RESTON, Va., Nov. 3, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The electronic Curriculum Assessment Resource Tool (eCART) project, a Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) initiative that uses Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Assessment Solutions Promoting Instruction, Reflection, and Evidence of Learning (ASPIRE) Assessment System, was the recipient of the 2009 Governor's Award for Innovative Use of Technology in K-12 Education.

The Governor's Technology Awards program recognizes outstanding initiatives and achievements at Virginia government entities that are using technology to improve citizen service and/or efficiency in service delivery.

eCART is an integrated technology solution for FCPS students, teachers and administrators that offers a single point of access to integrated online curriculum, resources, and formative assessment tools. It was made available to all Fairfax County public schools in August 2008 after a pilot program involving 30 schools was completed during the 2007-2008 school year.

Components of eCART include ASPIRE, the Northrop Grumman-developed formative assessment application; the FCPS 24-7 Learning portal; the FCPS-developed Curriculum Repository; and the patented, FCPS-developed Education Decision Support Library (EDSL).

"Northrop Grumman congratulates our partners at Fairfax County Public Schools on this distinguished award," said Mark Scheffel, director of business process solutions for Northrop Grumman Information System's Civil Systems division. "eCART, with the ASPIRE system, is giving educators the tools they need to help students excel in the classroom and succeed in a competitive world."

Teachers, administrators, and authorized central staff members can use the custom search function to locate curriculum and resources mapped to specific standards, benchmarks and indicators in the FCPS Program of Studies and the Virginia Standards of Learning, and, through Northrop Grumman's ASPIRE, access tens of thousands of assessment items to support instructional needs in the classroom. The goal of eCART is to help facilitate improved student learning while contributing to closing the achievement gap.

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
          (571) 213-5302
          christine.whitman@ngc.com