Houghton Mifflin Co. News Release - July 13, 2005

New DAR™ Assessment from Riverside Publishing Measures Every Vital Reading Skill

Research-Based Formative Assessment Helps Improve Skills Mandated by Reading First

ITASCA, Ill. — July 13, 2005 — A research-validated formative assessment that gives educators a detailed picture of every crucial reading skill is now available from Riverside Publishing. The second edition of the Diagnostic Assessments of Reading (DAR) helps teachers quickly measure every reading skill they need to teach students in order to make adequate yearly progress in reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.

In as little as 30 minutes, DAR reveals exactly where struggling readers need help. Because DAR has been validated by scientifically based research from the most respected authorities in reading, its results are accurate and reliable.

With DAR, educators can assess and diagnose reading problems with students from grades K–12, as well as adult learners. The assessment is easy to use, and because it is student-adaptive, it can be administered in as little as 30 minutes.

“Reading First and other federal and state mandates require schools to provide direct instruction in five fundamental reading skills,” said Dr. Lee Jones, president of Riverside Publishing. “We’ve created DAR to give districts and schools a reliable, practical and fast way to assess all these skills, and to discover how to improve them.”

The new edition of DAR offers several important benefits for elementary, secondary and adult literacy teachers:

• Diagnoses every important reading skill, including all five National Reading Panel skills. DAR gives educators a more comprehensive, detailed understanding of a student’s reading difficulties. The assessment meets the requirements of Reading First and other federal and state mandates.
  
  
• Fully research-validated: DAR is based on the scientifically based research of Florence G. Roswell and Jeanne S. Chall, along with reading authorities Mary E. Curtis and Gail Kearns. Research validation ensures that DAR’s results are accurate, reliable, valid and effective.
  
  
• Detailed, formative results: DAR is a formative assessment that provides detailed information on reading strengths and weaknesses. It also offers recommendations on remediation. It lets teachers know precisely how to help struggling readers.
  
  
• Appropriate for K–12 and adults: DAR is a single battery of assessments that can be used with early readers, older students and adults.
  
  
• Complies with all federal mandates: Supports instruction in NCLB-mandated reading skills, and meets requirements for research-validated programs. DAR helps schools achieve adequate yearly progress goals under No Child Left Behind.
  
  
• Easy and fast to use: DAR is easy to learn, so educators can begin using it almost immediately. Because it is student adaptive, it can be administered in as little as 30 minutes.

About Riverside Publishing
Riverside Publishing (www.riversidepublishing.com) develops and markets testing and assessment products for the primary, secondary and clinical markets. The company publishes curriculum-based, developmental, early childhood, psychological and cognitive assessments.

About Houghton Mifflin
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Company is one of the leading educational publishers in the United States, with over $1 billion in sales. Houghton Mifflin publishes textbooks, instructional technology, assessments and other educational materials for elementary and secondary schools and colleges. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning fiction and nonfiction for adults and young readers. Additionally, Houghton Mifflin offers computer-administered testing programs and services for the professional and certification markets. With its origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin today combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. The Company's Web site can be found at www.hmco.com.