Apex Learning, Inc. is a privately held provider of digital curriculum. Headquartered in Seattle, Apex Learning is accredited by
AdvancED
The Advanced Party (), otherwise known as the Advanced Association () was a liberal and centrist Zionist political association in Mandatory Palestine founded by several urban liberal Zionists. The party was founded in order to represent the voice ...
.
History
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...
co-founder
Paul Allen
Paul Gardner Allen (January 21, 1953 – October 15, 2018) was an American businessman, computer programmer, and investor. He co-founded Microsoft, Microsoft Corporation with his childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, which was followed by the ...
founded Apex Learning in 1997 for the purpose of applying for online courses and test prep material in grades 6–12. The company initially focused on Advanced Placement courses and test prep.
Within one year of operation, 200 students used the Apex platform.
In 2002, Cheryl Vedoe, founder of Tenth Planet and VP of Education Marketing at
Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...
, became CEO of Apex. That same year, it acquired Beyond Books. Apex Learning acquired Boxer Math in 2003.
In 2006, Apex had a $6 million round of venture capital financing led by MK Capital
In May 2017, Apex Learning was acquired by Education Growth Partners; however, the terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
The following August, Apex Learning released Tutorials for the
General Education Development
The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four academic subject tests in the United States and its territories certifying academic knowledge equivalent to a high school diploma. This certification is an alternative to the U ...
(GED), High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), and
Test Assessing Secondary Completion The Test Assessing Secondary Completion, or TASC, was an alternative to a United States high school diploma, that was discontinued on December 31, 2021. It had been chosen by the states of New York and Indiana as a replacement for the GED exam, effe ...
(TASC) exams. Since 2015, Apex has been approved by the
College Board
The College Board, styled as CollegeBoard, is an American not-for-profit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education. While the College Board is not an asso ...
for
Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere ...
courses.
Controversies
The
Alameda County
Alameda County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and 21st most populous nationally. The county seat is Oakland. A ...
Civil Grand Jury
Grand juries in the United States are groups of citizens empowered by United States federal or state law to conduct legal proceedings, chiefly investigating potential criminal conduct and determining whether criminal charges should be brought.
L ...
released a report in 2020 that questioned the use of Apex in
Castlemont High School
Castlemont High School is a public high school in Oakland, California, United States, originally known as East Oakland High School. It is part of the Oakland Unified School District. The Castlemont name was selected by a vote of the students.
...
in
Oakland, CA
Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...
. It is suggested that Apex's on-line curriculum was used improperly to graduate students who should not have graduated.
See also
*
E-Learning
Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning and teaching. When referred to with its abbreviation, "EdTech" ...
*
Virtual learning environment
Virtual may refer to:
* Virtual image, an apparent image of an object (as opposed to a real object), in the study of optics
* Virtual (horse), a thoroughbred racehorse
* Virtual channel, a channel designation which differs from that of the actual ...
*
History of virtual learning environments
A Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is a system specifically designed to facilitate the management of educational courses by teachers for their students. It predominantly relies on computer hardware and software, enabling distance learning. In N ...
*
Learning management system
*
List of online high schools in Mississippi
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official websiteVirtual school
Software companies based in Seattle
Educational technology companies of the United States
Virtual learning environments
Software companies of the United States