Pearson Test of English Academic Recognized by Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Management

Leader in Graduate Management Education Joins Prestigious Institutions Choosing State-of-the-Art, Accurate Measure of English Language Ability

Houston and New York (PRWEB) - The Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University announced today that it will recognize Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) (http://www.pearsonpte.com) , the company's computer-based English language test that measures the English language proficiency of candidates for admission who are non-native English speakers. Rice University students come from 99 countries and regions around the world, and the Jones Graduate School of Management enrolls more than 40 international students annually.

"At the Jones Graduate School of Management, we are renowned for our intimate collaborative educational environment where students work closely with one another and faculty members to develop the acumen to prepare them to be leaders in the business world," said Melissa Blakeslee, Director of Admissions. "PTE Academic will offer us an important tool for accurately measuring the academic English skills of candidates for admission to ensure their success in our MBA programs."

Jones Graduate School offers three degree programs for Master of Business Administration (MBA) - Full-Time MBA, MBA for Professionals, and MBA for Executives. Earlier this year, the Jones School earned several top rankings from The Financial Times: the full-time MBA program was ranked seventh in the world in the "Best in Finance" category, and the Rice MBA program placed second in Texas, 25th in the United States and 53rd worldwide. The Jones School rose to 20th in rank worldwide in faculty research.

PTE Academic (http://www.pearsonpte.com) is endorsed by the prestigious Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®), owner of the Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT®). PTE Academic will be launched internationally in October 2009.

As the worldwide global leader in publishing and assessment for education, Pearson combined the power of international test development, in-depth research and proven, proprietary automated scoring technologies to develop PTE Academic. The test will fill a critical need by providing a state-of-the-art test that accurately measures the English language Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing abilities of non-native speakers.

PTE Academic will deliver real-life measures of test takers' language proficiency to universities, higher education institutions, government departments and other organizations requiring academic-level English. The test is designed to predict more efficiently the ability of test takers to function in an English-oriented academic environment.

"The Jones Graduate School is truly an international community with worldwide recognition for the quality of its graduate management degrees," said Mark Anderson, President, Pearson Language Tests. "We are honored to have this top graduate school recognize our new measure of academic English language proficiency."

For more information, contact usreco@pearson.com or visit www.pearsonpte.com

About Pearson Language Tests

Pearson Language Tests (PLT) is part of Pearson plc. PLT is developing PTE Academic in collaboration with the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC).

About Pearson

Pearson (NYSE:PSO), the global leader in education and education technology, reaches and engages today's digital natives with effective and personalized learning, as well as dedicated professional development for their teachers. This commitment is demonstrated in the company's investment in innovative print and digital education materials for preK through college, student information systems and learning management systems, teacher professional development, career certification programs, and testing and assessment products that set the standard for the industry. The company's respected brands include Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, Addison Wesley, Benjamin Cummings, PEM Solutions, Stanford 10, SuccessNet, MyLabs, PowerSchool, SuccessMaker and many others. Pearson's comprehensive offerings help inform targeted instruction and intervention so that success is within reach of every student at every level of education. Pearson's commitment to education for all is supported by the global philanthropic initiatives of the Pearson Foundation. Pearson's other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group. For more information, visit www.pearson.com

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