ORLANDO — Jan. 30, 2013 – Improving student performance to ensure that all students graduate prepared for success in college and career is mission critical for today’s schools. Today at FETC 2013, Pearson announced the new aimsweb, the next generation of the powerful system that integrates assessment, data management and reporting and provides decision-making tools for achieving this important goal. Available fall 2013, the new aimsweb is student-centric, intuitive, data-driven and dynamic.

Designed for universal screening and progress monitoring, aimsweb supports Response to Intervention and tiered instruction. The new aimsweb features the brief, predictive, accurate assessments educators have come to rely on—with the power of a brand new user interface. In addition to a completely new look and feel, the new aimsweb puts the information teachers and administrators need at their fingertips and provides data-based guidance and feedback for interpreting that data. Alerts easily identify appropriate actions; the most important screens and information are available with a simple hover or a click; and reports are rich, clear and dynamic, answering questions about goals and student growth.

“Fundamental to keeping all students on track for graduation and success in college and career is having access to a constant measure of their progress so that teachers can intervene before they lag behind — not after,” said Julie Page, Director of aimsweb Products and Services. “The new aimsweb revolutionizes this process by putting data and tools for continuous measurement and monitoring of performance right at teachers’ fingertips in an easy-to-use, intuitive interface that they can access from their desktop, laptop or iPad.”

At the foundation of aimsweb is general outcome measurement, a form of curriculum-based measurement, used for universal screening and progress monitoring. This form of brief assessment measures overall performance of key foundational skills at each grade level and draws upon more than 30 years of scientific research that demonstrates both its versatility to provide accurate prediction of reading and math achievement as well as its sensitivity to growth. This data is delivered through a brand new, state-of-the-art interface, featuring dynamic and interactive screens, and hovers that allow teachers to quickly access more information about a student or task.

Assessments in aimsweb are:

    •  Brief: most assessments take 1–4 minutes to complete
    •  Predictive: provide accurate predictions of reading and math achievement
    •  Sensitive to improvement: an increase in ability will be reflected in rising scores on the measure – ideal        for showing growth
    •  Easy to administer and score
    •  Valid measures of skills that are central to the domain being measured (reading, math, language arts)
    •  Standardized and reliable: produce consistent results across time or testing conditions
    •  Suitable with any curriculum or standards, including the Common Core State Standards

aimsweb provides instructional recommendations for a variety of Pearson curriculum products to help target effective instruction after assessments are given, such as Reading Street and My Sidewalks, enVisionMATH and focusMATH, Prentice Hall Literature and Mathematics, SuccessMaker Mathematics, digits^®, KeyMath-3 Essential Resources; and Cornerstone, Keystone and Language Central for English Language Learners (ELL).

More information about the new aimsweb is available at www.aimsweb.com.

About Pearson

Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, has global reach and market-leading businesses in education, business information and consumer publishing (NYSE: PSO). For more information, visit www.pearsonassessments.com, or www.pearsoned.com.

For more information:  Adam Gaber, Pearson, (800) 745-8489/ adam.gaber@pearson.com / @apgaber (twitter)

###

SAN DIEGO – June 25, 2012 – Today at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 2012 Conference, Pearson will give attendees a first look at the next generation of aimsweb®, its powerful web-based universal screening, progress monitoring and data management system that supports Response to Intervention (RTI) and tiered instruction. Launching in fall 2013, the new aimsweb is student-centric, intuitive, data-driven and dynamic.

Designed specifically to universally screen and monitor student progress, aimsweb uses brief, valid and reliable General Outcome Measures of reading and math performance for grades K-12 that can be used with any curriculum. Teachers monitor the progress of students over time, determine the effectiveness of their instruction and interventions, and manage student assessment data – all through one seamless online system.

“Educators have used aimsweb to monitor student growth and identify appropriate interventions that have helped millions of students around the country get back on the path to academic success,” said Carol Watson, president, Pearson’s Clinical Assessment business. “Feedback from these educators was central to the development of the new aimsweb. We conducted in-depth research with teachers and administrators and, based on their input, the new aimsweb offers the
same strong support for universal screening, progress monitoring and data management, with a completely new interface that will make using the system an even easier and more effective experience.”

In the new aimsweb, data are organized around students, including a dashboard and alerts that easily identify appropriate actions. The most important screens and information are at teachers’ fingertips. The new aimsweb is also streamlined through a state-of-the-art interface. It operates easily like the websites and other technology that teachers use on a daily basis. Reports are rich, clear and dynamic, answering questions about goals and student growth.

Attendees of this year’s ISTE conference can stop by the Pearson booth, 3513, to learn more about the new aimsweb, including in-booth presentations, demos and informational handouts.

To learn more about aimsweb, visit www.aimsweb.com.

