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K-2 Early Literacy Improvements Offer Hope, but Persistent Challenges Remain

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Middle-of-year data from Amplify shows that schools across the country have made some progress increasing the number of K-2 students on track for learning to read, but broader trends remain a concern

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Feb. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Amplify, a publisher of next-generation curriculum and assessment programs, today released a research brief on the latest K-2 middle-of-school-year literacy data. Findings reveal that while this year’s kindergarten cohort has returned to pre-pandemic literacy readiness levels, overall progress remains slow. Only 56 percent of students are on track for learning to read, and 29 percent of students are far behind.

“The return of our youngest students to pre-pandemic reading levels is encouraging—but that said, broad literacy trends in the United States are still concerning,” said Susan Lambert, chief academic officer, elementary humanities, at Amplify. “This is a moment to celebrate, but also a call to action: To prepare students for life-long success, we need all students exceeding pre-pandemic early reading levels. By regularly monitoring student progress via tools like middle-of-year data, educators can respond earlier when their students need support.”

The research brief outlines how middle-of-year data is uniquely positioned to help schools plan for instructional changes and implement those changes before the following school year.

Progress monitoring—identifying, supporting, and tracking outcomes—is one strategy schools can engage in when working with students who are the most at-risk for not learning to read. Using that data, they can provide differentiated support, developing foundational reading skills based on each student’s progress and proficiency.

Amplify encourages districts and schools to analyze middle-of-year data by school, grade, and classroom and create plans that:

Ensure all students receive quality instruction grounded in the Science of ReadingIdentify students that need additional support and develop a plan for addressing their needsAllocate resources for additional support and implement those plansRegularly monitor progress for students and make adjustments as needed

About Amplify
A pioneer in K–12 education since 2000, Amplify is leading the way in next-generation curriculum and assessment. Our core and supplemental programs in ELA, math and science engage all students in rigorous learning and inspire them to think deeply, creatively and for themselves. Our formative assessment products help teachers identify the targeted instruction students need to build a strong foundation in early reading and math. All of our programs and services provide educators with powerful tools that help them understand and respond to the needs of every student. Today, Amplify serves more than 15 million students in all 50 states and on six continents. For more information, visit Amplify.com.

Media Contact: Kristine Frech; media@amplify.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/k-2-early-literacy-improvements-offer-hope-but-persistent-challenges-remain-302386493.html

SOURCE Amplify

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Act Now: ez1095 Software Simplifies ACA Corrections with Built-In XML Import Feature

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ez1095 ACA software includes a powerful XML data import feature included in the e-file version to streamline correction and replacement form filing.

REDMOND, Wash., Apr. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — With ACA compliance deadlines approaching and penalties on the line, Halfpricesoft.com is urging employers and tax professionals to act quickly with the latest 2025 ez1095 software, now equipped with a built-in XML data import feature designed to simplify ACA correction and replacement form processing.

Don’t risk ACA penalties or last-minute filing stress. Get ahead of correction and replacement filing with ez1095. Download the software, leverage the built-in XML import feature, and ensure accurate, compliant ACA submissions, click here to get started now.

Developers at Halfpricesoft.com have enhanced ez1095 ACA (Affordable Care Act) software to include XML import functionality at no additional cost, allowing users to efficiently process corrections with greater speed and accuracy.

“ez1095 2025 software includes an XML data import feature to process correction and replacement forms more quickly and securely,” said Dr. Ge, Founder of Halfpricesoft.com.

This feature significantly reduces manual data entry and helps organizations manage ACA corrections with confidence. Businesses handling only a few corrections can choose to print paper forms with the “Corrected” box checked and submit by mail, while those needing to efile can follow step-by-step guidance here.

ez1095 supports all required ACA forms, including 1095-C, 1094-C, 1095-B, and 1094-B, and is IRS-approved to generate electronic filing documents for both current and prior tax years. By managing ACA filings in-house, organizations gain greater control, improved data security, and reduced processing costs.

The software also eliminates the need for pre-printed forms by allowing users to print both IRS and recipient copies on plain white paper. With robust import capabilities, including spreadsheets, XML files, and prior-year data, ez1095 ensures faster setup and streamlined processing.

