CONTACT:
Ben Weintraub (212-675-8567)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Merit Software Introduces "Essential English Fitness" And "Picture Context Reader," The Latest Additions To Its Award-Winning Line Of Educational Software
New programs designed to help beginning English language learners master grammar and reading fundamentals

Website Link:
http://www.meritsoftware.com/software/essential_english_fitness/
http://www.meritsoftware.com/software/picture_context_reader/

New York, NY - Merit software has added Essential English Fitness and Picture Context Reader to its line of educational software for English language learners. These programs are designed to help High Beginning and Low Intermediate ELL students master grammar and reading fundamentals. The programs put English language learning in context with sentences and pictures that relate to everyday life situations.

The Essential English Fitness software teaches students to identify and correct errors in usage by reading and responding to common English sentences. The program covers subject-verb agreement, the past tense of irregular verbs, double negatives, and plural nouns. Picture Context Reader teaches students to read and respond to illustrated vocabulary questions posed in complete sentences. The illustrations and contextual clues in the text help students grasp unfamiliar vocabulary words.

The programs allow students to advance at their own pace, and context-sensitive feedback personalizes instruction as students work towards mastery of each grammar concept or vocabulary word. Merit Software is intuitive, easy to use, and requires minimal training. Merit's built-in teacher management system allows instructors to follow students' progress and intervene when a student is having trouble.

Essential English Fitness and Picture Context Reader are available in several configurations. A 1-Station version, which includes tracking for 42 students, is available for $179.00. A Home version, which holds records for two students, is available for $39.00. These two program are also bundled together in the 2007 ESL Beginning Skills Pack, which gives customers significant savings versus purchasing the programs separately. A 1-Station version of the Skills Pack is $289 and a Home version is $65. Network, multi-station, and site licenses are also offered.

ABOUT MERIT SOFTWARE:

Since 1983, Merit Software (www.meritsoftware.com) has been producing educational software that addresses the core competencies that students require to succeed. The emphasis is on strengthening students' ability to read, analyze data and communicate their ideas.

Merit Software's programs are known throughout the industry for providing context-sensitive tutorials for students and convenient record management features to aid teachers, tutors and parents.

Visit www.meritsoftware.com to examine the company's library of educational applications currently being used in thousands of educational facilities worldwide.

Merit's educational software has been the subject of rigorous, independent, scientific-based research. These studies have concluded that Merit's software provides an effective supplement to everyday instruction. Research findings are available on www.meritsoftware.com/research.

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