The Texas District of Innovation will use the personalized learning environment to help students learn to read in early childhood programs and in grades K through 8

(MINNEAPOLIS, MN) September 20, 2016 – myON, a business unit of Capstone and leading provider of personalized literacy solutions for the K-12 marketplace, today announced its partnership with Manor Independent School District. Access to myON will play a key role in the district’s mission to further engage the community in closing the literacy gap.

The myON implementation and renewed focus on literacy is part of the district’s new long-range plan as a certified Texas Education Agency (TEA) District of Innovation. With this designation, the district is exempt from certain sections of the Texas Education Code that inhibit the goals of the district as outlined in the locally adopted Innovation Plan. Superintendent Dr. Royce Avery plans to use the TEA certification to turn innovative ideas into a reality by forming community partnerships, closing the literacy gap, and leveraging technology.

Dr. Avery and Manor ISD partnered with myON to give students participating in the district-funded, full-day pre-K program access to high-quality digital texts both at home and at school. Three new pre-K centers are planned to open during the 2016–2017 school year. The partnership with myON will also provide students and teachers in eight elementary schools and two middle schools online and offline access to more than 6,000 fiction and nonfiction books customized to fit each student’s personal interests and reading level.

Manor, a booming suburb of Austin, TX, has a diverse population of urban and rural families, many of whom are English language learners.

“We see great value in myON’s wide variety of Spanish and dual-language titles,” said Dr. Avery. “Our goal as a community is to develop young readers long before students enter our school buildings. Investing in our younger generations will pay off as they mature through out their years in Manor ISD. With myON, and our focus on 21^st-century teaching and learning, students and families can read together using technology and develop a love for reading in and out of the classroom.”

Enrollment in the district is expected to jump from 8,700 students this school year to 20,000 in five years. To guarantee a smooth transition during a major time of growth, Superintendent Avery is focused on collaborating with the city council, school board, and other community organizations to involve community members in the focus on overall student success.

“We are honored and excited to partner with Dr. Avery and his team at Manor ISD. We share his vision for instilling a love for reading in all students,” said Todd Brekhus, the president of myON. “With such a diverse and growing population, we will work with Superintendent Avery and the Manor community to put more books in the hands of students to further close the equity and literacy gap.”

About myON
myON, a business unit of Capstone, has created a personalized digital literacy environment that transforms learning. myON expands the classroom for teachers and students by providing unlimited access to the largest collection of more than 11,000 enhanced digital books with multimedia supports, real-time assessments, and a growing Literacy Toolkit that enhances the myON literacy ecosystem. myON empowers students and teachers with real-time, actionable data—number and type of books opened and read, time spent reading, results of regular benchmark assessments, and more—based on embedded Lexile® assessments that measure student reading and writing growth. With myON, every student experiences the benefits of personalized literacy instruction to propel them to new and unlimited learning opportunities. To learn more, visit myON.com.

Press Contact
Jacob Hanson
PR with Panache!
[email protected]