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Pearson Educational Measurement Administers Online Testing for Michigan

PEM will coordinate MEAP online pilot test for grade 6 students

IOWA CITY, Iowa – July 19, 2005 – Pearson Educational Measurement (PEM) today announced that it has been selected to implement a pilot program of online testing for grade 6 English Language Arts and Social Studies tests administered as part of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP).

In October the pilot will involve approximately 2,800 sixth graders in each subject at 27 schools.  Participating schools anticipate testing all of their grade 6 students online in these two subjects.

The pilot will draw from some schools that have been provided with laptop computers as part of Michigan’s Freedom to Learn initiative.  The online tests will be administered as part of the company’s PEMSolutions™ (Pearson Educational Measurement Solutions) custom suite of assessment services to grade 6 students using the laptop computers that have been assigned to them.  At the end of the pilot, PEM will conduct a study to compare performance of online and paper administrations of the test. 

“We’re eager to begin moving some of our assessments online,” said Leslie Wilson of Ferris State University, which is working with the state at administering the pilot program. “Our students, teachers and parents will all benefit from the implementation of electronic testing. By providing quicker test results, teachers can adjust their focus to help struggling students earlier than usual.”

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to help Michigan plan for the transition to electronic testing,” said Douglas Kubach, president and CEO of Pearson Educational Measurement. “Our commitment to quality and innovation ensures that we have the leading online testing system specifically designed to support high-stakes assessments.”

About Pearson Educational Measurement

Pearson Educational Measurement, the largest comprehensive provider of educational assessment products, services and solutions, helps states and large school districts meet the requirements of education reform while using testing and assessment to promote learning.  As a pioneer, PEM has been a trusted partner in district, state and national assessments for more than 50 years.  

PEM’s full-service offerings for K-12 and other assessment organizations include PEMSolutions™ (Pearson Educational Measurement Solutions) for custom assessments, both online and on paper; PASeries™ (Progress Assessment Series) for formative assessments; Perspective™ for performance reporting; and a wide range of data warehousing and other educational assessment products and services. Pearson Educational Measurement operates as a business of Pearson Education, the world’s largest education company, which in turn is a part of Pearson (NYSE: PSO; LSE: PSON), the international media company. Pearson’s other primary operations include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.

For more information, visit the website at www.pearsonedmeasurement.com.

About PEMSolutions™

PEMSolutions (Pearson Educational Measurement Solutions) is a comprehensive suite of custom assessment services to meet the specific needs of states, large school districts and other assessment organizations. PEMSolutions provides the ability to create quality assessment instruments through Test & Measurement Services, deliver tests both on paper and online with its Assessment Network, score a full spectrum of test items with the Scoring Network, report test results to educators and parents quickly through Reporting Services, and analyze results through Research Services.

Pearson Educational Measurement provides its PEMSolutions services either individually or combined, supporting summative, formative, English language, alternative and other custom assessments. Schools benefit from flexibility in type or mode of testing and are able to test later while getting results back earlier. All PEMSolutions programs are enhanced by certified program management, world-class customer service and a highly responsive account team.