Flexible Pricing Options:

$295 – Print & Mail Version

$495 – Federal Efile Version

$695 – State & Federal Efile Version

Each version supports unlimited companies, recipients, and ACA forms at no additional cost. Learn more

Key Features Include:

Built-in XML import for fast ACA correction processing

IRS-approved efile document generation

Support for original, correction, replacement, and test submissions

Print ACA forms (1095/1094 B & C) on plain white paper

Unlimited form processing for multiple companies

PDF generation for recipient distribution

No internet required to run the software

Easy step-by-step interface with built-in help resources

Efile direct, add-on feature available for those with no time or TCC code

Compatibility with Windows 11, 10, and 8

Don’t hesitate! Correct ACA forms today by visiting Halfpricesoft.com. Test drive the ez1095 for up to 30 days at no cost or obligation. Please note: Trial will appear on forms and efile feature is not enabled for test drive.

Halfpricesoft.com is a leading provider of small business software, including payroll, accounting, time tracking, and check printing solutions. Its product lineup includes W2, 1099, and 1095 form software, as well as ezACH direct deposit tools. Trusted by businesses for over two decades, Halfpricesoft.com helps streamline operations and simplify payroll and tax reporting.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/act-now-ez1095-software-simplifies-aca-corrections-with-built-in-xml-import-feature-302735658.html

SOURCE Halfpricesoft.com

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Code & Co. Opens New York Office

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Kirby Montgomery Appointed to Lead Local Team

BERLIN, LONDON and NEW YORK, April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Code & Co., the global AI & Technology Due Diligence firm, today announces the opening of its New York City office and the appointment of Kirby Montgomery as Head of North America.

The US has long been a core market for the firm, accounting for a significant share of its 800+ engagements to date. Kirby will lead the local expert team, backed by Code & Co.’s practice and proprietary AI and software platform.

An operator-first appointment with a decade of PE-adjacent experience

Kirby brings twenty years of experience scaling software products across fintech, payments, and healthtech. Most recently, he was Head of Product and GM at SAP Taulia, leading the 0-to-1 build of a new payments line. Earlier, as VP of Product Management at C2FO, he helped replatform a supply chain finance product generating over $130M in gross revenue and launched the C2FO API platform. As Director of International Product at TreviPay (then MSTS), he helped scale annual transactions to $5B and expand from 4 to 30 countries, ahead of its acquisition by Corsair Capital in 2020. He also co-founded TheraWe, acquired by Rethink First (a K1 Capital platform).

Code & Co. first met Kirby in 2020 during its Tech DD on MSTS for the Corsair transaction. Over the next six years, he worked alongside the firm in a senior advisory capacity, making a full-time move the obvious next step.

From Our Leadership Team

“We have been serving US clients for years, but having a strong team on the ground, in their timezone, changes what we can deliver. Faster access and the speed to insight that modern deal-making demands, backed by our global team with 800+ deals behind them.”
– Dan Bender, Founding Partner

“Most investors are asking harder questions about AI than ever before and need answers they can act on. That is what drew me to Code & Co. The team has spent a decade building the tools, methodology, and track record to give investors real conviction and real-world action plans. I am here to scale that further, on both the buy-side and sell-side, and everything in between.”
– Kirby Montgomery, Head of North America

What We Do

Code & Co. offers an end-to-end suite of AI & Technology DD services, purpose-built for the pace and demands of modern deal-making.

AI & Tech DD: Fast, actionable, data-driven buy-side assessments covering every major market, strategy, and sector, supporting funds from first look through the entire value creation lifecycle.Sell-side & Vendor DD: Helping sellers get ahead of buyer scrutiny with rigorous exit readiness assessments and vendor DD materials that hold up to sophisticated acquirers.Lightning DD: Rapid pre-qualification delivering a sharp first point of view, driven by document analysis, deep research, and web signal intelligence, before significant time or capital is committed to a process.Cyber & IT DD: Full-spectrum infrastructure, security posture, and IT operational risk review, relevant across virtually every deal type.Embedded Software & Hardware: In-house expertise across embedded systems, hardware-adjacent software, and Industry 4.0 and IIoT environments.AI Future Readiness: Cutting through AI hype to assess whether a company’s strategy, architecture, governance, team, and roadmap are genuinely defensible and built to scale.Portfolio Monitoring & Continuous Diligence: Ongoing technology and AI maturity tracking across portfolio companies, powered by Code & Co.’s proprietary software stack.

