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NCS Pearson Awarded Contract to Provide Testing Services in Iowa

Technical and Professional Services Support New Standardized Testing Program

Eden Prairie, Minn. - January 24, 2002 - NCS Pearson, the nation's largest commercial processor of student assessment tests and a leading employer in Iowa, today announced it was awarded a contract by the Iowa Association of Area Education Agencies (AEAs) to provide processing services for the Iowa Collaborative Assessment Modules (ICAM).

The Iowa Collaborative Assessment Modules are standards-referenced assessments in mathematics and reading. The ICAM, which have been developed by the Iowa Association of Area Education Agencies, can be used by Iowa school districts to meet state requirements for measuring student achievement in grades 4, 8, and 11. Participating districts may elect to administer the various assessment modules and use the results, together with their other assessment tools, to make judgments regarding students' progress towards attainment of reading and mathematics content standards.

"We are pleased that the Iowa Association of Area Education Agencies selected NCS Pearson to provide assessment services for this new testing program," said Gary Mainor, head of NCS Pearson Assessments & Testing North America. "It is a privilege to work with Iowa educators and to provide services to students in a state that is so important to our company."

NCS Pearson will provide a variety of data processing services, including scanning completed test documents, conducting data analyses, and designing and producing score reports. Work for this contract will be conducted at the company's Iowa City and Cedar Rapids facilities, which employ over 1,400 people who support a wide array of assessment and data management contracts.

"The Iowa Collaborative Assessment Modules were developed through the collaborative efforts of Iowa school districts and teachers, the Iowa Association of AEAs, and the Iowa Department of Education to meet the needs of local school districts for multiple measures in mathematics and reading. We are pleased to have NCS Pearson as a partner in the scoring and reporting of the results from these assessments." William J. Garner, Administrator AEA 5 and Treasurer of the Iowa Association of AEAs.

About NCS Pearson

NCS Pearson is a global provider of applications, services and technologies for education, testing, assessment, government and complex data management. The company is based in Eden Prairie, Minn., and has more then 5,500 employees worldwide. NCS Pearson operates as a business of Pearson Education, the world's largest integrated education company, which in turn is part of Pearson plc, the international media and education company.