Lexile and Quantile Measures Arrive in West Virginia

CHARLESTON, WV and DURHAM, NC--(Marketwire - September 16, 2008) - Beginning in spring 2009, more than 140,000 students in grades 3-11 will receive Lexile® and Quantile® measures on their West Virginia Educational Standards Test (WESTEST 2) reports. The Lexile Framework® for Reading and The Quantile Framework® for Mathematics were developed by educational measurement company MetaMetrics®, Inc. to improve achievement by connecting students with instructional materials that meet and challenge their abilities. West Virginia is the fourth state to adopt both Lexile and Quantile measures.

West Virginia has received national recognition for its efforts to improve student achievement. In January 2008, the state earned an "A" in standards, assessment and accountability from "Education Week's" annual "Quality Counts" report. Created under the leadership of the West Virginia Department of Education, with collaboration from state educators, the WESTEST 2 is a customized, criterion-referenced test that measures student mastery of the West Virginia Content Standards and Objectives by the content area and grade level of the student's enrollment.

"Student achievement is on the rise in West Virginia. However, if we want our students to be successful in the rigorous courses required to build 21st century learning skills, they need strong reading and math skills," said Steven L. Paine, Ph.D., state superintendent of schools. "The addition of Lexile and Quantile measures on the WESTEST 2 reports provides our teachers and parents with powerful tools for using students' scores to develop the learning skills they need to comprehend, problem solve and communicate in education, their careers and in life."

Recognized as the most widely adopted reading measure, Lexile measures are used at the school-level in various capacities in all 50 states. Each year, more than 28 million Lexile measures are reported from state and national assessments, classroom assessments and reading programs, representing about half of U.S. students. More than 115,000 books, 80 million articles and 60,000 Web sites have Lexile measures.

The Lexile Framework is an educational tool that connects readers with reading materials using a common measure called a Lexile. What makes the Lexile Framework unique, and what has led to its widespread adoption, is that it measures both reading ability and text difficulty on the same developmental scale. When used together, Lexile reader measures and Lexile text measures allow educators, parents and students to find books and other materials that meet and challenge a reader's ability and interests or school assignments.

Similar to the Lexile Framework, the Quantile Framework provides a common, developmental scale for measuring student mathematics achievement, the difficulty of mathematical skills and concepts, and the materials for teaching mathematics. By placing the curriculum, teaching materials and students on the same scale, Quantile measures enable educators to describe which mathematical skills and concepts a student is ready to learn and those that will require additional instruction so that students can be matched with resources that meet their learning needs. Parents can also use Quantile measures to support students' mathematical development by connecting them with targeted mathematics activities at home.

"West Virginia deserves high praise for its commitment to ensuring that all students build the skills necessary to be successful in today's global economy," said Malbert Smith III, Ph.D., president, MetaMetrics. "The state's adoption of both Lexile and Quantile measures is a testament to the deep commitment of Governor Manchin, Superintendent Paine and the state's talented educators to improving student achievement."

For more information on the Lexile and Quantile Frameworks, visit www.Lexile.com or www.Quantiles.com.

About MetaMetrics Inc.

MetaMetrics Inc., a privately held educational measurement company, develops scientifically based measures of student achievement that link assessment with instruction, foster better educational practices, and improve learning by matching students with materials that meet and challenge their abilities. The company's team of psychometricians developed the widely adopted Lexile Framework for Reading (www.Lexile.com); El Sistema Lexile para Leer, the Spanish-language version of the Lexile Framework; The Quantile Framework for Mathematics (www.Quantiles.com); and The Lexile Framework for Writing. In addition to licensing Lexile and Quantile measures to state departments of education, testing and instructional companies, and publishers, MetaMetrics delivers professional development, resource measurement and customized consulting services. For more information, visit www.MetaMetricsInc.com.

MetaMetrics, Lexile, Lexile Framework, the Lexile symbol, Quantile, Quantile Framework and the Quantile symbol are trademarks or U.S. registered trademarks of MetaMetrics Inc. The names of other companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. © 2008 MetaMetrics Inc. All rights reserved.

Contact Information: For more information, press only: Mann Cronin PR Audrey Mann Cronin 914-861-2009 914-260-9651 audrey@manncroninpr.com Ruth Weiner 914-747-7365 ruthweiner@optonline.net