Houghton Mifflin Co. News Release - April 6, 2009

Alhambra Unified School District Saves Nearly $1 Million with Houghton Mifflin Reading – Medallion Edition

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt reading program allows Alhambra teachers to increase classroom success while saving valuable resources

BOSTON — April 6, 2009 — Alhambra Unified School District and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company today announced the district's adoption of Houghton Mifflin Reading – Medallion Edition as its K–5 reading program. Medallion Edition, chosen last November in the California State Board of Education's reading/language arts adoption, is the only approved program on the market that accommodates California's budget crisis.

"Medallion builds on the standards-aligned reading program that our district has used for seven years," said Dr. Gary Gonzales, assistant superintendent of educational services. "Medallion gives us a program our teachers already know well and saves us $840,000 in direct costs and thousands more in staff development and other indirect costs. We are able to meet our students' needs while saving money during these difficult budget times."

Houghton Mifflin Reading – Medallion Edition enables school districts to save vital resources by building on the popular and successful Houghton Mifflin Reading California, currently used by approximately 80 percent of California school districts. Medallion Edition, a significant upgrade of California, is fully aligned with the California standards framework's new requirements and criteria. It features enhanced academic vocabulary development and explicit writing instruction as well as several new components, including new electronic versions of the student book and teacher edition and a Technical Skills Toolkit engineered to help beginning readers master the essential skills that predict future success.

"We are dedicated to California educators and students and are proud to be the only textbook publisher to give schools the ability to meet their students' needs while also helping them manage their resources effectively," said Houghton Mifflin Harcourt K–12 President Mike Lavelle. "Medallion has everything students and teachers need, and can save districts 60 percent of their instructional materials funding."

"We have to make a lot of difficult decisions as a district, especially as they relate to personnel and programs," said Donna Pérez, superintendent of educational services. "Having the ability to adopt a successful reading program and save resources helps us keep a lot of options open to best serve our students."

About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is a global education leader and the world's largest publisher of educational materials for pre-K–12 schools. The Company publishes a comprehensive set of best-in-class educational solutions, ranging from research-based textbook programs to instructional technology to standards-based assessments for students and educators. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. With origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. To learn more about Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, visit www.hmhpub.com.