Achieva.com Brings Complete College Prep Services Into the Classroom Using the Internet

SAN MATEO, Calif., December 12, 2000 - On average, college graduates in the United States make an estimated 88 percent more than non-college graduates (Jefferies & Company). A four-year college diploma is more important than ever and Achieva.com, the only comprehensive online student performance enhancement and college prep service provider for schools, is trying to make college a reality for every student. Taking expertise garnered from its successful bricks-and-mortar counseling centers to the Internet, Achieva.com will be helping students in forty school districts this year through individualized college prep online programs designed for middle and high school classrooms. In the last sixth months, Achieva.com's nationwide penetration has grown almost 2000% from 2 - 40 school districts.

Founded in Palo Alto, California, Achieva.com College Prep Programs have helped 100 percent of its students get into college and more than 85 percent were accepted into one of their top choices; Achieva.com has taken this proven college guidance approach online and into America's public schools. The college application process has changed considerably over the past 20 years and it takes a multitude of factors to get into college, including grades, SAT scores, extracurricular activities and teacher recommendations. In 1999 alone UC Berkeley rejected more than 5,000 students with 4.0 grade point averages. To help students, Achieva.com has created comprehensive and interactive programs that help them improve study skills, test scores and complete college applications using the Internet in the classroom.

"Achieva.com seeks to give kids across the nation, from all backgrounds, the same opportunities when applying to college," said Carlos Watson, president and CEO of Achieva.com. "We are thrilled to be helping students in 40 school districts this year with continue and improve their education."

According to a UCLA study, the average ratio of guidance counselors to students is 1:560 in the majority of U.S. public high schools, and kids are not receiving the help they need to apply and get into a four-year college. To help kids and teachers, Achieva.com has created a web-based program with 24/7 student access that adjusts to the individual student's performance. Achieva.com is the only company that takes a comprehensive approach to the college admissions process starting in the middle school through high school with study skills, college guidance and test prep.

Starting in the middle school classroom, Achieva.com's innovative online Study Skills will improve students' studying and learning abilities, help them apply study skills to their everyday schoolwork and teach students to organize and prioritize to improve overall learning, note-taking, test preparation and test taking. As students reach high school, Achieva.com offers the College Advantage Program™, which helps students with every aspect of the process from selecting colleges, to writing essays, to finding financial assistance. This constantly evolving course, divided into four grade-specific offerings, provides students with complete guidance through the entire college admissions process. Achieva.com also provides test prep for SAT I, ACT, PSAT, and SAT II courses. These proven programs help students increase their scores on critical college entrance exams and are computer adaptive to fit each student.

"The students' response has been overwhelming. Last year, we had just 15 students sign up for SAT prep classes. This year, thanks to the addition of Achieva.com, we had 300 attendees; the accessibility and convenience really made the difference for our busy students," said Olga Morales, career and college counselor, Abraham Lincoln High School, San Jose, CA.

Analysts agree that education is the next "killer app" for the Internet: the biggest industry, second to healthcare, more than $700 billion was spent in 1999 on education, and $5.5 billion on technology (Jefferies & Company). Maximizing government funds -- such as The Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, which provides $425 million dollars for all 50 states to approximately 3,200 school districts, Gear Up, Title I and Title VI -Achieva.com works directly with school districts to identify, apply for and secure grant money to pay for online programs. According to Quality Education Data in 1999, the K-12 industry spent $5.5 billion on technology for schools and approximately $500 million on software products (Jefferies & Company).