Houghton Mifflin Co. News Release - September 6, 2006

Riverside Publishing Announces Online Testing Through the Edusoft Assessment Management System

Latest Product Offers Educators a Customized Solution to Improve Student Achievement

ITASCA, IL—September 6, 2006—Riverside Publishing, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company and a leader in comprehensive educational standards-based assessment, today announced the latest version of the Edusoft^® Assessment Management System, Version 4.0, which now offers educators the ability to create and deliver tests online.

The Edusoft Assessment Management System is a standards-based assessment solution that gives school districts powerful tools to help improve classroom instruction and student performance. With Edusoft Version 4.0, educators have the flexibility to choose to deliver tests online, on paper, or through a combination of these delivery mechanisms. The new online feature gives educators the ability to instantaneously access reports for online tests; the option to view students' online and paper test results together or separately; and the tools to quickly score multiple choice, short answer and constructed response questions.

"Edusoft's paper-to-web technology sets the industry standard for quickly delivering tests on plain paper with immediate web-based scoring and reporting," said Lee Jones, president of Riverside Publishing. "As more schools continue to implement online testing, Riverside is committed to offering districts a more customized and comprehensive solution that matches their assessment needs and goals for student achievement. The latest version of Edusoft offers them the choice of administering tests either online or on paper with equal ease."

From the largest urban areas to remote rural settings, more than 400 U.S. school districts use the Edusoft Assessment Management System to design, score and analyze millions of student assessments each year. More than 50 million assessments have been scored through the Edusoft system since 2002.

About Riverside Publishing
As a charter member of the Association of Test Publishers, Riverside serves both the K–12 educational markets and the clinical assessment market with print, CD-ROM and online assessment tools. Among Riverside's flagship products are The Iowa Tests^®, the Edusoft^® Assessment Management System, and the Woodcock-Johnson^®III comprehensive assessment system. Riverside also develops custom, scientifically research-based solutions to meet the unique needs of states and school districts across the nation. Riverside Publishing was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of Houghton Mifflin in 1979. Information on Riverside's products and services can be found at www.riversidepublishing.com or by calling 800-323-9540.

About Houghton Mifflin Company
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Company is one of the leading educational publishers in the United States, with more than $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. With its origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. The Company's Web site can be found at www.hmco.com.