About Code & Co.

Code & Co. is a leading AI & Technology DD firm serving private equity and growth investors globally. Founded in 2016, the firm has completed 800+ engagements for 200+ funds across buy-side, sell-side, and vendor mandates. Every team member is an operator with hands-on experience in technology, product, and AI. www.codeandco.com

Full press release: https://www.codeandco.com/media/code-co-opens-new-york-office

For inquiries: hello@codeandco.com

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/code–co-opens-new-york-office-302747121.html

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Fastmarkets and Expana form strategic partnership to strengthen forest products market intelligence

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LONDON, April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fastmarkets and Expana, global leaders in commodity price reporting and market intelligence, today announced a strategic partnership to deliver deeper, more actionable forest products intelligence to customers.

Under the partnership, Fastmarkets’ trusted forest products price benchmarks will be integrated directly into the Expana platform, giving customers streamlined access to essential upstream pricing alongside downstream market insights. The collaboration is designed to support faster, more confident decision‑making across increasingly complex and volatile forest products markets.

By combining Fastmarkets’ authoritative, IOSCO‑compliant price assessments with Expana’s downstream intelligence and analytics, customers can access critical pricing for key forest product categories – including pallets, wood, recovered paper and packaging – within a single workflow.

“As forest products markets become more volatile and margin pressure increases, customers need trusted price benchmarks embedded alongside downstream intelligence,” said Raju Daswani, CEO at Fastmarkets. “Partnering with Expana allows us to deliver that combination in a way that is practical, decision‑ready and directly aligned with how Expana’s agri-food customers operate.”

Fastmarkets delivers some of the most widely relied-upon forest products price assessments globally, spanning pulp, recovered paper, timber, biomass, wood products, pallets, tissue, nonwovens and graphic paper. These benchmarks provide transparency and confidence to buyers, sellers and traders navigating dynamic market conditions.

“At Expana, we are committed to providing our users with comprehensive, reliable data to support smarter decision-making,” said Julie Harris, CEO at Expana “Fastmarkets’ authoritative forest products price benchmarks are a natural fit for our customers, and this partnership represents a meaningful step forward in expanding the insights available on our platform,” she added.

Expana delivers comprehensive market intelligence and analytics across food, beverage and FMCG supply chains, with deep expertise in packaging materials, industrial inputs and cost modeling. The platform’s advanced analytics and forecasting tools help customers understand cross-commodity relationships and supply chain impacts, enabling more strategic procurement decisions across volatile markets.

The partnership reflects a shared commitment by Fastmarkets and Expana to improving market transparency and equipping customers across the value chain with high‑quality, decision‑critical intelligence.

For more information, contact media@fastmarkets.com or visit www.fastmarkets.com.

ABOUT FASTMARKETS

Fastmarkets is an industry-leading PRA and information provider for the agriculture, forest products, metals, carbon and energy transition markets. Its benchmark prices, analytics, forecasts, and insights are critical to customers seeking to trade, manage risk, and understand complex global markets.

Fastmarkets was founded in 1913, with a heritage dating back to 1865 through several of its acquired brands. Fastmarkets employs more than 700 people worldwide, with offices across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. The company is privately held and backed by Astorg, a leading European private equity firm.

ABOUT EXPANA

Expana is the world’s leading agrifood-focused Price Reporting Agency and global information provider. In markets defined by volatility, opacity and risk, Expana equips businesses with the foresight when to buy or sell, how much, where to source, what to reformulate and how to price. By uniting frequently updated pricing data, predictive forecasts, cost modeling and expert analysis, Expana transforms market data into negotiation power and boardroom-ready intelligence. The result: reduced risk, millions saved in COGS, stronger supply resilience, and faster, more confident growth.

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/fastmarkets-and-expana-form-strategic-partnership-to-strengthen-forest-products-market-intelligence-302747342.html

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