Houghton Mifflin Co. News Release - 05/20/03

Riverside Publishing Announces the Fifth Edition of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales

Itasca, Ill. - May 20, 2003 - Riverside Publishing, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company, announced today the publication of the Fifth Edition of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales (SB5). Dr. Gale Roid, Dunn Professor of Educational and Psychological Assessment at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, is the author of the Fifth Edition.

"The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition is a contemporary assessment that builds on a century of research into the measurement of intellectual functioning" said John Laramy, President of Riverside Publishing. The Stanford-Binet was originally published in 1916, when Lewis M. Terman completed his American revision of the 1908 Binet-Simon scale. Through various editions the Stanford-Binet has become widely known and acknowledged as the standard for intelligence measurement. The SB5 provides a valuable update to this well-established assessment tool. It incorporates key features from previous editions such as the SB IV and SB L-M along with the latest advances in intelligence testing.

The Fifth Edition of the Stanford-Binet is appropriate for a broad age range-2 to 85+ years-providing one comprehensive assessment for all ages. The SB5 includes both verbal and nonverbal measurement of five factors: Fluid Reasoning, Knowledge, Quantitative Reasoning, Visual-Spatial Processing, and Working Memory. Separate verbal and nonverbal measurement enables comparison of the two types of performance, and is especially useful in evaluating learning disabilities and assessing individuals with limited language skills. This contemporary assessment can also compare an individual's absolute level of ability over time-without reference to how others of the same age perform. This longitudinal comparison is useful in measuring development in young children and intellectual decline in the elderly.

According to Dr. Roid, "The Fifth Edition brings back the child friendly and diagnostically powerful features of past editions. The development team worked for seven years to create an innovative collection of subtests-some that do not require spoken responses-especially to help children and adults with special needs and those with gifted abilities."

Consistent with previous editions, the SB5 may be used in early childhood assessment (including individual family plans), psychoeducational evaluations for special education and gifted placements (including individual educational plans), adult social security and worker's compensation evaluations, and research on the development of abilities. The SB5's extended, life-span age range and more difficult items at the high end allow additional uses in the areas of adult clinical and neuropsychological treatment, career assessment (supporting school-to-work transition planning) for adolescents and adult career change, and employee selection and classification.

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 non-fiction 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.

CONTACT:
Collin Earnst
Vice President, Communications
Houghton Mifflin Company
617-351-5113
collin_earnst@hmco.com