Southeast Schools Turn to PLATO to Raise Test Scores; PLATO Provides Real Results to Educators Preparing Students for State and National Exams.

Business Editors & Education/Technology Writers

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 25, 2000

Educators throughout the Southeast are choosing PLATO(R) to help them prepare students and raise test scores on national and state-mandated graduation exams. "PLATO's unique combination of assessment, instruction, and management capabilities offers educators a proven and effective solution to meet program objectives, address the individual and varied needs of their students, and be accountable for their progress," said G. Thomas Ahern, senior vice president of sales and marketing for TRO Learning. "PLATO allows educators to align instruction to teach all the skills needed to meet the requirements of the specific exams they administer. The instruction is then very targeted and relevant, which increases student achievement and raises test scores." Mr. Ahern continued, "We have independent, statistically-based case studies throughout the country that clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of PLATO in preparing students for success on state and national exams."

Kentucky

In a contract valued at more than $100,000, Covington City School District in Covington, Kentucky will distribute PLATO districtwide via a wide area network to provide basic skills remediation and prepare students for national exams. PLATO will be used in the district's Academy of Renewal Education for adults, alternative schools for basic skills and credit recovery, and middle and high schools to prepare students for the Kentucky Core Content exam. PLATO was selected after its Technology Coordinator, Dr. Terri Cox-Cruey, attended the 1999 Alternative School Conference in Texas, sponsored by PLATO, and learned how PLATO could benefit the district's secondary and adult schools. Covington City School District is a well-respected system throughout Kentucky and could serve as a reference site for other schools and districts in the state.

The Henderson County Board of Education in Henderson, Kentucky will begin using PLATO in its evening school program for credit recovery and basic skills remediation in a contract valued at $190,000. The district is on a two-year plan to get instructional technology into its middle and high school. Once computers are purchased for these schools, PLATO will be delivered via a wide area network to provide solutions for Kentucky Core Content exam remediation, basic skills remediation, algebra, English as a second language, and accelerated math. Technology Coordinator Debra Smith commented, "PLATO is a wonderful tool that can be utilized by our entire district. We are amazed at the amount of curricula that are available through this system and the many different programs that will be able to utilize this software."

Louisiana

The St. Martin Parish Schools in St. Martinville, Louisiana will use PLATO to improve the test scores of its middle school students on the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program 21 (LEAP 21) exam in a contract valued in excess of $170,000. Five of the district's middle schools will access PLATO from its wide area network. Students' skills will be assessed by PLATO based on the objectives of the LEAP 21. PLATO was selected by the district based on the results of presentations by several vendors to an evaluation committee and onsite visits to installed labs. After visiting Lafayette Middle School and seeing its successful use of PLATO, the evaluation committee quickly made the recommendation to implement PLATO.

The Lafourche Parish School District in Thibodaux, Louisiana has once again expanded its PLATO installation to accommodate the needs of its special education student population, while providing a valuable instructional resource to other student groups as well. With a mandate from the Louisiana Department of Education requiring all special education students to take the Louisiana LEAP (Louisiana Educational Assessment Program) exit exam, PLATO will serve as the resource to help these special students prepare for test-taking success. The contract is valued at $120,000.

West Feliciana Middle School in St. Francisville, Louisiana will use PLATO in lab settings as well as the classroom to improve LEAP 21 scores. To enhance the classroom teaching experience, PLATO lessons will be projected via multimedia projector to students so that all can benefit from its effectiveness. PLATO was selected by the school based on its flexibility, comprehensiveness, and its close alignment to the LEAP 21. Another factor in the selection was PLATO's success at the district's high school. The contract is valued at over $100,000.

Florida

The Technical Education Center - Osceola in Kissimmee is a technical learning center that will use PLATO to assess students and provide instruction to fill in skill gaps for success on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). PLATO was selected based on its success at the neighboring Hyatt Works Academy in Osceola. The contract is valued at about $100,000.

Alabama

Limestone County Schools in St. Athens, Alabama has purchased PLATO for seven high school sites. The contract is valued at over $150,000. PLATO will be used to prepare students for the new Alabama Graduation Exam, which was given for the first time to 11th grade students in March of 2000. This test is more challenging than the previous exam and Alabama schools are concerned about pass rates. Schools across the state will be watching for high pass rates, and it is hoped that Limestone County Schools will become a key reference site to demonstrate PLATO's proven effectiveness in preparing students for success on standardized tests. PLATO will also be used with Work Keys(TM) used in the district's School-To-Work curriculum to prepare students for work in local industries.

About TRO Learning

With revenues of over $44 million, TRO Learning, Inc. (which will officially change its name to PLATO Learning, Inc. later this month) is a publicly held company traded as TUTR on the NASDAQ-NMS. Offering more than 2,000 hours and 10,000 learning objectives of comprehensive academic and applied skills courseware designed for adolescents and adults, PLATO Learning Systems are marketed to middle and high schools, colleges, job training programs, correctional institutions, military education programs, corporations, and consumers. PLATO is delivered via networks, CD-ROM, private intranets, and the Internet.

An international training and education company, TRO Learning's headquarters are located at 4660 West 77th Street, Edina, Minnesota 55435, [phone] or [phone]. TRO Learning's executive offices are located at Poplar Creek Office Plaza, 1721 Moon Lake Boulevard, Suite 555, Hoffman Estates, Illinois 60194, [phone]. TRO Learning has domestic offices located throughout the United States, and international offices in the United Kingdom, and throughout Canada. TRO Learning has international distributors located in Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. The company's Web site addresses on the Internet's World Wide Web are www.tro.com and www.plato.com

This press release contains forward-looking information regarding future prospects. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to achieve any particular result in future periods because of uncertainties, such as timing of receipt of product orders and delivery to its customers and other matters relating to revenue recognition accounting principles.

(R)PLATO is a registered trademark of The Roach Organization, Inc. and TRO Learning, Inc. (TM)Work Keys is a trademark of ACT.