Gaithersburg, MD -- February 11, 2003 -- State education officials in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Tennessee have joined Maryland and Mississippi in launching statewide initiatives that analyze how their schools apply technology in the classroom. The surveys and reporting will be implemented using OnTarget (http://www.ontargetus.com), a Web-based technology that offers a module for technology inventory and use, and a module for planning and resource allocation.

"These five states are innovators in education," said Bob Marshall, CEO of AWS Convergence Technologies, which develops both OnTarget and WeatherNet Classroom, a Web-based weather educational tool used in schools and colleges. "We have found that investment in technology for education is not simply about buying more computers. It is about how they are used to teach, what content is provided, and how proficient the teachers are in using the technology. OnTarget is a unique, low-cost offering, which helps states plan for and make critical decisions about technology investments in education. These five states should be applauded for not only recognizing the critical role that technology must play in their schools, but also for taking a leading role to measure and assess progress and address the digital divide."

Teachers and administrators in these states now log on to a password-protected Web site to enter information about their district’s technology infrastructure, teacher technology knowledge/skills, support needs, student and teacher use of technology. Several states have also implemented the OnTarget Technology Planning module, which provides a comprehensive online environment to gather and report on state education technology plans.

The data gathered will help state and local educational administrators address Federal and state accountability requirements, such as the President’s "No Child Left Behind" initiative. Officials will use the data to more effectively plan technology resource allocation decisions.

In addition, all state-level data will be analyzed against other key metrics, such as the percentage of students that participate in subsidized meals programs. This analysis creates a clear picture of the statewide digital divide by determining which schools are technology "haves" and which are have-nots.

For more information on the OnTarget program visit http://www.ontargetus.com.

About AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc.

AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc. (www.aws.com) owns and operates the largest network of weather stations in the world. This real-time network gathers comprehensive, up-to-the-second weather information from more than 6,000 communities and powers the company’s various products and services, including: WeatherBug™, an online weather service that provides live neighborhood conditions to more than 17 million registered PC users and the number one source of online weather information, according to comScore Media Metrix; WeatherNet for Broadcast, which delivers real-time weather information to more than 80 million U.S. households through partnerships with 100 local television stations; WeatherNet for Education, which provides engaging weather information and educational tools to schools and colleges, including an innovative set of online lesson plans and software called WeatherNet Classroom; and AWS Data Services which uses AWS’ unique weather network and software to provide high-value solutions for vertical industries such as energy, retail, and transportation.