IOWA CITY, Iowa, November 7, 2003 – Pearson Educational Measurement today said that more than 125,000 high-stakes tests and 280,000 online reports were delivered successfully via its eMeasurement™ Services online test delivery and reporting system for the spring and summer administrations of the Virginia Standards of Learning web-based assessments program. Now entering its second full assessment year in Virginia, eMeasurement Services continues to set the standard for high-stakes, large-scale electronic testing.

"Virginia is a national leader in exploring how technology can enhance assessment," said Gary Mainor, president, state assessments, Pearson Educational Measurement. "The state was among to first to recognize that web-based testing could transform the entire testing process by eliminating all paper handling, increasing the security of test content and student data, and speeding the turnaround time needed to receive student results. As the leading provider of high-stakes online testing services to the K-12 market, Pearson Educational Measurement is extremely pleased to be providing this reliable and efficient service to Virginia students," Mainor said.

"Our experience with implementing online testing continues to be extremely positive, said Sarah Susbury, Manager of Technology Services at the Virginia Department of Education. "Nearly 75% of our school divisions have tried it at one or more of their high schools, and we’re very pleased that all divisions have come back asking to do more tests online. Keys to our successful implementation continue to be our agency’s close partnership with Pearson and the understanding that such an extensive project requires the collaboration of both assessment and technology specialists at the state and local levels."

"Because the results of the Virginia tests can directly affect student advancement, it’s absolutely critical to protect the integrity of test items and student data," added Wayne Ostler, Director of Electronic Testing at Pearson Educational Measurement. "To meet the strict security requirements of Virginia’s high-stakes assessments, our eMeasurement Services solution incorporated a full range of security features, from network security to content encryption to desktop security. eMeasurement Services established the benchmark for the secure delivery of tests and reports."

eMeasurement Services is Pearson Educational Measurement’s comprehensive suite of test delivery and reporting systems and services for secure delivery of tests and reports via the Internet. For more information, go to www.pearsonedmeasurement.com.

Pearson Educational Measurement, based in Iowa City, is the nation’s largest commercial processor of K-12 student assessment tests. The company operates as a business of Pearson Education, the world’s largest integrated 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.

©1997 - 2003 Association of Test Publishers