About Pearson
Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, has global reach and market-leading businesses in education, business information and consumer publishing (NYSE: PSO). For more information, visit www.pearsonassessments.com.

For more information:
Adam Gaber, Pearson, 800-745-8489 / adam.gaber@pearson.com / @apgaber (twitter)

ATLANTA – May 29, 2012 – At Charles R. Drew Charter School in urban Atlanta,
teachers hit the ground running on the first day of each school year, addressing
gaps uncovered in data from the previous school year, using aimsweb® – Pearson’s
web-based assessment and data-management system. By the fall benchmark,
they’re seeing a significant payoff: The majority of their students are already
caught up and prepared for the learning challenges of the upcoming school year.
Three years ago, school leaders adopted aimsweb after a search for an easy and
effective way to access data to make instructional decisions, to see which students
needed interventions and where, and to monitor progress. Designed for students in
kindergarten through eighth grade, aimsweb provides multiple assessments to
universally screen and progress monitor basic academic skills in reading, writing
and math.

“aimsweb is really efficient,” said Drew Charter School first-grade teacher Alicia
Pagan, whose class is primarily made up of students who are in need of
intervention. “We’re not wasting time – not ours and not the children’s – that could
be spent on learning.”

Throughout the school year, she monitors her students’ progress, adding and
subtracting interventions in response to frequent, brief aimsweb assessments. By
the end of the year, typically 90 percent of her students have reached proficiency.
Now in its eleventh year, Drew Charter School was Atlanta’s first charter school and
serves nearly 900 students, 97 percent of whom are African American. In the face
of a socioeconomically struggling community – 83 percent qualify for free or
reduced lunch – students are outpacing their peers across the state. Last August,
the school was awarded Race to the Top funding to create one of Georgia’s first
STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) schools.

Nicole Tuttle, Drew Charter School literacy coach, attributes the school’s success to
the focus on personalized learning for each student. At the center of this effort is a
Response to Intervention (RTI) initiative that addresses the needs of students who
have barriers to learning. “I believe aimsweb is the key piece,” she said. “We have
a common language around data, across grade levels, and it’s efficient. And we can
pull numerous helpful reports, even comparing our data with national norms.”

“Drew Charter School’s experience illustrates the success that schools across the
country realize when they use aimsweb to create personal learning paths for their
students,” said Carol Watson, president, Pearson’s Clinical Assessment business.
“When teachers have the data showing exactly how students are progressing right
at their fingertips, they are able to make the most of every minute of the school
day to ensure that all students are on the path to success in school, college and
career.”

Tuttle has witnessed a transformation in managing assessment data since the
aimsweb implementation, she said. “All of our teachers own the data now, so
they’re fully aware of what’s going on with each student,” she explained. “They
generate reports and talk in data terms now – it’s not just, ‘This child is not doing
well.’ They know exactly where the deficits and gains are.”

For parents of students undergoing weekly progress monitoring, teachers provide
monthly reports detailing progress, as well as ways to reinforce learning at home.
“I can show them exactly where their child needs to improve to be successful,” said
Pagan. “It’s always gratifying when they tell me that they’re seeing progress –
when I hear, ‘She was just sounding out letters, but now she can read a book to
me.’”

For more information about aimsweb, go to http://www.aimsweb.com.

About Pearson
Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, has global reach and market leading
businesses in education, business information and consumer publishing
(NYSE: PSO). For more information, visit www.pearsonassessments.com.

For more information:
Adam Gaber, Pearson, 800-745-8489 / adam.gaber@pearson.com / @apgaber (twitter)

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Nov. 10, 2011 - Pearson announced today that it is adding Lexile ® measures to aimsweb ®, the company’s universal screening, progress monitoring and data management system that serves as a framework for Response to Intervention (RTI). The company collaborated with MetaMetrics ®, developer ofThe Lexile Framework for Reading, to add Lexile measures to select aimsweb benchmark reports.

The Lexile Framework accurately matches readers with books and instructional resources by measuring both reading ability and text complexity on the same developmental scale. Unlike other systems, the Lexile Framework evaluates reading ability based on actual assessments, rather than generalized age or grade levels. The Lexile Framework is based on more than 20 years of research funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Its distinct approach to measuring readers and texts has resulted in adoptions by departments of education in nearly half the states and school districts in all 50 states.

With this latest enhancement, select aimsweb reading reports now provide a Lexile measure that is also a direct hyperlink to MetaMetrics’ free “Find a Book” search tool. Users can then search through a specific list of fiction and nonfiction titles that match each student’s unique reading ability and interests.

“Part of the power of an RTI assessment tool is its ability to connect learners with appropriate resources,” said Carol Watson, president, Pearson’s Clinical Assessment business. The addition of Lexile measures to aimsweb reports will allow teachers to more effectively target reading instruction for students, putting them on the path to build the skills necessary for success in school, college and careers.”

