ATLANTA and HADLEY, Mass. - March 25, 2008—The Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC) announced today the launch of a new assessment that will certify state educators in computer skill competency. Developed by Pearson's teacher licensure testing group, the new Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators® (GACE®) Computer Skill Competency Assessment is being delivered via Internet-based testing.

The Computer Skill Competency Assessment was developed to help teachers meet the Georgia State Legislature's requirement that all public school teachers in the state demonstrate computer skill competency. To meet the requirement of the legislation, the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson, in cooperation with the Georgia PSC, designed an Internet-based assessment to be administered to registered sites within school districts, Regional Educational Service Agencies, Educational Technology Training Centers, and if needed, in every Georgia school.

"Our state recognizes that today's high-quality teachers must have the skills to integrate technology into instruction," said Kelly Henson, executive secretary, Georgia PSC. "We worked with the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson to develop and deliver the new GACE Computer Skill Competency Assessment to offer teachers a way to meet this requirement."

The Evaluation Systems group of Pearson developed and manages Georgia's overall teacher certification testing program for assessing the knowledge and skills of prospective public school educators. Last fall, Georgia PSC and Pearson launched the state's first Internet-based test, the GACE Paraprofessional Assessment.

"The Georgia PSC has long been a national leader in high-quality, innovative teacher certification," said William Gorth, Ph.D., president of the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson. "We are pleased to have worked with Mr. Henson and the Commission to develop and manage this new computer skills competency teacher certification examination and deliver it across all Georgia education institutions via Internet-based testing."

For more information about the new GACE Computer Skills Competency Assessment and other Georgia teacher certification exams, visit www.gace.nesinc.com. For more information about the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson, visit www.nesinc.com.

About Pearson

Pearson is the global leader in educational publishing, assessment, information and services, helping people of all ages to learn at their own pace, in their own way. For students preK-12, Pearson provides effective and innovative curriculum products in all available media, educational assessment and measurement for students and teachers, student information systems, and teacher professional development and certification programs. The company's respected brands include Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, AGS, PowerSchool, SuccessMaker, TeacherVision and many others. Pearson's comprehensive offerings help inform targeted instruction and intervention so that success is within reach of every student. Pearson's other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.

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