Northrop Grumman Collaborates With New York City Department of Education for New Classroom Education Model

RESTON, Va., March 29, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is collaborating with the New York City Department of Education on the School of One initiative, which provides students with a dynamic classroom environment. Northrop Grumman has integrated its Horizon Assessment System in the School of One model to deliver custom student assessments for a personalized educational experience.

School of One is in its second year of a pilot program that creates individualized instruction for more than 300 middle school students in New York City. Each day students receive an individualized "play list" of their activities. At the end of the day, Horizon delivers personalized assessments that measure student progress, which are used to help formulate a list of activities for the following day. This allows teachers to focus on the quality of their instruction and better understand how their students learn.

"This is a unique opportunity for Northrop Grumman to be a part of a groundbreaking new classroom model that goes beyond the walls of the traditional classroom," said Catherine Kuenzel, vice president of Federal Mission Programs for Northrop Grumman's Civil Systems division. "The Horizon educational assessment technology will help support increasing student achievement and expand opportunities for individual success."

Through School of One, students participate in multiple instructional modalities, including a combination of teacher-led instruction, one-on-one tutoring, independent learning and work with virtual tutors. The School of One instruction model is customized to individual student academic needs and learning styles.

Northrop Grumman's Horizon Assessment System is being piloted with School of One through June 2010. It is a comprehensive and flexible, Web-based assessment system designed to help teachers and students gather, understand, and utilize student performance data effectively and efficiently to ensure effective learning. Horizon is a content-neutral assessment platform with a flexible and open architecture that enables School of One to work with a variety of content providers.

Horizon is currently being used in Fairfax County, Va., Public Schools, Deer Valley Unified School District in Phoenix, Az., and Ascension Parish School Board in Donaldsonville, La.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.

CONTACT:  Christy Whitman
          Northrop Grumman Information Systems
          (571) 213-5302
          christine.whitman@ngc.com