These days, students have access to education by the click of a mouse, or in the case of Bellevue schools, at the convenience of a smartphone.

Education has gone even more high tech.

GlobalScholar, headquartered in Bellevue, has designed an unique online platform for the Bellevue School District – called Pinnacle Instruction – that bundles the district’s common curriculum into one, easy-to-access location, allowing educators, administrators, parents and students to stay up to speed with the day’s lesson plans.

Serving a student body of more than 17,300 students, the online platform allows the district’s curriculum development team to easily manage thousands of units and lesson plans across all grade levels and subject areas.

Global Scholar CEO Kal Raman began to develop the concept for Pinnacle Instruction when he first joined the company in October of 2006. Born and raised in India, Raman’s family lived on only $8 a month. He quickly discovered the importance of education and studied every chance he got.

“I am a big believer that education is salvation,” he said. “I wanted to build a company that focused on education and the future.”

He had the idea of creating a centralized online resource for administrators, teachers and students, by combining both data analytics and the school district’s curriculum. He began traveling to Washington, D.C., to research the education system and gain feedback from teachers and principals.

Three years and $15 million later, GlobalScholar was born.

“Bellevue is truly a forward thinking school district,” Raman explained. “All over the world, Bellevue is in the top 10 in their futuristic approach and looking to make a change in how education is delivered in 21st century.”

Pinnacle Instruction acts as an online support for the Bellevue School District as they develop, deliver, and assess instruction. In addition, it offers a standards-aligned content repository, making it easier for curriculum development teams and educators to organize and manage all aspects of instruction.

“We have a foundational belief that all students deserve a quality education,” said Kathee Terry, director of curriculum for Bellevue School District. “To this end, our curriculum team needs a flexible management system for the curriculum we have been developing and refining during the last 13 years. Pinnacle Instruction allows us to standardize the curriculum, ensuring educators districtwide have access to the same units and lessons, and students have similar learning experiences regardless of which school they attend.”

A range of grade levels in Bellevue schools are taking advantage of the online solution.

Elementary schools are using the assessment wizard and objectives manager for math instruction, allowing them to generate assessments and scan answers into the computer, automatically populating the gradebook, which saves data entry time.

High schoolers can check their grades on-the-go or access weekly class assignments by logging on using a computer or smartphone. Group collaboration is made easier by taking advantage of the online tools such as video chat and whiteboard.

“The online platform we provide is meant to be a support system – a means to an end,” Raman said. “We are focused on how to help teachers be more effective and help parents and students stay connected in their day-to-day progress.”

The Bellevue School District uses Pinnacle Grade, Pinnacle Insight and Pinnacle Internet Viewer. Each are seamlessly connected to Pinnacle Instruction, which means that educators, administrators and parents only need to access one solution, instead of a variety of platforms or tools, to find the information they need to make educational decisions.

“Under the direction of superintendent Dr. Amalia Cudeiro, Bellevue School District provides a phenomenal example of how district staff members can work together to offer every student the same quality education by ensuring the right curriculum is available to all stakeholders,” Raman explained. “They are truly preparing their students for higher education by working to close the achievement gap and to extend learning for students that have attained mastery.”

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425-453-4602.

To learn more about GlobalScholar, visit www.globalscholar.com.