CliffsNotes® Gets Personal; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and BenchPrep Partner on Digital Learning Solutions for High School and College Students

BOSTON – Global learning company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) and BenchPrep, a digital learning platform company, today announced the availability of new personalized digital learning solutions for the iconic CliffsNotes® study guide series. Leveraging CliffsNotes’® trusted content and BenchPrep’s dynamic platform experience, HMH will now provide test preparation and subject review guides that offer interactive instruction, customized curriculum and progress management tools. These new features are built to deepen student engagement with the material, boost learner confidence and help improve outcomes.

Established in 1958, CliffsNotes® is the number one brand for literature notes, study guides and test prep materials. Averaging 4.5 million unique visitors per month, Cliffsnotes.com is one of the most popular digital study destinations for high school and college students, as well as a trusted educational resource for parents and educators.

Beginning with SAT® test prep offerings, the newest CliffsNotes® guides are subscription-based and include both web and mobile capabilities for flexible study experiences. The guides also provide a robust assessment engine, engaging games and insightful analytics that improve proficiency in core learning objectives. Designed for seamless integration within the digital learning ecosystem, the guides help students identify strengths and weaknesses, stay organized with a personalized study plan, and simulate the test-taking experience with interactive practice exams followed by actionable score reports.

“We are very proud of the CliffsNotes® brand – its history and ever-engaging content written for students by real educators, as well as its enduring reputation as the go-to study guide series,” said Bruce Nichols, SVP and Publisher, HMH Trade Publishing. “Now, we are thrilled to take our guides to the next level. BenchPrep shares HMH’s commitment to improving learning outcomes and its outstanding technology has allowed us to reach this new milestone for CliffsNotes®, as we increase digital capability and enhance personalization.”

Included in this initial release are interactive study guides for Algebra I and II, Anatomy and Physiology and Biology. Solutions for additional subjects and standardized tests will follow in 2017, making the personalized guides an integral part of the core CliffsNotes® experience and expanding the series’ footprint in the digital space, across all formats, devices and modalities.

“We are extremely excited to partner with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on this game-changing initiative. The CliffsNotes® digital learning solution will enable student success by delivering a compelling, personalized learning experience wrapped around best-in-class content,” says BenchPrep CEO and co-founder Ashish Rangnekar. ”With this partnership, we will redefine how millions of students engage with their favorite content.”

Additionally, the solution will leverage well-grounded instructional design principles and learning techniques developed by BenchPrep to improve engagement and learning outcomes. The underlying BenchPrep platform utilizes game mechanics, micro-learning modules and intuitive user interaction elements to deliver an engaging learning experience.

For additional information regarding subscription pricing, availability and special offers, please visit www.cliffsnotes.com.

About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (NASDAQ:HMHC) is a global learning company dedicated to changing people’s lives by fostering passionate, curious learners. As a leading provider of pre-K–12 education content, services, and cutting-edge technology solutions across a variety of media, HMH enables learning in a changing landscape. HMH is uniquely positioned to create engaging and effective educational content and experiences from early childhood to beyond the classroom.  HMH serves more than 50 million students in over 150 countries worldwide, while its award-winning children’s books, novels, non-fiction, and reference titles are enjoyed by readers throughout the world. For more information, visit www.hmhco.com.

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About BenchPrep

BenchPrep is an enterprise SaaS learning platform for education and training companies to create and deliver personalized digital learning programs across multiple devices including web, tablet and mobile. BenchPrep is helping millions of people all around the world learn better and faster by leveraging the power of technology, data science, usability engineering, and innovative instructional design models. The world’s leading education organizations, including ACT, Hobsons, McGraw Hill Education and HR Certification Institute, use BenchPrep to help learners improve outcomes.

For more information, visit https://benchprep.com.