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Apex Learning

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Apex Learning
Company typePrivate
IndustryEducational Software
Founded1997
FounderPaul Allen
Headquarters,
United States
Key people
Chris Porter, CEO
ProductsOnline courses and tutorials
Websitewww.apexlearning.com

Apex Learning, Inc. is a privately held provider of digital curriculum. Headquartered in Seattle, Apex Learning is accredited by AdvancED.[1]

History

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Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen founded Apex Learning in 1997 for the purpose of applying for online courses and test prep material in grades 6–12. The company initially focused on Advanced Placement courses and test prep. [2] Within one year of operation, 200 students used the Apex platform.[citation needed]

In 2002, Cheryl Vedoe, founder of Tenth Planet and VP of Education Marketing at Apple Inc., became CEO of Apex. [3] That same year, it acquired Beyond Books. Apex Learning acquired Boxer Math in 2003. [2] In 2006, Apex had a $6 million round of venture capital financing led by MK Capital [3]. [4][better source needed]

In May 2017, Apex Learning was acquired by Education Growth Partners; however, the terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. [2] The following August, Apex Learning released Tutorials for the General Education Development (GED), High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), and Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) exams. [5] Since 2015, Apex has been approved by the College Board for Advanced Placement courses. [6]

Controversies

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The Alameda County Civil Grand Jury released a report in 2020 that questioned the use of Apex in Castlemont High School in Oakland, CA. It is suggested that Apex's on-line curriculum was used improperly to graduate students who should not have graduated.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Institution Summary". AdvancED. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Education Growth Partners Acquires Paul Allen's Online Curriculum Company, Apex Learning - EdSurge News". EdSurge. 2017-05-02. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
  3. ^ Sellers, Dennis (Sep 18, 2002). "Cheryl Vedoe leaves Apple, joins Apex Learning". Mac World. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  4. ^ Cook, John. "Apex Learning scoops up $6 million". blog.seattlepi.com/. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  5. ^ Joshua Bolkan (August 17, 2017). "Apex Learning Debuts Personalized Learning Tutorials for High School Equivalency Exams". The Journal. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  6. ^ "AP Course Audit Authorized Courses". College Board. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  7. ^ "District works on reforms after grand jury finds Castlemont High 'failed' students – SFBay". sfbayca.com. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
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