Kaplan and APEX Online Learning Partner to Offer Advanced Placement*
Test Prep Courses Online at www.kaptest.com
New York, November 10, 1999 -- Kaplan Educational Centers, the nation's premier education and career services company, and APEX Online Learning (www.apex.netu.com), a leading online education company founded by Paul Allen, have joined forces to offer AP Test Prep, online test preparation courses for Advanced Placement (AP) exams. AP Test Prep will be available in the Spring of 2000 for the approximately 700 thousand students who are expected to take AP exams in May 2000. AP Test Prep courses will include: U.S. Government & Politics, Statistics, Calculus AB, Macroeconomics and Microeconomics and will be available to students at www.kaptest.com.
In September, Kaplan launched the industry's largest Internet site featuring test preparation courses and admissions services for college and graduate programs at www.kaptest.com. Online course offerings include preparation for the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, NCLEX-RN and CPA exam. Far exceeding initial expectations, enrollments at kaptest.com have steadily increased as students from countries around the world including the U.S., Kuwait, Australia and Turkey have signed up. In November, kaptest.com will begin offering an SAT prep course and in December, its College Admissions Seminar series.
To serve its audience of high-achieving, college-bound students further, Kaplan has partnered with the two-year old APEX Online Learning, which is currently offering online AP courses in 106 schools across the country. APEX courses have been recognized with top awards in the industry, and students participating in the initial year of APEX courses achieved impressive pass rates, exceeding national averages for AP test takers. Last year approximately 700 thousand high school students took over 1.1 million AP exams, 11% more exams than in 1998. The average AP student takes 1.6 exams a year, and many students take 4 to 5 tests by high school graduation.
"APEX has been a pioneer in using the web as a distribution tool to make AP courses broadly available to students across the country who currently don't have access to these courses in their high schools," said John Polstein, President of Kaplan Test Preparation and Admissions. "Now Kaplan is bringing the award-winning APEX curriculum to all AP students, by creating an outstanding review and exam preparation experience. Together, APEX and Kaplan can provide the highest quality preparation for these high-stakes exams."
"We at APEX see Kaplan clearly as a long time leader in test preparation," said Sally Narodick, Chief Executive Officer at APEX Online Learning. "Kaplan's experience, coupled with APEX's tremendous success in the Advanced Placement market, enable us to create superior course curriculum for AP preparation second to none."
APEX Online Learning is developing a full line of AP test prep courses with more subjects to come next year. AP Test Prep will cost $249 for the first course, with discounts for students taking multiple review courses.
Kaplan has successfully extended its leadership position from the bricks and mortar world onto the Internet. Kaplan's Internet initiatives include eSCORE.com, which provides customized educational services online for parents and kids ages birth to 14, including resources to prepare for statewide assessments; Concord University School of Law, the nation's first online law school; and BrassRing.com, the first network that combines recruiting, career development and hiring management services to serve employers and employees at every step
About Kaplan, Inc.
Kaplan, Inc. (www.kaplan.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Its divisions include Test Preparation and Admissions (www.kaptest.com); SCORE! Learning Corporation, offering after-school programs for kids and resources for parents and kids through eSCORE.com (www.escore.com); Kaplan Professional educational programs for adults; and KaplanCollege.com, a distance learning division which includes Concord University School of Law. Kaplan is the majority shareholder in BrassRing Inc. (BrassRing.com), which combines recruiting, career development and hiring management services for employers and employees. Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company.
About APEX
APEX Online Learning is a Seattle-based company dedicated to using the internet to expand access to learning opportunities. Founded as a research project in 1997 by Paul Allen, the company combines the interactivity and accessibility of the Internet with the experience of master teachers and content specialists to produce award-winning educational solutions. APEX's current programming includes Advanced Placement online courses in five subject areas, AP Exam review products and teacher professional development. The Company plans to aggressively grow its product line of online AP and pre-requisite courses. For more information call 1-800-453-1454.
Press Contact: pubrel@kaplan.com, (212) 492-5965
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