CTB/McGraw-Hill Wins Arizona Assessment Contract

CTB/McGraw-Hill, the nation's leading provider of K-12 and adult education assessment solutions, today announced a new five-year $44.7 million contract with the Arizona Department of Education to develop and implement the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards/Dual-Purpose Assessment (AIMS/DPA) from 2004-2009.

This innovative, customized program could serve as a model for other states. It combines norm-referenced components and standards-based components into a single assessment, and serves as the new assessment in Arizona for Reading/Language Arts, Writing, and Mathematics for grades 3-8.

The No Child Left Behind law requires states to administer reading and math assessments for grades 3-8 by the 2005-2006 school year. The new program supports Arizona's teachers and students in meeting those requirements. The AIMS/DPA program also will implement CTB/McGraw-Hill's state-of-the-art norm-referenced assessment -- TerraNova, The Second Edition-for grades 2 and 9.

The new single assessment system implements a vertical scale that enables educators to measure student growth across grades over time. In addition, the system provides a key benefit to state educators: a significant reduction in the time required to administer and complete the assessment.

"We have confidence in CTB/McGraw-Hill's test quality and ability to meet the high expectations of Arizona's teachers, parents, and students," said Donna W. Lewis, associate superintendent, Arizona Department of Education. "We are working in partnership with CTB/McGraw-Hill to facilitate a seamless transition into a groundbreaking, hybrid form of testing that will serve as an effective model for programs across the country."

"As the exclusive contractor for Arizona, CTB/McGraw-Hill is proud to support the state in the creation of a dual-purpose single assessment system," said David Taggart, president of CTB/McGraw-Hill. "This assessment gives educators a streamlined solution for measuring student progress and enhancing instruction, and effectively reinforces our dedication to student achievement."

About CTB/McGraw-Hill

As the nation's leading publisher of standardized achievement tests for pre-school, elementary, middle, and high schools, CTB/McGraw-Hill LLC offers a broad range of assessments, software and services. CTB/McGraw-Hill LLC is part of McGraw-Hill Education and is owned by The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), a global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's and BusinessWeek. Founded in 1888, the Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2003 were $4.8 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/ and http://www.ctb.com/.

SOURCE: CTB/McGraw-Hill

CONTACT: Kelley Carpenter
(831) 393-7196
kelley_carpenter@ctb.com

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