Acquisition

31st May 2006 07:00

Pearson PLC31 May 2006 31 May 2006 PEARSON TO ACQUIRE CHANCERY SOFTWARE LTD Pearson, the world's leading education company, today announced the acquisitionof Chancery Software Ltd., a leading provider of student information systems(SIS) in the K-12 US school market. Over the past 20 years, Chancery has built a range of software tools to helpschools and districts collect and manage student information such asenrollments, scheduling, attendance, grading, and student performance. Chanceryis the second largest SIS company in the US market with an installed base of6,000 schools and recognized capabilities in building, installing and supportingcustomized systems for large school districts. Pearson is the market leader in the enterprise and student information systemsbusiness with an installed based of more than 16,000 schools. It provides SISsolutions for K-12 school districts combining student information, assessment,reporting, and business solutions to fulfill the accountability requirements setby No Child Left Behind through its SASI school server-based product and itsCenterpoint web-based offering. These products lead the SIS market for small-and mid-sized school districts. Last week Pearson also announced the acquisition of PowerSchool, the thirdlargest school SIS provider, from Apple. Chancery and PowerSchool will beintegrated into a single company, Pearson School Systems, operating under theleadership of Mary McCaffrey. Steven Dowling, president of Pearson's School Companies, said: "Student information is central to our goal of helping schools raise studentachievement through personalized learning. The acquisitions of PowerSchool andChancery transform our SIS business, doubling its size and enabling us to offerthe pre-eminent software solutions for all levels of schools and districts(small, medium, and large). All three businesses have a long and successfulhistory of investment and innovation, and together we will continue to developnew services to help schools achieve their goals." "The large districts that Chancery supports require a very high level ofcustomization and support as they build and install their systems. Chancery hasa great deal of experience and talent in this area and will bring a lot toPearson." About Pearson EducationEducating 100 million people worldwide, Pearson Education is the global leaderin educational publishing, providing scientifically research-based print anddigital programs to help students of all ages learn at their own pace, in theirown way. Virtually all students and teachers in America learn from a Pearsonprogram at some point in their educational career. In the U.S., nearly 25,000schools use Pearson technology to help instruct K-12 students and manage howthey are doing. Pearson Education is a business of Pearson, the internationalmedia company (LSE: PSON; NYSE: PSO). About Chancery SoftwareChancery Software ( www.chancery.com) is one of the leading providers of StudentInformation Systems for K-12 schools, districts, classrooms, and homes. Chancerysolutions offer accurate real-time information on more than thirteen millionstudents to one million educators every day. Built to address the challengesfaced by today's districts, Chancery Student Management Solutions are uniquelyaligned to meet the accountability and reporting requirements of the No ChildLeft Behind Act. With over 20 years of industry firsts and implementations,Chancery's customized SIS solutions meet the needs and budgets of diverseschools and districts throughout North America. Ends For more information: Pearson Simon Mays-Smith/ Deborah Lincoln: +44 (0)20 7010 2310 Wendy Spiegel: +1 (212) 782 3482 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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