Upper Saddle River, NJ – October 19, 2006 – Students with learning disabilities – approximately five percent of all students – can improve academic performance through the use of “talking” textbooks. Text-to-speech highlighting has been shown to elevate reading levels by two years, and to improve reading comprehension by seven percent.*

To help students continue to excel, Pearson Prentice Hall has added Texthelp’s Lexiflow “talking Flash” technology to its interactive Focus on Science eBooks for the California middle grades science adoption.

Students view an exact representation of the original textbook with additional highlighted text-to-speech (the text that’s read aloud is highlighted as it’s being read). Support tools include translation capabilities, a dictionary, a calculator, and zoom and pan features. Lexiflow meets a wide variety of learner needs for a variety of learning populations, including Low Vision, Dyslexia, Learning Disabilities, English Learners and At-Risk readers.

The Pearson Prentice Hall Focus on Science series, authored by National Science Teachers Association President Michael Padilla, is a comprehensive, basal program designed for grades 6-8 to meet California requirements. Aligned with the California Science Content Standards, the program emphasizes the development of content knowledge in addition to science inquiry skills.

“In the NCLB era, states are struggling to meet federal requirements on academic proficiency for students with disabilities,” said Rick Culp, president, Pearson Prentice Hall. “This partnership will help all California students acquire scientific knowledge that matches the state’s high educational standards.”

“Lexiflow represents a paradigm shift in thinking about delivery of assistive technology to the desktop,” said Mark McCusker, CEO of Texthelp Systems, Inc. “It has the potential to deliver significant educational benefits in a very cost efficient manner.”

About Pearson Education

Pearson Prentice Hall is the nation's leading educational publisher of scientifically researched and standards-based instructional materials for today's 6-12th grade classroom. Pearson Education (www.pearsoned.com), the global leader in educational publishing, provides scientifically research-based print and digital programs to help students of all ages learn at their own pace, in their own way. The company is home to such renowned publishing brands as Pearson Scott Foresman, Pearson Early Learning, Pearson Learning Group, Pearson Digital Learning, and the Family Education Network. Pearson Education is part of Pearson (NYSE: PSO), the international media company. In addition to Pearson Education, Pearson's primary operations include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.

About Texthelp

Texthelp Systems Inc., based in Boston, is an educational software company specializing in the design of assistive technology to help individuals improve their reading and writing abilities. The company has developed a range of awarding winning software products which are marketed worldwide.

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*Journal of Special Education Technology. Alissa A. Lange, Queen’s University, Belfast, UK February 2006. "Assistive software tools for secondary-level students with literacy difficulties"

Contact:

Rod Granger
Pearson Education
212-782-3486
rod.granger@pearsoned.com