Wake County Public School System Selects Peterson's to Provide Online SAT Prep for All 18 High Schools; Peterson's SAT Online Course combines skill-building technology with a personalized curriculum for every student

Business Wire, Oct 22, 2003

Business Editors/Education Writers

RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 22, 2003

In an effort to improve the SAT scores and college acceptance rates of its approximately 20,000 high school students, the Wake County Public School system has chosen to implement an online SAT course designed by Peterson's, part of The Thomson Corporation (TSX: TOC; NYSE: TOC) and a leading provider of test preparation and other college admissions services.

Participating students will have round-the-clock access to the course throughout the 2003-2004 school year and into the summer of 2004. This past spring, Wake County School System participated in a nationwide pilot program of the Peterson's SAT course, which provided valuable feedback on content, student satisfaction, and usability and contributed heavily to the development of the product.

"What makes Peterson's course different from, and so much more appealing than, other test-prep programs is that it has the capability of building an individual plan for each student based on diagnostic test data," said Athena Kellogg, Senior Administrator of High School Math for the Wake County Public School System. "Students weak in an area are directed to lower level activities, while the stronger students are challenged with higher-level skills. We are anticipating huge strides in our students' progress!"

Each student's unique curriculum, or Customized Learning Path(TM), is created based on the results of diagnostic tests that identify the student's strengths and weaknesses among all 100 math, verbal, and other skills that are tested on the SAT. "With its cutting-edge technology, our course sets the standard for a new kind of test preparation, one that avoids the traditional one-size-fits-all approach and creates a personalized instructional plan for each student," said Ben Paris, Peterson's Director of Online Test Preparation. "By bringing SAT prep into the classroom, Wake County schools have given students and parents a tremendous advantage in planning for college."

The Wake County Public School System is the second largest system in North Carolina and serves the entire county, including the communities of Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Wendell, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Knightdale, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Holly Springs, Morrisville and Zebulon. There are eighteen high schools, and 87% of 2002 graduates indicated that they planned to pursue some form of higher education: 62% to four-year colleges or universities and 25% to two-year colleges.

Students interested in participating in Peterson's Online SAT Course should speak to their guidance counselor or school administrator.

About The Thomson Corporation and Peterson's

The Thomson Corporation, with 2002 revenues of $7.8 billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges (TSX: TOC; NYSE: TOC). Its learning businesses and brands serve the needs of individuals, learning institutions, corporations, and government agencies with products and services for both traditional and distributed learning. Peterson's (www.petersons.com) is a leading provider of education information and advice, with books and online resources focusing on education search, test preparation, and financial aid. Its Web site offers searchable databases and interactive tools for contacting educational institutions, online practice tests and instruction, and planning tools for securing financial aid. Peterson's serves 110 million education consumers annually.