Florida Department of Education and Learning.com launch the Florida Virtual Curriculum Marketplace for all Florida teachers

Portland, OR – May 31, 2011
The Florida Department of Education and Learning.com announced today the launch of the Florida Virtual Curriculum Marketplace (FVCM), a new approach to help teachers navigate the crowded digital curriculum landscape. The marketplace provides a single point of entry for Florida teachers to search for, obtain, and assign educationally proven, national- and Florida-standards- aligned and safe digital content.

According to recent independent studies, a majority of Florida teachers use digital content daily, but are challenged by the difficulty of finding educationally appropriate, standards-aligned content. The FVCM will help educators find resources that they already have as well as free and fee-based resources that they may not have known existed. Learning.com's experience in helping teachers gain confidence in using digital educational resources was a key factor in making the FVCM project work.

When teachers log into the FVCM, they will be able to use their other password protected resources without stopping to log in at other sites — this is referred to as a single sign-on. Teachers can search for what they need, see their results in a consistent and easy-to-use format, organize and assign their choices to students, and track student progress much more efficiently than ever before.

"Florida once again has shown educational leadership by providing their teachers with the Virtual Curriculum Marketplace," says William J. Kelly, Learning.com CEO. "We are proud to be part of this initiative and we look forward to continuing to support Florida while we work with other states and districts on similar initiatives."

Training sessions for Florida teachers are scheduled in various locations throughout the summer to enable teachers to start their instructional planning before the new school year starts.

"As Florida moves to the digital age in education, it is vital that our educators have a vetted source that can be trusted to provide quality instructional content," says Public Schools Chancellor Dr. Frances Haithcock. "Florida's Virtual Curriculum Marketplace will become a valuable resource to school districts and teachers as they transition to the new Next Generation Common Core State Standards. Districts and teachers will no longer have to choose to purchase one textbook for instruction but will be able to purchase the most highly rated content to teach each standard."

To learn more about the marketplace, and to see a two-minute informational video, please visit www.learning.com/floridavcm. To direct questions to the Florida Department of Education, please contact David K. Sikes, Director of the Office of Instructional Materials and Library Media Services, Bureau of Curriculum and Instruction, at David.Sikes@fldoe.org.

About Learning.com
Founded in 1999, Learning.com helps K-12 teachers and administrators improve student learning through our curriculum solutions and assessments, delivered in our digital learning environment. We save teachers time — enabling them to focus on their instructional relationships with their students, rather than getting bogged down in classroom management tasks. And we support districts to make the most of their digital resources. Learn more about our award-winning curriculum solutions that fuel students' desire to learn in STEM, math, science and technology, and our full suite of assessments for 21st century skills and tech literacy. For more information, visit www.learning.com.