CHOICE 2000 - California's First Online High School - Relies On Interwise to Power Student Success; CHOICE 2000 Beats State Standard on California High School Exit Exam

Business Wire, Nov 19, 2002

Business/Technology Editors

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 19, 2002

Interwise(R), the foremost provider of enterprise communications solutions, today announced that CHOICE 2000, a fully accredited charter school for grades 7-12 that offers classes exclusively via the Internet, is using the Interwise Enterprise Communication Platform (ECP) to teach its entire curriculum. The school proved the effectiveness of online learning this year when its students exceeded the state standard on the California High School Exit Exam by over 30 points.

Started in 1994, CHOICE 2000 is one of California's original charter schools and is accredited by the Western Association of School and Colleges (WASC). The school was created to accommodate students who were unable to reach their full potential in a traditional classroom setting and could benefit from online instruction. To provide this service, CHOICE 2000 needed a technology solution that could support its comprehensive curriculum, was easy for students and teachers to use, had minimal bandwidth requirements, and allowed instructors to record classes. Interwise proved to be the ideal solution.

"Interwise has been the backbone of our curriculum, providing a reliable platform by which we deliver exceptional distance learning," said Sheree Jederberg, Principal, CHOICE 2000. "As we continue to develop additional courses and expand our student body, Interwise will maintain a vital role in the way we share and disseminate information."

This year, CHOICE 2000's students exceeded the state standard on the California High School Exit Exam. The state average was 54% passing in English and CHOICE 2000 students achieved 85% passing; Math was 32% and CHOICE 2000 achieved 40% passing.

CHOICE 2000 prides itself on its teacher-student ratio - 1:20 - significantly less than the average public classroom. With Interwise, the lessons are interactive - students can ask questions and provide commentary in a similar fashion to the traditional school setting. In addition, CHOICE 2000 uses Interwise to offer daily tutoring sessions in all topics, where the school's 350 students can dialog with teachers in real time.

"CHOICE 2000's exam results speak for themselves - the student's performance is a testimony to the effectiveness of eLearning, said Frank Zvi, CEO of Interwise. "We are thrilled that our platform is being utilized to extend the reach of education in an environment that is challenging, interactive and completely online."

About CHOICE 2000

CHOICE 2000 is one of the original charter schools in California. It is a completely online, fully accredited secondary school, covering grades 7-12. As a public school, it is free for students living in Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Imperial, and Orange counties.

About Interwise

Interwise helps organizations address the communications challenges presented by dynamic business environments, global marketplaces and geographically dispersed stakeholders. The Interwise Enterprise Communications Platform (ECP) is a single platform for live collaboration, communications and eLearning. The leading choice of Global 2000 companies, Interwise maintains a presence in more than 20 countries through a direct sales force, distributors, value-added resellers and systems integrators. Visit us at (URL) http://www.interwise.com.

Trademarks

Interwise Enterprise Communications Platform, Interwise Expressway and the Interwise logo are trademarks and Interwise is a registered trademark of Interwise. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.