What Educators Are Saying About A+
"Our experiences with the A+ Anywhere Learning System at the Mansfield Enhancement Academy has been very positive and promising. Our district, Mansfield City Schools, has utilized computer software systems for more than 5 years as a curriculum tool for teaching the at-risk student. The District purchased the Plato Software LAN Version Program initially and then approximately a year later the District moved from the LAN version to the Plato Web version. At the Mansfield Enhancement Academy, the District’s conversion school, we began operation using the Platoweb system. After two years we decided to research other software systems in an attempt to purchase a system that would address some of the shortcomings that our program experienced with Platoweb.
Specifically we looked for a software system that would interface better with the thin client. The school had attempted to increase computer security by installing thin clients. It was soon discovered that Plato did not interface well with the thin client. Plato support indicated to us that they unfortunately did not provide support services for the thin client. In addition to this issue we wanted to find a software system that tracked student progress more accurately. The students had found a way to "refresh" the English courses. In their own ingenious way they would hit the refresh button when they missed a test question and a new test question would be substituted. The new attempts would not register on the report. Accountability in Social Studies was also elusive. Its format was ideal for use within a classroom setting but as a self-contained course it was not designed to indicate student completion of the tutorial. Students would get on the study questions and let the time run so as to imply that work had been done when it hadn’t.
In our search we also looked for a software system that offered a more simplistic delivery of curriculum. Our special education students found some of the Plato lessons too distracting with content details and complicated graphics. While some students found the visual stimulation of Plato conducive to learning, others were overwhelmed.
The A+ Anywhere System addressed these issues for us. The software works well on the thin client and its format of "study", "practice test" and "test" measure student work accurately and have been resistant to student manipulation. The direct format of the A+ system has worked well with the learning styles of many of our students. We are pleased with our decision to purchase the A+ Anywhere System and highly recommend to others who are similarly committed to student success."
Cassandra Enderle
Mansfield Enhancement Academy, OH