CLAMP-IT, which was reported on earlier at Moodlenews and put on the Hack/Doc fest which took place last week at Depauw University has released a beta version (for testing only) of their Moodle “plus LAE” (Liberal Arts Edition). This distro was created to specifically suit their partners and participants and focused on meeting the needs of small liberal arts colleges.
Check out the past versions (v.5 and v1.01) at http://www.clamp-it.org/code/.
The beta uses 1.9.9 as a base but has included a new Grader Report view (more info), Anonymous Forums, TinyMCE as the text editor (like in Moodle 2), and several other practical, usability-focused changes and enhancements. Above all it seems that the developers at CLAMP have a keen focus on creating simpler menus and screens to help their teachers focus on student grading and creating great course materials.
The beta 2 will be released this week and the final code later this July. Find more information about the project milestones and details at the official site: http://www.clamp-it.org/code/moodle-1-9-9lae-v1-1/.
Note that this “flavor” or distribution is not affiliated with Moodle.org and you should test/use only at your own risk.