Houghton Mifflin Co. News Release - 12/10/02

Promissor Powers City & Guilds Testing

UK's Leading Vocational Qualification Body Pioneers Online Assessments

PHILADELPHIA, Penn. - December 10, 2002 - Promissor, Inc. today announced a partnership with City & Guilds to deliver on-line assessments for its vocational qualification awards. City & Guild's Global On-Line Assessment (GOLA) program plans to revolutionize the vocational education system in the UK. City & Guilds offers more than 500 qualifications for individuals, corporations, and communities to build progress and to achieve their goals. Each year, City & Guilds awards over 1 million certificates in 22 occupations and over 100 countries worldwide.

"The skills we assess have major practical impact on the workplace and are valued by employers in every sector of business," explained Mike Dawe, City & Guilds Manager of Global Online Assessments. "By placing our qualifications online, our qualification candidates gain on-demand testing 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and feedback on their results instantly. In addition, Promissor technology gives us the ability to easily maintain and update our tests to keep pace with changes in the vocational market."

"We are delighted City & Guilds chose Promissor assessment solutions for their online qualification programs," said Promissor President Pat Meehan. "By migrating their assessments to on-line delivery, City & Guilds is revolutionizing the vocational education system in the UK."

City & Guilds is now using Promissor's leading web-based Content Management Tool and Test Delivery System to develop and deliver their assessments. The Content Management Tool enables developers to work on a collaborative basis and helps City & Guilds keep its assessments up-to-date with changing vocational requirements. Promissor's online technology distributes both practice tests and secure assessments from a single, stable technology platform.

"It is very gratifying to be able to help City & Guilds meet their test development and delivery needs," said Promissor President Pat Meehan. "What is even better is that we were able to help them deliver their vocational qualifications to more than 100 countries two years faster than they thought possible."

Dr Geraldine Kenney-Wallace added, "one of the many attractive features of the strategic partnership is our combined depth of knowledge concerning assessment practice. We will benefit immediately from supplying our customers with assessments that are genuinely fit for their purpose, and in the future we expect to gain from joint research and development."

About Promissor
Operating from offices in Philadelphia, Chicago, and London, Promissor is a leading provider of knowledge measurement services. For clients around the globe, the company designs assessment solutions, provides quality test development services and the leading content management tool, delivers tests or other content with its state-of-the-art Promissor Testing System via multiple test center options, and ensures client success with the most comprehensive support services in the industry. Promissor is the only one-stop, total solution provider for quality assessment programs. The company has more than 20 years experience serving regulatory agencies, health services organizations, professional associations, major employers, and IT corporations. Visit www.promissor.com.

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. 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:
John Ellsworth
Philadelphia Campus
Director of Marketing
610.617.5085
John_Ellsworth@promissor.com