Electronic Learning Products Wins Wall Street Journal 2007 Technology Innovation Award for Software; Receives Patent

Business Wire, Sept 24, 2007

TAMPA, Fla. -- Electronic Learning Products, an educational software company, has won the Wall Street Journal's 2007 Technology Innovation Award for Software and an overall Honorable Mention among all technologies for its TUNEin[TM] to READING program, the company announced today. TUNEin[TM] to READING is an intervention program for struggling readers in grades 3-12. The company was selected from more than 800 applicants and winners were selected by a panel of judges from technology companies, venture capital firms and academia.

The program advances vocabulary, fluency and comprehension through the use of fun, interactive software with real-time pitch tracking. The software is scientifically-based and research-proven to improve reading by more than a grade level in just nine weeks, making it the fastest, most effective literacy software on the market today.

"Almost 40% of America's students in grades 3-12 are reading below grade level. That's almost 20 million kids who are struggling with basic reading skills. We have worked very hard with independent literacy experts and confirmed how dramatically and consistently our program works. I am thrilled that the Wall St. Journal has recognized the significance of our accomplishment and the impact we will have on so many failing students," said Carlo Franzblau, founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Learning Products. "Imagine how frustrated 8th graders reading at the 4th grade level feel every single day. Almost every activity in school tells these kids that they are failures. I'm very proud that TUNEin[TM] to READING gives all struggling readers a reason to believe that they can read and they can succeed!"

Franzblau said that the product's technology is now patented.

"This has been a milestone month for us, as the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent for the technology powering our unique literacy, language and music products, as well," he said.

Patent #7,271,329 is entitled "computer-aided learning system employing a pitch tracking line." The learning system is the foundation for, TUNEin[TM] to READING, the company's flagship offering.

"The patent award is a powerful testament to our company's creative, curious and inventive spirit and confirms that we're bringing something entirely new and exciting to schools across the country - and making a profound difference in the lives of struggling readers," said Ken Spiegel, chief operating officer.

The newly-patented technology leverages the power of music to accelerate learning, providing a revolutionary alternative to textbooks and skill-and-drill exercises. Students don headsets with built-in microphones and as they sing, they "see" their voice on screen as a white pitch-tracking line. The software calculates the degree to which they are on pitch, providing real-time feedback through a score. Students sing again and again to beat their score, just like a video game. In the process, the repeated reading and singing improves their vocabulary, fluency and comprehension, three of the key skills recommended by the National Reading Panel.

Scientifically-based research documents significant reading gains through the use of the technology. Literacy experts from the University of South Florida have conducted three years of rigorous "control and treatment" research with nearly 1,000 struggling readers to measure the impact of the TUNEin[TM] to READING technology. The first two years of research documented students in elementary, middle and high schools improving their reading by more than a grade level in just nine weeks, an extraordinary outcome in the literacy field. The third year of research, sponsored by the Florida Department of Education, focuses on students who are English-language learners. The most recent research documents students who used TUNEin[TM] to READING in two pilot schools making greater gains on standardized tests than their peers.

After only 12 months on the market, TUNEin[TM] to READING is up and running in about 75 schools in Florida with early-stage implementations planned or underway in Texas, Chicago, New York and New Jersey. Interest is growing nation-wide as data for the 2005-2006 school year from six Florida counties shows struggling readers who TUNEin[TM] to READING gained, on average, 1.3 instructional reading levels in just 9 weeks.

TUNEin[TM] to READING is web-based software. Each 12-month, renewable license costs $249, with frequent upgrades provided free of charge. The software includes embedded reading tests to measure student progress and state-of-the-art speech recognition technology to improve pronunciation. Earlier this year, the software won the Technology Innovation of the Year award from the Tampa Bay Technology Forum.

In a classic case of unexpected consequences, the core technology behind TUNEin[TM] to READING was originally invented as a learn-to-sing product. Electronic Learning Products realized that the singing software improved reading and transformed it into an educational program.