About Tarmac Educational Services

As a 48 year-old educational technology company, that has been providing installation technical support and staff development from our beginning; we have the unique perspective on the use of technology in instruction. For instructional technology to be effective it must be comprehensive, diagnostic, based on NC Standards of Learning (NCSCOS), prescriptive to tutorial lessons and yet remain flexible for the teaching professional to modify lesson plans when needed. It also must be easy to use, and available to all students to reteach, reinforce, and provide enrichment at all grade levels. The final criteria are that the technology solution must be cost effective allowing systems to be released from the annual per-computer and recurring annual fees. By providing software in an unlimited and perpetual license, schools can continue to address all students’ needs as their infrastructure changes.

To accomplish the above Tarmac has selected computer software that is cost effective, represents the latest research in education to insure it is pedagogically sound and uses the late developments in technology. To provide this level of support, Tarmac represents two major programs compliment one another. One is Content (the NCSCOS) and the other is Process (to develop high level fluent readers)

Our content software, the A+nyWhere Learning System® was designed to address standards based management and is published by The American Education Corporation. It covers K-12 instruction, integrated with The North Carolina Standard Course of Study (as well as all other national and state standards) at all levels in mathematics, language arts, science, writing, and social studies. 1. It will identify skill mastery and deficiencies based on North Carolina Objectives 2. Prescribe lessons that align to North Carolina Standards based on each student’s needs. 3. Over 5,400 lessons use the research based direct instruction model. 4. Reports, over 180, include the number and description of each NC skill. Other Reports include NCLB sub grouping, District, School, Student and Class Standard Attainment, and educator designed Benchmark reporting. Ongoing assessment and post-testing helps educators focus on refining and maintaining education plans.

Supported by 75 years of research, pedagogical concepts and successful results with thousands of students, Taylor Associates’ Reading Plus® and the Visagraph Eye Movement Recording System meet the scientifically based reading research requirements of NCLB and the Reading First Initiative. It is the most comprehensive reading assessment and instruction system available for students from K-College/Adult reading. When processing content (comprehension/fluency) is developed to a high level, all content is easier to process in a reasonable length of time. The unique Reading Plus software helps students at all levels acquire foundational reading skills not addressed by other elementary, junior high and high school curriculums. If you need to see reading scores improve, the Online Browser version can be tried with 30-40 students for 30 or more days. We recommend beginning with middle school students who are struggling. These students are your future drop-outs.

Results:

The North Carolina Department of Instruction has produced a Video on A+nyWhere in the “Programs that Work Series.” Listen and see how a school has progressed from 36.7% in 2001 to 73% this year. By adding  Reading Plus last year, they report that all students passed the Reading Competency test. Another NC school using A+LS software and Reading Plus software has been named one of the two most improved schools in the nation. Another NC school reports that they have been exemplary or school of distinction for six years and have closed the gap. One elementary Title I school using Reading Plus since 1999-2000, 64.6%, reports that the fifth grade was at 96.1 in 2003-2004 and orally reports 99% last year.

Notice:

Since about 550 A+nyWhere® schools were in Katrina’s path, The American Education Corporation, (AEC) will provide testing, without charge, on any, all subjects, any, all grade levels for any/all displaced Katrina students. Each student’s skills will be tracked and reports are available based on any state’s standards, or other standards like the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, GED, and TABE etc.