Students Looking for an Academic Edge this Back-to-School Season Can Find One with Digital Learning Tools from McGraw-Hill

NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As the school year begins across the country, McGraw-Hill, a leader in K-12 and higher education, unveiled its lineup of digital products designed to help students improve their performance while decreasing parents' stress this school year. These back-to-school tools are currently featured on the company's website at www.mheducation.com.

Through its personalized, low-cost digital educational tools, the company is helping parents give their children an academic edge in the classroom and provide them with every opportunity to succeed in an increasingly competitive education environment.

"In school, performance is everything," said Stephen Laster, chief digital officer of McGraw-Hill. "For many students, performing well and staying ahead of the curve requires extra help, which we can provide. We offer a number of high-quality, performance-enhancing tools that can help children make the grade this semester – effectively and affordably. As a parent, a $30 investment can make a significant impact on your child's academic success and performance as a lifelong learner."

The following products and apps, which are available to support reading, math, Advanced Placement* courses and a variety of subjects, carry McGraw-Hill's signature quality but cost less than the average human tutor.

PreK-6th Grade:

• Grammar Wonderland (K-2) and Grammar Wonderland (3-6) apps for iOS: Fly, swim, feed, and toss your way to grammar mastery with these apps that help students practice grammar with several fun and interactive games. The apps are part of McGraw-Hill's Reading Wonders product, the first and only reading program designed specifically for the Common Core State Standards for Reading/Language Arts. Cost: free until Sept. 1 via Apple's App Store or iTunes.
• Everyday Mathematics® apps for iOS: From Divisibility Dash to Monster Squeeze, Everyday Mathematics, the nation's most popular elementary math program, offers several apps that help students (PreK-6) practice and improve their math skills. The apps cover an array of topics including multiplication, addition, subtraction and fractions. Cost: $1.99 each via Apple's App Store or iTunes.

High school:

• ONboard™: An interactive program that helps incoming Advanced Placement (AP)* students develop the skills they need to succeed before they enter the course. Available in AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP World History and a variety of AP courses. Cost: starts at $50 for a 12-month subscription per course.
• Unigo: Unigo provides free information for finding, getting in and paying for college. The site contains more than 100,000 free college reviews and offers parents and students practical advice for selecting the right college. Cost: accounts are free; membership plans also available.

High school and college:

• ALEKS®: A ground-breaking technology that utilizes an artificial intelligence engine to assess each student individually and continuously helps struggling math students catch up and get ahead. The program provides the advantages of one-on-one instruction, 24/7, from virtually any Web-based computer for a fraction of the cost of a human tutor. Available in basic elementary and middle school math, Algebra 1 and 2, Trigonometry, PreCalculus and a variety of other courses. Cost: free trials are available; prep products are $32 for a six-week subscription.
• LearnSmart™: An adaptive personal tutor that tailors the learning experience to students' individual needs by continuously assessing their knowledge and skills and providing personalized recommendations that help them master basic course concepts and retain their knowledge over time. Available in more than 60 course areas. Cost: starts at $24.99 per course.
• SmartBook™: An adaptive e-book that revolutionizes the reading experience for college students, SmartBook assesses students' knowledge and skill levels as they read and focuses students' attention on material they still have to master. Available in more than 60 course areas. Cost: varies per course.

* Advanced Placement and AP are registered trademarks of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.