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Pearson Educational Measurement, Ballard & Tighe To Offer ELL Testing Solution

IPT® Test to Meet NCLB and Title III Requirements

IOWA CITY, Iowa, Oct. 6, 2004 – Pearson Educational Measurement, the leading provider of educational assessment services, and Ballard & Tighe, pioneering publisher of educational assessment and instructional materials, today announced they will provide states with a K-12 testing, scoring and reporting solution for English Language Learners (ELL).

Ballard & Tighe will offer and support the IPT (formerly IPT 2005), a newly created testing system developed specifically to meet No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and Title III requirements. Pearson Educational Measurement, as a leader with extensive experience in understanding and delivering standards based testing and expertise in program management, will manage all aspects of statewide distribution, delivery, scoring and reporting.

“Meeting the requirements of NCLB is far more complex than simply purchasing a reliable test,” said Douglas Kubach, president and CEO, Pearson Educational Measurement. “States must also be equipped with a system that can offer the capability of large-scale delivery, training of test examiners, and methods of scoring and reporting the test results on both a small and large scale. States can be confident that when they purchase the IPT/PEM Title III Testing Solution they will get a full-service testing solution,” added Kubach.

NCLB legislation requires that each state must establish English language proficiency standards, and then test ELL students annually using a proficiency test aligned to those standards. Tests must reliably and consistently assess students’ mastery of English listening, speaking, reading, writing and comprehension skills. Each state is also required to demonstrate and report student progress toward English language proficiency annually.

“Today, many states are faced with the question of how to achieve full compliance with all aspects of NCLB requirements. This complete testing, scoring and reporting package can provide the answer,” said Dr. Roberta Stathis, Ballard & Tighe’s president.

Available in time for the 2005-06 school year, the IPT/PEM Title III Testing Solution will deliver a comprehensive solution to all NCLB Title III requirements – consistently and cost effectively. The Pearson and Ballard & Tighe team has worked together to assure that each state will receive the combination of a world-class test, high-quality service, and ease of scoring and reporting.

“For states receiving custom items from consortia development, but still needing to assemble the resources for comprehensive testing, scoring and reporting, the IPT/PEM offering can also be valuable,” noted Dr. Stathis. “If states prefer, they can contract for the IPT/PEM Title III Testing Solution and, after a dedicated field test, their custom consortia items can be layered into the IPT testing system to provide a total customized testing solution for the state.”

About Pearson Educational Measurement
Pearson Educational Measurement is the largest full-service provider of large-scale assessment services in the U.S., providing comprehensive assessment services and products to local and state education agencies as well as other assessment organizations and the federal government. Pearson Educational Measurement understands how assessment activities promote learning and benefit students, teachers, parents, and schools. It is helping the largest states in the nation to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind educational reform act, including mandated summative assessments, formative assessments, English language assessments, alternative assessments, online testing, data warehousing and data analysis and reporting 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.

About Ballard & Tighe
Dedicated to making a difference in education, Ballard & Tighe has provided valid and reliable English proficiency assessments for over 25 years. The company has provided high quality testing, instructional and training products and services to more than 2,200 state, regional, and local school systems in more than 30 states and internationally. For more information, visit Ballard & Tighe’s special NCLB-related web site at www.nclb.ballard-tighe.com.

Contact:
David Hakensen
Pearson Education
(952) 681-3040

Anne-Marie Snow
Ballard & Tighe
(310) 559-4955 x104