Apex Learning
 | |
| Education Software | |
| Industry | Educational Software |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder | Paul Allen |
| Headquarters | Seattle, WA, United States of America |
Key people | Cheryl Vedoe, CEO |
| Products | Class Tools, Tutorials, Online Courses, AP test review |
| Website | http://www.apexlearning.com |
Apex Learning, Inc. is a privately held provider of e-Learning solutions for K-12 education, offering online courses in mathematics, science, English studies, social studies, Romance languages, the fine arts, health and physical education, and Advanced Placement.
History
Apex Learning was started in 1997 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen on the idea that online courses and test prep, which were already succeeding in higher education, could be applied to K-12. The original focus of the company was providing online Advanced Placement courses and test prep, and AP remains a core part of Apex Learning's business. In the company’s first full year, Apex Learning served 200 students.
After a series of ups-and-downs during the dot-com bubble, Apex Learning raised and spent $37 million from venture capitalist investors, and the company had three different CEOs. In 2002, Cheryl Vedoe, formerly founder and CEO of Tenth Planet, a company that specializes in classroom technology, and then VP of Education Marketing at Apple Computer,[1] became the CEO of Apex Learning. Since then, Apex Learning stabilized its revenue and operations and introduced new web-based products addressing credit recovery, remediation, classroom teaching, and alternative schools.
Over the years, Apex Learning has acquired two other companies.
- 2002: Beyond Books
- 2003: Boxer Math
In 2006, Apex Learning landed $6 million in venture capital financing led by MK Capital [2]
Since 2009, Apex Learning's revenue has increased at a compound annual growth rate of 30 percent. During the 2012-13 school year, Apex served 435,000 students with more than 1.5 million course enrollments.[3]
Products
Apex Learning serves its online curriculum through four product lines, in hopes to meet the needs of specific customers.
- ClassTools Virtual for Distance Learning: Apex Learning offers more than 90 online courses, mostly for high school or Advanced Placement credit, in the areas of math, science, English, social studies, fine arts, health and physical education, and world languages. Online courses can be taught by either certified Apex Learning teachers or by local teachers, fitting into the blended learning model. Apex Learning provides training for participating local teachers and administrators that covers the curriculum, learning management system, and strategies for online instruction.
- ClassTools: ClassTools provides digital content and assessments that help classroom teachers address student learning and achievement. This product is primarily purchased by schools and districts, and is used as a supplement to in-classroom instruction, or as a remediation solution.
- ClassTools Achieve: ClassTools Achieve combines the online curriculum and assessments of ClassTools with instructional management and reporting features geared toward improving student achievement. Teachers can monitor the progress of each student and customize instruction to meet individual needs. The product is primarily purchased by alternative schools and districts for use in remediation, intervention, and credit recovery programs in middle and high schools.
- AP Exam Review: Apex Learning offers an online test preparation resource that prepares students for the Advanced Placement exams. ***
- Exam Prep: Apex Learning creates assessments specifically aligned to a state's test blueprint and mirrors the statewide test in terminology, format, item types and weighting. Exam prep courses from Apex Learning incorporate powerful tools and serve a wide variety of implementation models.
See also
- E-Learning
- Virtual learning environment
- History of virtual learning environments
- Learning management system
References
- ↑ Sellers, Dennis (Sep 18, 2002). "Cheryl Vedoe leaves Apple, joins Apex Learning". Mac World. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- ↑ Cook, John. "Apex Learning scoops up $6 million". http://blog.seattlepi.com/. Retrieved 8 August 2014. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ Fairbanks, Amanda M. (June 11, 2014). "Virtual Education Sees Rapidly Rising Revenues". Education Week.