Schools Using Pearson School Systems SASI Student Information System Conquer Scheduling Challenges with New Scheduling Optimizer.

MESA, Ariz. -- New Tool Results in Fewer Scheduling Conflicts, Educators Have More Time for Student Counseling and Instruction

Before the first textbook is opened, before a teacher begins to teach the first lesson of the school year, before the first test is taken, today's schools must tackle the important task of ensuring that students have class schedules that meet their individual learning needs. To enhance the scheduling process, Pearson School Systems has announced that it will integrate Scheduling Optimizer technology from Tabby Software into its SASI student information system. As a result, educators can quickly and accurately schedule any number of middle or high school students. That means that school counselors, administrators and teachers can now devote valuable time previously spent resolving scheduling challenges to instruction, student counseling and other teaching activities.

"When we talk to educators, they tell us that an easy and accurate scheduler is one of the most important capabilities of any student information system," said Mike Evans, president, Pearson School Systems. "By integrating Tabby Software's Scheduling Optimizer into SASI, we are now offering our customers the most robust student scheduling loading program available today."

The Scheduling Optimizer is a fully featured student scheduling loader program. It performs the task of assigning students to classes based on course requests, a given master schedule and specified scheduling rules. The Optimizer generates an interrelated set of simulation reports, which can conveniently be viewed in a browser.

The result: fewer scheduling conflicts. For example, a school of 1,000 with a near final master schedule may see the number of students scheduled go from 75 percent to 85 percent. This translates to a reduction in the number of conflicts from 250 students with standard Schedule Pro alone to 150 students with the Scheduling Optimizer optimization, a 40 percent reduction.

At Oak Park High School in North Kansas City School District, Mo., Assistant Principal Gary Miller said he overcame a variety of challenges when using the Scheduling Optimizer to schedule his school's 1,900 students, giving him the best schedule rate he has ever seen.

Shannon Murray, assistant principal at Wausau West High School in Wisconsin, agreed. "We were able to give 400 more students 100 percent conflict free schedules, save a lot of student and staff time, had less trouble and stress in our scheduling and overall we were more efficient," he said.

Tabby Software's Scheduling Optimizer functionality will be integrated into SASI in phases, beginning when version 7.0 is released in December 2005. Customers will pay no additional license or support fee for this new capability.

About Pearson School Systems

Pearson School Systems (PSS) is changing the face of K-12 student performance and information management through its offering of tightly-integrated, mission critical district enterprise solutions. Through its innovative digital solutions, PSS is dedicated to helping schools perform and students succeed. Its all-encompassing product lineup includes SASI, the widely acclaimed, comprehensive student information system; Pearson Centerpoint, the multi-platform, Web-based student information and performance management system; CIMS(R), the comprehensive finance, human resources and student information system; Pearson Inform, the achievement data analysis and decision support tool; and Pearson Benchmark, the customizable, Web-based district benchmark testing solution. PSS is a business unit of Pearson Education, the world's leading integrated education company, which in turn is part of Pearson (NYSE: PSO), the international media company. For more information, visit: www.pearsonschoolsystems.com