Washington Post 2006 Annual Report Download - page 18

In June 2006 this Division acquired SpellRead, which offers a sound-based reading intervention program for students from
elementary through high school that has been adopted by school districts in several states. Since the acquisition, the
SpellRead program has been used with more than 3,000 students.
The Test Preparation and Admissions Division acquired PMBR in October 2006. PMBR provides classroom-based test
preparation courses and also sells study materials for the multi-state section of state bar exams. The multi-state exam is
included as a part of most state bar exams and tests the exam taker's knowledge of fundamental legal principles that apply
throughout the United States. In 2006 PMBR provided courses to over 30,000 students.
Also in October 2006 the Test Preparation and Admissions Division acquired Aspect Education Limited. Aspect, which is
headquartered in the U.K., provides English-language training as well as academic preparation programs, principally for
students wishing to study or travel in North America, Europe or Australia. Aspect currently operates 19 schools located in
the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the U.S., and provided courses to more than 25,000 students
during 2006. Over time, Kaplan plans to combine Aspect's business with the Test Preparation and Admissions Division's
existing English-language training operations.
The Test Preparation and Admissions Division also includes the Score! Educational Centers. Score! offers computer-based learning and
individualized tutoring for children from preÓK through the 10th grade. In 2006 this business provided after-school educational
services through 161 dedicated Score! centers located throughout the United States to more than 75,000 students.
Professional Division
In the United States, Kaplan's Professional Division offers continuing education, certification, licensing, exam preparation
and professional development to corporations and to individuals seeking to advance their careers in a variety of
disciplines. This division includes Kaplan Financial, a provider of continuing education and test preparation courses for
financial services and insurance industry professionals; The Schweser Study Program, a provider of test preparation
courses for the Chartered Financial Analyst and Financial Risk Manager examinations; Kaplan CPA, which offers test
preparation courses for the Certified Public Accounting Exam; Kaplan Professional Schools, a provider of courses for real
estate, financial services and home inspection licensing examinations as well as continuing education in those areas;
Kaplan Professional Publishing (formerly known as Dearborn Publishing), which provides printed and online materials that
help individuals satisfy state pre-licensing and continuing education requirements and prepare for state licensing
examinations in the real estate, architecture, home inspection, engineering and construction industries; and Kaplan IT, which
offers online test preparation courses for technical certifications in the information technology industry as well as training,
software consultancy and related products to a broad range of industries. The courses offered by Kaplan's Professional
Division are provided in various formats (including classroom-based instruction, online programs, printed study guides, in-
house training and audio CDs) and at a wide range of per-course prices. During 2006 this division sold approximately
600,000 courses and separately priced course components to students in the United States (who in some subject areas
typically purchase more than one course component offered by the Division). In 2006 the Professional Division
discontinued its Perfect Access Speer business, which provided software consulting and software training products,
primarily to the legal profession.
Internationally, the Professional Division's largest business in terms of revenue is FTC Kaplan Limited (""FTC''), a U.K.-
based provider of training and test preparation services for accounting and financial services professionals. In 2006 FTC
provided courses to over 44,000 students. Headquartered in London, FTC has 23 training centers around the United
Kingdom as well as operations in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore.
Kaplan's Professional Division acquired Hong Kong Putonghua Vocational School (""HKPVS'')in February 2006. HKPVS
provides Mandarin-language training to students in Hong Kong (principally Cantonese-speaking Chinese wishing to learn
Mandarin) and also offers test preparation courses for the Chinese Proficiency Test, which is a standardized examination
that assesses Mandarin-language proficiency. HKPVS has seven centers in Hong Kong and at the end of 2006 was
serving more than 10,000 students.
In May 2006 the Professional Division acquired Tribeca Learning Limited. Tribeca, which is headquartered in Sydney, Australia,
provides accredited education and professional development courses to financial institutions and individuals in the Australian financial
planning, brokerage, accounting and real estate industries. During 2006 Tribeca provided courses to over 10,000 students through
classroom programs and to over 60,000 students through distance-learning programs.
Kaplan Publishing
Kaplan Publishing publishes a variety of business and educational books. Until May 2006 this unit's titles were co-published
with Simon & Schuster, but in June 2006 Kaplan established a separate business unit for most of its U.S. publishing
2THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY