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Scott Foresman Math Program for Tennessee Aligns with What Works Clearinghouse Research Criteria

Pearson Education Leads K-12 Scientific Research with Multi-Method Studies Goes Beyond WWC Requirements

Upper Saddle River, NJ, March 7, 2005. A series of independent randomized controlled trials examining the efficacy of the Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics K-6 ©2005 programs are among the 21 independent scientific research studies commissioned by leading education publisher Pearson Education. Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics K-6 ©2005 has been approved by the Tennessee State Board of Education for the textbook adoption currently underway. Approved programs must meet Tennessee state standards and document evidence from scientific studies that meet research standards recently set forth by the U.S. Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse (WWC).

"With NCLB requirements looming large for school districts, we realize how critical it is that our research methodology meets the criteria of the WWC," said Pearson Scott Foresman President Paul McFall. "Although none of the publishers' K-6 math programs currently being offered for the Tennessee adoption has as yet been evaluated by the WWC, Scott Foresman is working with the WWC to be sure that our research approach matches up with its criteria in every area."

McFall said a WWC report issued in the latter part of 2004 (and recently published in the Daily Tennessean) rating middle grade math programs caused a stir in the education community. The controversy centered around the older math textbooks that WWC included in their research evaluation. McFall said this caused confusion in districts across the country, since most middle schools had been using more recent math textbooks supported by the latest techniques in multi-method research. Scott Foresman has been working with the WWC to ensure that the proper and current programs are considered. Results from the Scott Foresman randomized controlled trial studies will be submitted to the WWC in July 2005.

McFall said that Pearson was extending criteria for its research beyond WWC requirements with its multi-method research approach. He noted that the company has conducted benchmark item-alignment studies on the Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics K-6 ©2005 series, adding "We are convinced that these are really important studies that add an important 'value-added' component to our programs above and beyond what is expected."

To provide evidence of the efficacy of the Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics K-6 ©2005 series, Pearson Scott Foresman has consulted with an independent research company. The three-year efficacy study has been designed to meet the highest standards of the WWC, results from year one of this study will be available in July 2005.

As part of a rigorous research agenda, Pearson Education conducts multi-method research studies to support the efficacy of its products. In addition to the independent randomized controlled trials currently underway, Pearson Education offers a comprehensive body of research that includes formative and summative study results that track the yearly progress of program users vs. non-program users. These studies also include independent, quasi-experimental national effect-size studies. Formative research is central to the product development process and includes needs assessments, field-testing, and systematic evaluation of pre-publication product by well-respected authors, researchers, and educators. Pearson Education's blended approach to research provides a large and diversified body of data to support the effectiveness of its programs.

About Pearson Scott Foresman
Pearson Scott Foresman is the world's leading elementary educational publisher of research-based instructional materials, assessment tools, digital media, and professional development. Pearson Scott Foresman's programs include: reading, mathematics, science, social studies, music, art, ESL/ELL, bilingual, language arts, and Pre-K. Pearson Scott Foresman is part of the Pearson School Companies which reach 35 million students with textbooks and workbooks each year and reach all 53 million students in the U.S.'s 110,000 schools with at least one of its products.

About Pearson Education
Educating 100 million people worldwide, Pearson Education is the global leader in educational publishing. With brands such as Pearson Scott Foresman, Pearson Prentice Hall, Pearson Learning Group, Pearson Digital Learning, Pearson Longman, Pearson Addison-Wesley, Pearson Allyn & Bacon, Pearson Benjamin Cummings, and others, Pearson Education provides quality content, assessment tools and educational services in all available media, spanning the learning curve from birth through college and beyond. Pearson Education is part of Pearson (NYSE: PSO), the international media company. Pearson's businesses also include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.

About What Works Clearinghouse
The What Works Clearinghouse was established in 2002 by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences to provide educators, policymakers, researchers, and the public with a central and trusted source of scientific evidence of what works in education. The Clearinghouse is administered by the U.S. Department of Education through a contract to a joint venture of the American Institutes for Research and the Campbell Collaboration.

Contact:
Kate Miller
212.782.3483
kate.miller@pearsoned.com