Greenville, WI, December 3, 2007 — School Specialty, Inc. an education company providing innovative and proprietary products, programs and services for the pre-K–12 market has acquired Sitton Spelling, the program that helps students become confident, strategic spellers in their everyday writing. Sitton Spelling will become part of EPS, the reading intervention business unit of School Specialty, Inc.

Sitton Spelling, based in Phoenix, AZ, has provided spelling instruction for grades 1–6 for over 10 years. In that time, the author, Rebecca Sitton, has worked closely with many educators to refine and enhance the program to meet the more demanding needs of today’s classrooms. Professional Development is a key component to the success of Sitton Spelling. It is expected that Sitton Spelling will present 50 workshops for prospects and over 120 on-site school presentations by the end of school 2008.

“Sitton Spelling dovetails nicely with our history as well as our current product offerings,” states EPS President, Rick Holden. “It was developed by an educator who recognized the need for a spelling program that elevated spelling lessons. Rebecca’s commitment to creating a successful program is evidenced by her actively working with teachers throughout its creation. This mirrors the dedication we’ve applied to our products and services for the past 50 years.”

The acquisition of Sitton Spelling represents the continuation of School Specialty, Inc. to grow within the Reading Intervention marketplace. This strategy includes EPS moving from its current position as a print-based publisher into a blended media resource for existing and future programs. The Sitton Spelling on-site workshops and teacher training videos also provide an important expansion opportunity for EPS as it continues to invest in Professional Development.

Rebecca Sitton and several other employees will stay on board to assist EPS with the Sitton Spelling product line.

About EPS
EPS, a member of the School Specialty family, publishes research-based intervention materials, grades K–8. Our print and technology resources meet the varied instructional needs of students possessing language-based learning disabilities or are at risk for reading failure. The integrity and rigorous methodology we ascribe to are represented by successful, long-standing programs such as Wordly Wise 3000® , Explode The Code® , Primary Phonics®, and S.P.I.R.E.® .

EPS remains focused on developing quality content for the intervention market. Our tradition of working in collaboration with educators will continue, to ensure we provide content that has made our name synonymous with value, reliability, and above all else, excellence.

About School Specialty
School Specialty is an education company that provides innovative and proprietary products, programs, and services to help educators engage and inspire students of all ages and abilities to learn.

School Specialty designs, develops, and provides Pre-K–12 educators with the latest and very best curriculum, supplemental learning resources, and classroom basics.

Working in collaboration with educators, School Specialty reaches beyond the scope of textbooks to help teachers, guidance counselors, and school administrators ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential.

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