Counselor's
Office has significantly improved the way our College
Center tracks student information, processes student applications
and transcript requests, manages Mid-Year Reports, provides
teacher and counselor recommendations, and communicates important
information to students and families. Press Release.
Naviance Integrates Family Connection with
The Blackboard Academic Suite™ to Increase Service
to Fairfax County Public Schools
Washington, DC, March 28, 2007 -- Naviance, the leading provider of planning and advising systems for schools, and Blackboard Inc., (NASDAQ: BBBB) a leading provider of enterprise technology to the education industry, both headquartered in Washington, DC, have partnered with Virginia’s largest school district to deliver an innovative offering that gives students and parents access to both companies’ services through a single user account.
Fairfax County Public Schools is recognized as an innovator in the application of educational technology. The district uses Family Connection, part of WorkspaceK12 from Naviance, to deliver comprehensive academic and post-secondary planning and advising services, and through Blackboard technology, the district offers students access to homework and course enrichment resources. Now, for the first time, these two services are being piloted in eight schools through an integrated account requiring only a single sign-in.
“The Blackboard Academic Suite is a powerful environment for teaching and learning,” said Matthew S. Pittinsky, chairman of Blackboard. “We’re pleased to have worked with Naviance and FCPS to demonstrate how the Blackboard Academic Suite supports an integrated technology environment to facilitate K-12 education – both inside and outside of the classroom.”
“Family Connection provides extensive resources that help students learn more about themselves and plan for career and college opportunities after high school,” said Stephen M. Smith, CEO of Naviance. “Linking Family Connection and the Blackboard Academic Suite is a natural way for schools to connect instructional resources with counseling and planning activities to benefit all students.”
Single sign-on integration for Family Connection is currently supported in Blackboard Academic Suite version 7.
About Naviance
Naviance is the world’s leading provider for Web-based academic planning and advising systems for schools. The Naviance Network includes over 23,000 educators serving nearly 2.2 million students in schools in 42 countries worldwide who have chosen WorkspaceK12 to support their comprehensive counseling programs. WorkspaceK12 helps schools and districts manage the entire advising process to help every student succeed. For more information, visit www.naviance.com.
About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc. is a leading provider of enterprise software applications and related services to the education industry. Founded in 1997, Blackboard enables educational innovations everywhere by connecting people and technology. Millions of people use Blackboard every day at academic institutions around the globe, including colleges, universities, K-12 schools and other education providers, as well as textbook publishers and student-focused merchants that serve education providers and their students. Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, DC, with offices in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.
About Fairfax County Public Schools
The largest school district in Virginia, and the 13th largest in the United States, Fairfax County Public Schools serve over 164,000 students. With a 3:1 student to computer ratio and more than 90,000 workstations, FCPS is committed to using technology to deliver better and expanded service to their students, parents, administrators, and teachers.
For more information, contact:
Naviance: Carol Wasden, 202.349.2700, ext. 3227, carol.wasden@naviance.com
Blackboard: Melissa Chotiner, 202.463.4860, ext. 2404, mchotiner@blackboard.com
Fairfax County Public Schools: Francine Macdonald, 703.503.7405
