Illinois State Board of Education Approves NCS'Educational Structures Application for 356...

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 9, 1999--

National Computer Systems, Inc., (NCS) (Nasdaq:NLCS) announced today that the Illinois State Board of Education has agreed to license NCS' Educational Structures(TM) online lesson-planning, resource and research application for 356 schools across

"Today's announcement indicates the state's satisfaction with the Educational Structures solution as a solid, contemporary teaching and learning resource for its educators and its students," said Robert C. Bowen, president of NCS' Education Software and Services business. "This contract truly validates our belief in the future of Internet curriculum and resource development. The Educational Structures application is robust in terms of its intuitive design and broad academic function."

The Board's decision to fund the Educational Structures product is significant for several reasons. Illinois schools and thousands of students and teachers will have access to one of the most valuable Internet learning and teaching resources available on the Internet. Students may research academic topics and complete assignments in a program-rich, site-specific web environment. Teachers will have full access to online, customized lesson planning features and the ability to incorporate their favorite lesson materials and web sources for a truly multi-media approach to teaching. The Educational Structures product offers full, effective use of available technology, ease-of-use for educators to incorporate technology and instructional resources into day-to-day instruction, and relevant educational resources correlated to the Illinois Learning Standards.

NCS is a global information services company providing software, services and systems for the collection, management and interpretation of data. NCS (www.ncs.com) serves important segments of the education, testing, assessment and complex data management markets. Headquartered in Minneapolis, NCS has 4,600 employees serving its customers from more than 30 locations worldwide.