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PEARSON GOVERNMENT SOLUTIONS PROGRAM FOR NEW YORK STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SERVICES CORPORATION WINS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD

Pearson's Tuition Assistance Program on the Web Recognized As Best High-Tech Improvement in State Government

ARLINGTON, VA, November 3, 2005 - The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) won the prestigious New York State Workforce Champions Award for its Tuition Assistance Program on the Web (TOTW) managed by Pearson Government Solutions. The award recognizes TOTW as among the best high-tech improvements in state government in 2005. Sixty-three state agencies were eligible for this award.

"We take pride in the innovative solutions we deliver for our customers, and cannot be prouder of HESC's recognition," said Mac Curtis, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pearson Government Solutions.

The TOTW program is modeled after the award-winning Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the Web. Pearson developed FAFSA on the Web for the U.S. Department of Education in response to converting its complex, paper-based financial aid applications to a secure, easy-to-use Web site, dramatically reducing printing and processing costs.

The TOTW program allows eligible students to electronically apply for as well as change their state application at any time, for a grant worth up to $5,000 annually. In the past, a 24-page long Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) application was mailed to about 1.6 million students in New York State. In 2002, HESC began to computerize the process, becoming the first in the nation to collect student application data for a state program in an online session immediately following submission of FAFSA on the Web. The majority of the information a student submits via FAFSA on the Web is automatically transferred to their New York TAP application, saving time and eliminating errors.

In 2004, HESC implemented a Spanish version of TOTW. In 2005, HESC further streamlined its process by sending eligible students an e-mail or postcard encouraging them to apply for aid electronically. HESC also added two more forms on-line, allowing students to change their application or provide more information electronically, further decreasing paper processing.

The Workforce Champions Awards were presented to HESC and three other winning teams by New York Governor George Pataki on Wednesday, October 26, 2005.

About Pearson Government Solutions

With over 5,000 employees worldwide, Pearson Government Solutions, Arlington, Va., serves the U.S. federal, state and local and international governments; higher education institutions and student financial aid entities. The company designs, builds, and operates solutions that optimize the performance of public sector entities in delivering information, benefits, and services to their constituents. Clients include the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, Labor, and Veterans Affairs; the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Pearson Government Solutions is a business of Pearson, the international media and education company, including the Financial Times Group, and the Penguin Group.