Apex Learning
Apex Learning, Inc. is a privately held provider of digital curriculum. Headquartered in Seattle, Apex Learning is accredited by AdvancED.[1]
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Private | |
Industry | Educational Software |
Founded | 1997 |
Founder | Paul Allen |
Headquarters | Seattle, Washington , United States |
Key people | Cheryl Vedoe, CEO |
Products | Online courses and tutorials |
Website | www |
History
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen founded Apex Learning in 1997 to apply online courses and test prep to K-12 material. The company initially focused on Advanced Placement courses and test prep.[2] Within one year of operation, 200 students used the Apex platform.
Apex Learning raised $37 million in venture capital. 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.[4]
In May 2017, Apex Learning was acquired by Education Growth Partners, however the terms were not disclosed.[2] The following August, Apex Learning released Tutorials for the General Education Development (GED), High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) and the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) exams.[5] Since 2015, Apex has been approved by the College Board for Advanced Placement courses.[6]
Controversies
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
References
- "Institution Summary". AdvancED. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
- "Education Growth Partners Acquires Paul Allen's Online Curriculum Company, Apex Learning - EdSurge News". EdSurge. 2017-05-02. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
- Sellers, Dennis (Sep 18, 2002). "Cheryl Vedoe leaves Apple, joins Apex Learning". Mac World. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- Cook, John. "Apex Learning scoops up $6 million". blog.seattlepi.com/. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
- Joshua Bolkan (August 17, 2017). "Apex Learning Debuts Personalized Learning Tutorials for High School Equivalency Exams". The Journal. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
- "AP Course Audit Authorized Courses". College Board. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
- Alameda County Civil Grand Jury of 2019-2020 (June 2020). "Castlemont High School: Cheating Its Students" (PDF). Alameda County, California. Retrieved 23 Jun 2020.