtmcdougal.com) today announced it has partnered with long-standing educational professional development firm, Action Learning Systems (ALS) in providing teacher and administrator training programs for the Holt California Mathematics curriculum. The professional development program under development with ALS (www.actionlearningsystems.com) will train teachers how to implement Holt California Mathematics successfully under the requirements of Senate Bill (SB) 472.

"ALS is well-known for their professional development programs that go beyond implementation training into the depth and breadth that makes a curriculum program a successful curriculum," said Allen Wheatcroft, president of Holt McDougal. "With ALS, we will have a comprehensive and coherent training program tied directly to California State Content Standards that covers everything from pedagogy to assessment to differentiation."

California SB 472, which passed in 2006, provides state funds to districts for teacher and administrator training in the implementation of math curriculum aligned with California State Content Standards and with an emphasis on instructional strategies to meet varied learner needs. Holt's program designed and implemented by ALS will include the required 40 hours of training and another 80 hours of practicum that will emphasize in-class coaching so that teachers have hands-on experience with the new techniques. Teachers will also learn about collaborative teaching, the use of curriculum-embedded assessments, and how to inform instruction with assessment data — also called differentiated instruction. The administrator training programs will pay special attention to classroom coaching techniques and application of these techniques across a school or district.

Because Holt California Mathematics includes differentiation resources and embedded assessments, it aligns well to the intent of SB 472 that ensures teachers can cover the state's content standards and adapt their lessons depending on individual need or language skills. Holt California Mathematics includes resources for "strategic intervention," built-in assessments to identify students on the edge or who lack proficiency in specific skills, and modified activities and differentiation resources to bring those students on par with their peers.

With powerful intervention resources such as Holt's award-winning Lesson Tutorial Videos, teacher training in use of the curriculum is critical. ALS is well-known for professional development that goes beyond basic implementation. Their training programs delve deeply into pedagogy and adaptation and thus help teachers capitalize on the depth of resources contained in Holt California Mathematics.

"ALS excels in the area of instructional support, classroom modeling and training teachers how to teach in coherent instructional units," said Kit Marshall, president of ALS. "While we focus on developing teacher skills, we also take the time to teach mathematics content and conceptual understanding, thereby ensuring that our teachers have expertise in the subject as well as in the state content standards."

ALS will submit its training program to the State Department of Education as required under SB 472. Upon receiving approval, districts can apply to the State for reimbursement of the monies spent for their teachers to take the ALS/Holt training programs.

About Holt McDougal
Holt McDougal (formerly Holt, Rinehart and Winston and McDougal Littell) a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, is one of the nation's leading secondary education publishers. Products include print, technology, and Internet support for curricular instruction in science, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and world languages. For more information visit www.holtmcdougal.com.

About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is a global education company with approximately $2.5 billion in combined revenue. The Company publishes a comprehensive set of best-in-class pre-K–12 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.hmhco.com.