A Distinguished History
Riverside traces its origins back to 1852 when it began as The Riverside Press, a book printing plant in Boston, Massachusetts. Henry Houghton originally started The Riverside Press in an old Cambridge building along the banks of the Charles River.
In 1880, George Mifflin entered into a partnership with Henry Houghton and together founded and led Houghton Mifflin Company. Recognizing the growing student population, the new partnership established an Educational Department. The Riverside Literature Series quickly expanded Houghton Mifflin's educational list and The Riverside Press gained widespread attention for its beautifully printed and bound special editions.
 Henry Houghton  George Mifflin  1916 Standford-Binet |
Beginning with the publication of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale during World War I, Houghton Mifflin became increasingly involved in publishing standardized tests. Since that time, we have worked closely with many eminent authors in the field, including E.F. Lindquist, who developed the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, and Robert Thorndike, author of several ability tests. Lindquist also pioneered the use of the computer to score and analyze test results and our work with him was the beginning of Houghton Mifflin's (and subsequently Riverside's) involvement in developing educational computer software for schools.
The Riverside Publishing Company was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of Houghton Mifflin in 1979. As Houghton Mifflin's testing division, Riverside maintains the organizational tradition of providing excellent services and quality products to its customers. It enjoys the trust and respect of those who use its products. Our primary goal is to provide the best possible products in order to enhance the educational opportunities for all children.
Facilities Riverside’s national headquarters and editorial offices are
located in the Atrium Corporate Center at 3800 Golf Road and Route 53 in the Chicago suburb of Rolling Meadows, Illinois.
The award-winning building’s bold architectural design includes 116,693 square feet of office space for Riverside. This facility
houses the company’s senior management, accounting, sales and marketing, customer service, educational and clinical assessments,
quality assurance, information technology, state contract management, publishing processes, custom assessments departments, and
measurement research departments. In addition to these departmental resources, Xerox Business Services maintains a
staffed, full-service office onsite to handle Riverside’s production needs.
In autumn of 2002, Riverside opened a new facility for its scoring operations in Itasca. The physical address is 761 District Drive, Itasca, Illinois. This facility occupies nearly 50,000 square feet, providing ample space for receiving, sorting, scanning, processing, shipping, and archiving services.
The Chicago area is an advantageous location for any educational service provider. Through Riverside’s location in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country and situated in the nation’s heartland, the company has ready access to experienced measurement professionals, as well as the latest technology and necessary services. Riverside applies the most current innovations in products and services to all aspects of its operation. In addition, the company benefits from a large pool of talented professionals in all fields drawn to the area by a consistently strong economy.
