| [June 21, 2005] |
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LeapFrog SchoolHouse Releases New Edition of Language First! Program with Haitian Creole Language Support; Multisensory Language Development Tool Will Aid Growing Population of Haitian Students
EMERYVILLE, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- June 21, 2005 -- LeapFrog SchoolHouse, the school division of LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:LF), today announced it will begin shipping a new edition of the Language First!(TM) program offering language support for Haitian students. This latest version of the program, originally introduced in 2002 to help English language learners from various native language backgrounds, was designed to meet the needs of the growing Haitian student population across the United States, particularly in states such as Florida, New York, and Massachusetts. The multisensory program uses pictures and multi-lingual audio support to help students master English language structures and over 2,500 essential vocabulary words.
"With the globalization of today's classroom, the number of Haitian students in schools across the country will continue to grow," said Jessie Woolley-Wilson, president of LeapFrog SchoolHouse. "Many of these students are just starting to learn English and are in classrooms where teachers are not always trained to teach English language learners. Teachers skilled in ELL instruction may not even have experience with the Haitian language. This new edition of the Language First! program with Haitian Creole allows students to work independently and gives them the consistent audio language support that they need to be successful in learning a new language."
Haitian Creole joins Spanish, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Hmong, and English as the languages supported by the Language First! program. Using a LeapPad(R) personal learning tool (PLT) and 36 different theme-based books, the program gives students opportunities to listen to fluent English within meaningful contexts as they explore nine different topics, including school, home, neighborhood, animals, travel, and helping others. Each book is offered in four different language proficiency levels and begins with audio instructions in the student's native language. By providing basic instruction in key English language structures and vocabulary, the program encourages interactions and discussions among students with diverse language backgrounds. The program includes one or more books per level for each of the nine themes.
The portability and affordability of the LeapPad PLT and the interactive books works well with family involvement programs that school districts have designed to reach the parents of ELL students. In home settings, the Language First! program provides parents with a non-intimidating way to become involved in their child's English language development, and to read with their child, even if they're not fluent in English themselves.
The new edition of the Language First! program with Haitian Creole also includes an updated Teacher's Manual that specifically addresses the concepts and skills found in many state English Language Arts standards, while maintaining the instructional focus on English language learners. New teacher resources include tips on developing phonemic awareness skills among English language learners, in-depth questions to build comprehension skills such as prediction and summarizing, suggestions for guiding students in the analysis of literary elements such as plot and character, detailed goals for student responses, and guidance for explicit instruction in word analysis using syllabication and other techniques.
In 2004, LeapFrog SchoolHouse released the results of a seven-month experimental study that was overseen by independent evaluator Appalachian Education Lab, demonstrating that the use of the Language First! program significantly improved students' performance on an accepted measure of vocabulary development, a critical component of English language learning. Over the course of the research study, conducted among 377 K-2 students in an urban school district in Phoenix, Arizona, more than 60 percent of students in both kindergarten and grade 1 using the Language First! program transitioned into higher levels of English proficiency, compared to less than half of the control group students.
Purchasing Language First!
To learn more about purchasing the Language First! program for a single classroom or for an entire school, educators may visit the Classroom Products section at www.LeapFrogSchoolHouse.com or call LeapFrog SchoolHouse at 800-883-7430.
About LeapFrog SchoolHouse Division
LeapFrog SchoolHouse publishes research-based assessment and curriculum content for the PreK-grade 8 education market. Its interactive, multisensory curriculum programs and electronic learning aids are enhanced by LeapFrog's proprietary technology-based personal learning tools (PLTs). These tools and programs enable teachers to personalize student instruction, instantly assess and monitor student progress relative to state and national standards, and easily integrate the programs into classroom learning. PLTs redefine the relationship between curriculum and technology, delivering portable, affordable, special-purpose learning devices to children. LeapFrog SchoolHouse(TM) product areas currently include assessment, reading, language arts, math, English language development, and early literacy.
LeapFrog SchoolHouse's multisensory products currently reach students in over 80,000 classrooms across the U.S. with over 200 interactive books and 500 skill cards, representing more than 6,500 pages of educational content. LeapFrog SchoolHouse is a business division within the Education & Training Group of LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. Please visit www.LeapFrogSchoolHouse.com for additional information.
About LeapFrog Enterprises
LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:LF), is a leading designer, developer, and marketer of innovative, technology-based learning products and related proprietary content, dedicated to making learning effective and engaging for all ages, at homes and in schools, around the world. The company was founded in 1995 and is based in Emeryville, California.
LEAPFROG SCHOOLHOUSE, the LeapFrog SchoolHouse logo, and Language First! are trademarks or registered trademarks of LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (C)2005 LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.
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