AcademicMerit, based in Portland, Maine, is a developer of an award-winning suite of online professional-development, assessment, instruction, and learning solutions—solely focused on reading and writing in grades 6-12—that provides schools with a much-needed bridge from simply being informed about the Common Core State Standards to actually implementing them.

In 2004, a small group of us—practicing teachers determined to create Web-based tools that our colleagues would actually use and embrace—conceived of one such tool that would make literature units more engaging. Over the next few years, we methodically developed Literary Companion^®—perpetually testing it in our classrooms and others' to ensure it was of the highest academic quality.

The response from teachers and students alike was terrific, and so, in 2008, we formed AcademicMerit and began to expand the scope of our work. 2009 featured a small-scale research study and the development of Assessments21^®; the '10-'11 school year featured a large-scale study, out of which emerged FineTune^TM.

Now, with this foundation in place, we're a company ready to lead by example. Our products do more than promise (retro-fitted) alignment with the Common Core; they deliver both pedagogical and technological innovation aimed not only at students, but also the teachers guiding them.

Our Vision

Through the user-friendly delivery of exceptional content and practical data, AcademicMerit will become the gold standard in the Common Core (or any) era for providing schools with a technology-driven model for linking professional development, assessment, instruction, and learning—in the process, establishing our company as a respected voice in the dialogue now shaping the future of American education.

Our Philosophy

American education is undergoing a paradigm shift. A variety of forces are converging simultaneously to bring about a period of unprecedented change in an institution not known for rapid transformation.

Much is at stake, and while there is no national consensus about the precise path forward, what is known is that educators at every level must begin to re-envision the school model—and to explore the ways new knowledge and new technology can positively impact students’ educational experience.

As we consider how our company can support schools during this time, we find our efforts guided by the following beliefs:

• We believe that this period of change is necessary.

  Preparing students for the modern world requires altering in substantive ways how we educate them now.

• We believe technology is a means, not an end.

  Technology is not transformative on its own, but rather the vehicle for delivering the ideas that are.

• We believe professional development, assessment, instruction, and learning should be inextricably linked.

  Improving student performance begins with supporting teachers, and continues with good assessments that, in turn, inform differentiated instruction and personalized learning.

The reality is that the change being sought in American education does not take a single form; it is instead myriad ideas, big and small, that collectively represent the pursuit of a system that better prepares students for their lives.

These beliefs are guiding our company’s contributions toward this goal—our efforts to ease the transition for schools from the challenges of today to the expectations of tomorrow.