Pressroom: FableVision Acquires "Get a Clue"

FableVision Announces Acquisition of GET A CLUE Patented Vocabulary and Reading Program

Acquisition Provides On-line Subscription Engine for FableVision Product Line To Build Out Long-term On-line Delivery Model Strategy

BOSTON, MA - Children’s digital media and publishing company FableVision Inc. extends its educational products offerings with the acquisition of the award-winning GET A CLUE® software program from the Core Learning Group LLC. GET A CLUE® is an innovative subscription-based web application for grades five through twelve that builds vocabulary and reading comprehension through inductive reasoning and critical thinking. The software uses the patented WATS Systems (Words And Their Stories), rather than rote memorization, for vocabulary development. FableVision will continue to sell GET A CLUE (www.getaclue.com) through its increasing network of direct sales and resellers, and will immediately review strategic product changes to enhance the product.

According to a Time magazine report, the average 14-year-old in 1999 possessed a 10,000 word vocabulary, as compared with 25,000 found in a similar study in 1950. “With the evolution of the TV-gaming generation, strong reading and vocabulary acquisition habits are fading fast, but GET A CLUE uses a context-based approach as a more meaningful alternative to give students a more robust way to express themselves,” says President Paul Reynolds. “And strategically for FableVision, this product also shapes our other offerings by being our first on-line subscription based product – serving as the model for upcoming versions of STATIONERY STUDIO, BRAINCOGS and ESSAY EXPRESS.” Executive Partner Jane Reynolds notes, “GET A CLUE comes with a strong established subscriber base which dramatically strengthens FableVision’s financial position because of the instant synergy of our product lines and sales strategy.”

Dr. Bobbi Kurshan points out, "FableVision was the right home for GET A CLUE, given their reputation for innovative educational products and their ability to connect with progressive educators who are looking for better ways to reach learners more effectively." Dr. Kurshan has been chief technical officer, Co-CEO, and co-founder of Core Learning Group, an investment holding company established to invest in and acquire innovative education companies, which she co-founded with SPO Partners and Susan Harman. CLG has focused on K-12 supplemental publishing and post-secondary education programs and content.

The GET A CLUE Internet-delivered program contains more than 1,000 continuously updated target words divided into skill levels and thematic categories. The program also includes a full range of management and assessment features, such as customized quizzing and student performance reports. The WATS System follows a multi-step process based on inductive reasoning skills. WATS begins by displaying a target word. Students then receive essential information about the word, including its pronunciation, part(s) of speech, and derivation-but, importantly, not its definition. Once they have read the derivation and the "story" behind the word, students are then presented with a series of five questions, or "Clues," designed to lead them inductively toward a working definition. The software program has earned many industry accolades, including a BESSIE, MEDIA & METHODS PORTFOLIO AWARD, BOLOGNA NEW MEDIA, CODIE AWARD and EDDIE AWARDS.

Founded in 1996 by Peter and Paul Reynolds, FableVision is dedicated to serving children by creating "stories that matter, stories that move" for educators, families, museums, publishers and broadcasters. The FableVision team includes a diverse group of educators, writers, animators, instructional designers, research partners, programmers, interactive media specialists, and university professors. FableVision serves the needs of the educational marketplace with its own range of products aimed at helping all children reach their true potential, as well as through collaboration with other publishers such as Houghton Mifflin, Scott-Foresman, Scholastic, and Pearson Education. More information is available about FableVision at www.fablevision.com.

Go to
Pressroom Go to
What's New