“By using Lexile measures from aimsweb reports, districts and schools will be better able to implement an effective RTI framework that prepares students for the next grade and, ultimately, their postsecondary academic and professional pursuits,” added MetaMetrics President and co-founder Malbert Smith III, Ph.D.

The aimsweb research team worked closely with MetaMetrics to link aimsweb Reading-CBM and Maze scores with Lexile measures through a national study conducted in May 2011.

To learn more about Lexile reporting for aimsweb and view sample reports, visit http://www.aimsweb.com/lexiles.

About MetaMetrics

MetaMetrics is focused on improving education for learners of all ages and ability levels. The organization develops scientific measures of academic achievement and complementary technologies that link assessment results with real-world instruction. MetaMetrics’ products and services for reading (The Lexile ® Framework for Reading, El Sistema Lexile para Leer), mathematics (The Quantile ® Framework for Mathematics), and writing (The Lexile Framework for Writing) provide unique insights about academic ability and the potential for growth, enabling individuals to achieve their goals at every stage of development. Connect with the organization atwww.MetaMetricsInc.com andhttp://blog.lexile.com.

About Pearson

Pearson (NYSE: PSO), the global leader in education services, education technology and school solutions, provides innovative print and digital education materials for preK through college, student information systems and learning management systems, teacher professional development, career certification programs, and testing and assessment products that set the standard for the industry. Pearson’s other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group. For more information, go towww.pearsonassessments.com.

For more information:

Adam Gaber, Pearson
800-745-8489 /adam.gaber@pearson.com / @apgaber (twitter)

Eric Zurowski, MetaMetrics
919-547-3453 /ezurowski@lexile.com

BLOOMINGTON, July 11, 2011—More than 200,000 students in Southern Nevada will benefit in 217 elementary schools and 59 middle schools from access to aimsweb ® — Pearson’s powerful web-based assessment and data-management system that enables teachers and administrators to assess and monitor their student’s progress, address deficiencies, and recheck learning results quickly and frequently.   Pearson has entered into an updated, multi-year contract with the Clark County School District (CCSD) and expands the use of the award-winning benchmarking and progress monitoring tool.

Schools throughout CCSD have been using aimsweb for more than a decade and the move to expand access to all of its young learners is based on the success of its implementation at schools such as Helen M. Smith Elementary School. After four years of using aimsweb to support CCSD’s Response to Instruction (RTI) initiative, this ethnically diverse, Title I school with a growing free/reduced lunch population was recently one of just two in Nevada and one of a select group across the nation to earn the coveted Blue Ribbon National School designation from the U.S. Department of Education. School and CCSD leaders attribute part of the credit for this success to the successful way Helen M. Smith Elementary School teachers use aimsweb .

CCSD’s expanded contract is for an aimsweb Pro Complete subscription which includes Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) testing materials — quick, accurate, valid and reliable assessments of basic academic skills for universal screening and progress monitoring — in all of the academic content areas offered within aimsweb such as early literacy, reading, language arts (spelling and writing), early numeracy and math. The contract also includes access to aimsweb ‘s robust, web-based data management and reporting system, web-based scoring tools, and aimsweb training and professional development services.

The aimsweb web-based scoring tools will enable teachers to score select reading and math assessments on almost any web-enabled device with a supported browser, such as an iPad ®, PC, or laptop. Reports are instantly available as performance scores are automatically uploaded into the system.

To prepare to use the online solution, CCSD teachers will have access to a variety of aimsweb training opportunities in a variety of formats, including private on-site training, public workshops and web-based offerings for groups and individuals. Training and consultation services are conducted by Pearson’s dedicated aimsweb training team of experienced Certified aimsweb ® Trainers (CATs) as well as CCSD’s Student Support Services Division’s Facilitators.

“The Clark County School District is making an important investment in its students’ futures by expanding the use of aimsweb to nearly 200,000 learners over the next five years,” said Carol Watson, president, Pearson’s Clinical Assessment, North America. “We look forward to continuing our close work with education leaders from throughout the district as they leverage the power of our online tool to accelerate academic success for their students.”

To learn more about aimsweb , visit www.aimsweb.com or call (866) 313-6194.

About Pearson

Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, has global reach and market-leading businesses in education, business information and consumer publishing (NYSE: PSO). For more information about the Assessment & Information group of Pearson, visit http://www.pearsonassessments.com/.

For more information, press only:

Adam Gaber, Pearson
800-745-8489, adam.gaber@pearson.com, @Apgaber (twitter)

Lisa Wolfe, L. Wolfe Communications
773-227-1049, lwolfe@lwolfe.com