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Happy 2012, AB Clients!
Academic Benchmarks wishes you a successful and productive 2012. As members of the K-12 industry, we understand the great change and accompanying challenges our clients face. We are grateful for the opportunity to provide you quality standards data and connective services. We look forward to a rewarding 2012 in which we work together to address your toughest data needs. Thanks you for your support of AB now and in the future.
Sincerely,
Matt Doherty
President, Academic Benchmarks
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2011 - A Year in Review
Growth, with new and emerging services
As we move into a new year, we'd like to offer a brief snapshot to review 2011:  - AB welcomed over 20 new clients to the ever-growing client network.
- AB collected more standards in 2011 than in any previous year. The AB database now includes over 2.6 million standards and 1.3 million aligned resources.
- AB introduced new API Web Services to enable clients deeper and more flexible access to the rich data store of connected metadata.
- AB released the AB Common Corner to track the myriad resources related to the Common Core.
- The continued emergence of CCSS, LRMI, Learning Registry, Ed-Fi, RTTA, PARCC, and SBAC presented increased demands for rich metadata description of standards, competencies, and resources.
Academic Benchmarks is poised for continued growth and support of our clients' standards metadata needs.
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The Common Corner
Your source for all Common Core related information
In the late fall we publicly released The Common Corner, our collection of information regarding the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The release was in response to our clients requests for the most up to date information regarding the CCSS adoption and various implementation plans. Aside from monitoring each state Department of Education, our Common Core Team also follows news outlets and sites of interest so you don't have to. It's easy to stay updated on the latest news with Email Alerts and RSS feeds offered on our site. Below are some of the details you will find updated on a weekly basis:
- State Adoption information - including Crosswalk documents, Implementation Timelines, and a link to the set of standards in use by each state.
- Assessment Consortium information - the latest news and movements, in which states are implicated
- Digital Resource Library - downloadable content from across the internet; webinars, publisher's notes, instructional videos, and report briefs
- Sites of Interest - links to websites providing information on the CCSS from a variety of perspectives; from news outlets, professional development, the PTA, and other organizations
If you do not see information listed that you would find beneficial, please contact our Common Core team.
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Beyond Standards. Beyond Alignments.
Academic Benchmarks continues to expand its service offerings to address the increasing sophistication of the data demands of our clients. Working closely with new and existing clients over the span of 2011, a few examples of our efforts include:
- Creation of custom standards-connected taxonomies enabling clients to leverage their internal investments to connect their resources to standards more efficiently.
- Development of custom interfaces to the AB Data enabling clients to more options to describe their resources and align in a meaningful way.
- Access to deeper standards-related data via AB Web Services API enabling clients greater flexibility in their integration of Academic Benchmarks data with client systems and workflows.
Moving into 2012, we will continue our focus on providing solutions to help our clients grow. A few examples include:
- Converting relational, or crosswalk, data between the CCSS and the existing states standards.
- Enhancing a state document versioning system to allow greater flexibility and synchronization among fellow members of the AB Network community.
Contact us to receive more information on any of these solutions, or help us identify one to meet your needs.
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Upcoming Conferences
Wed 2/8 - Fri 2/10:
TCEA 2012
Austin,TX
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Upcoming Conferences
Wed 3/7 - Thurs 3/8:
SIIA - Ed Tech Government Forum
Washington, D.C.
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The AB Network Works!
Our clients have created the AB Network through their adoption of AB education standards metadata. The shared adoption enables AB clients to connect with one another to build tools, products, and strategic relationships.
Each week we showcase members of the AB Network via Twitter with our "Weekly Who's Who in the AB Network" (#WWWAB). Check to see who made the list this week!
We want to hear how you are taking advantage of the AB Network. Share your story! Please send a note to abnetwork@academicbenchmarks.com to schedule a time to discuss or to learn how you can benefit from the AB Network.
Existing Case Studies include:
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The AB Support Line
AB Support helps our clients get the most out of their AB experience. You can reach AB Support via email or by submitting a Support Request Form in the AB KnowledgeBase. Below are a couple of Hot Topics from our clients:
Email Alerts - Don't Miss a Thing!
Want to know when AB releases or updates a standards document? How about when your standards files are ready for pickup? Or when the Common Corner is updated? All are easy to accomplish when you register for email alerts! See this FAQ for details on how to use alerts for your account deliveries. All users can sign up for email alerts or RSS feeds from the RSS section of our website.
AB Projects Interface
With AB Projects, clients are able to configure the alignment of their content in ways that match their internal processes. Alignment of asset collections can be assigned to specific users, with other users reviewing those alignments, on a set schedule. Schedules and deadlines are clearly visible, as are the statuses of all assets. Complex projects can be partitioned into phases, each with its own schedule and assignment. For details, review our Projects Guide, or contact AB Support if you have questions about setting up projects to best suit your workflow.
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Academic Benchmarks welcomes the following clients to the
AB Network:
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