1 UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, DC 20549 FORM 10-Q [X] QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31, 2000. [ ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM .................... TO .................... COMMISSION FILE NUMBER: 0-22187 ADVANTAGE LEARNING SYSTEMS, INC. (EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER) WISCONSIN 39-1559474 (STATE OR OTHER (IRS EMPLOYER JURISDICTION OF INCORPORATION) IDENTIFICATION NO.) PO BOX 8036 2911 PEACH STREET WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WISCONSIN (ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES) 54495-8036 (ZIP CODE) (715) 424-3636 (REGISTRANT'S TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE) Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes [X] No [ ] Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer's classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date. OUTSTANDING AT CLASS MAY 1, 2000 ----- -------------- Common Stock, $0.01 par value 34,214,773 2 ADVANTAGE LEARNING SYSTEMS, INC. INDEX TO FORM 10-Q FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31, 2000 PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION Page Number ------ ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1999..................................................................1 Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Income for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2000 and 1999...................................................2 Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2000 and 1999...................................................3 Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements............................................4 ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS............................................................6 ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK....................................................................................8 PART II - OTHER INFORMATION ITEM 2. CHANGES IN SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS.....................................................9 ITEM 6. EXHIBITS AND REPORTS ON FORM 8-K..............................................................10 -Index- 3 PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION Item 1. Financial Statements ADVANTAGE LEARNING SYSTEMS, INC. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED) MARCH 31, DECEMBER 31, 2000 1999 ----------------- ------------------- (In thousands) ASSETS ------ Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 23,103 $ 23,016 Investment securities 23,113 18,012 Accounts receivable, less allowance of $1,203,000 in 2000 and $1,200,000 in 1999 9,408 11,796 Inventories 1,532 1,707 Prepaid expenses 1,243 1,287 Prepaid income taxes 1,440 292 Deferred tax asset 2,534 2,559 ----------------- ------------------- Total current assets 62,373 58,669 Property, plant and equipment, net 24,749 24,256 Deferred tax asset 2,373 2,297 Intangibles, net 2,505 2,702 Capitalized software, net 401 495 ----------------- ------------------- Total assets $ 92,401 $ 88,419 ================= =================== LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY ------------------------------------ Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 3,582 $ 2,521 Deferred revenue 3,374 4,852 Payroll and employee benefits 2,157 1,981 Other current liabilities 2,343 2,392 ----------------- ------------------- Total current liabilities 11,456 11,746 Deferred revenue 1,520 1,485 ----------------- ------------------- Total liabilities 12,976 13,231 Minority interest 185 253 Shareholders' equity 79,240 74,935 ----------------- ------------------- Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 92,401 $ 88,419 ================= =================== See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements. - 1 - 4 ADVANTAGE LEARNING SYSTEMS, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED) FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2000 1999 ---------------- ---------------- (In thousands, except per share amounts) Net sales: Products $ 18,372 $ 15,144 Services 5,698 3,445 ---------------- ---------------- Total net sales 24,070 18,589 ---------------- ---------------- Cost of sales: Products 2,517 1,576 Services 3,049 1,732 ---------------- ---------------- Total cost of sales 5,566 3,308 ---------------- ---------------- Gross profit 18,504 15,281 Operating expenses: Product development 3,170 1,454 Selling and marketing 6,633 4,884 General and administrative 2,833 2,256 ---------------- ---------------- Total operating expenses 12,636 8,594 ---------------- ---------------- Operating income 5,868 6,687 Other income: Interest income 575 413 Other, net 146 157 ---------------- ---------------- Income before taxes 6,589 7,257 Income taxes 2,591 3,001 ---------------- ---------------- Net income $ 3,998 $ 4,256 ================ ================ Basic earnings per share $ 0.12 $ 0.13 Diluted earnings per share 0.12 0.12 See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements. - 2 - 5 ADVANTAGE LEARNING SYSTEMS, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED) FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2000 1999 ------------------- ----------------- (In thousands) Reconciliation of net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Net income $ 3,998 $ 4,256 Noncash (income) expenses included in net income - Depreciation and amortization 1,074 667 Deferred income taxes (51) (216) Change in assets and liabilities - Accounts receivable 2,388 (1,255) Inventory 175 22 Prepaid expenses (1,104) (194) Accounts payable and other current liabilities 1,190 1,288 Deferred revenue (1,444) 224 Other 59 (41) ------------------- ----------------- Net cash provided by operating activities 6,285 4,751 ------------------- ----------------- Cash flows from investing activities: Purchase of property, plant and equipment (1,275) (1,752) Purchase of short term investments, net (5,101) 7,022 Capitalized software development costs - (20) ------------------- ----------------- Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities (6,376) 5,250 ------------------- ----------------- Cash flows from financing activities: Return of capital to minority interest (60) - Proceeds from issuance of stock 490 222 Proceeds from exercise of stock options 6 266 Purchase of treasury stock (258) - ------------------- ----------------- Net cash provided by financing activities 178 488 ------------------- ----------------- Net increase in cash 87 10,489 Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 23,016 14,264 =================== ================= Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 23,103 $ 24,753 =================== ================= See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements. - 3 - 6 ADVANTAGE LEARNING SYSTEMS, INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) 1. CONSOLIDATION The consolidated financial statements include the financial results of Advantage Learning Systems, Inc. ("ALS") and its consolidated subsidiaries (collectively the "Company"). The Company's significant subsidiaries include the School Renaissance Institute, Inc., which changed its name from the Institute for Academic Excellence, Inc. in March 2000, and IPS Publishing, Inc. The Company also owns 70% of Athena Holdings LLC which was formed for the purpose of constructing a facility in Madison, Wisconsin. All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated in the consolidated financial statements. 2. BASIS OF PRESENTATION The consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the results of the interim periods, and are presented on an unaudited basis. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company's financial information contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K which is on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Effective July 1, 1999, the Company acquired Generation21 Learning Systems LLC ("Generation21"), a training and knowledge management enterprise software firm in Golden, Colorado. The transaction was accounted for as a pooling-of-interests. Accordingly, financial information for all periods presented has been restated to include the results of Generation21. The results of operations for the three month periods ended March 31, 2000 and 1999 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. 3. EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE Basic earnings per common share has been computed based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted earnings per common share has been computed based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding, increased by the number of additional common shares that would have been outstanding if the dilutive potential common shares had been issued. On January 3, 2000, the Company's Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to 1,000,000 shares of the Company's common stock. No time limit was placed on the duration of the repurchase program. Repurchased shares will become treasury shares and will be used for stock-based employee benefit plans and for other general corporate purposes. As of March 31, 2000, the Company had repurchased 20,000 shares. The weighted average shares outstanding during the three months ended March 31, 2000 and 1999 are as follows: Three Months Ended Three Months Ended March 31, 2000 March 31, 1999 ------------------ ------------------ Basic Weighted Average Shares 34,220,824 34,033,527 Impact of Stock Options 118,672 288,603 Diluted Weighted Average Shares 34,339,496 34,322,130 - 4 - 7 4. SEGMENT REPORTING The Company's reportable segments are strategic business units that offer different products and services. They are managed separately because each business requires different technology and marketing strategies. The Company has two reportable segments: software and training. The software segment produces learning information systems software for the K-12 school market in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. The software assists educators in assessing and monitoring student development by increasing the quantity, quality and timeliness of student performance data in the areas of reading, math and writing. The software segment also includes training and knowledge management enterprise software, which is currently sold primarily to corporate customers. Revenue from the software segment includes product revenue from the sale of software and service revenue from the sale of software support agreements. The training segment provides professional development training seminars. Its programs train educators on how to accelerate learning in the classroom through use of the information that the Company's learning information systems provide. Revenue from the training segment includes service revenue from a variety of seminars presented in hotels and schools across the country, and product revenue from training materials. The Company evaluates the performance of its operating segments based on operating income before nonrecurring items. Intersegment sales and transfers and revenue derived outside of the United States are not significant. Summarized financial information concerning the Company's reportable segments is shown in the following table: Three Months Ended March 31, 2000 1999 -------------- ----------- (In thousands) Revenues: Software $ 19,463 $ 16,514 Training 4,607 2,075 -------------- ----------- Total revenues $ 24,070 $ 18,589 ============== =========== Operating income: Software $ 6,039 $ 7,391 Training (171) (704) -------------- ----------- Total operating income $ 5,868 $ 6,687 ============== =========== The reported measures are consistent with those used in measuring amounts in the consolidated financial statements. Such measurements are generally along legal entity lines as aggregated. Effective January 1, 2000, the Company re-evaluated and changed certain cost allocations between the software and training segments. The result of the re-evaluation on previously reported segment disclosures is not material. It is management's opinion, however, that because many flows of value between the segments cannot be precisely quantified, this information provides an incomplete measure of the training segment profit or loss, and should not be viewed in isolation. Management evaluates the performance of the training segment based on many factors not captured by the financial accounting system and often evaluates the Company's financial performance on a total entity basis. 5. COMPREHENSIVE INCOME Total comprehensive income was $4,066,000 and $4,260,000 in the first quarter of 2000 and 1999, respectively. The Company's comprehensive income includes foreign currency translation adjustments and unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities. - 5 - 8 Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2000 AND 1999 The following table sets forth certain consolidated income statement data in dollars and as a percentage of net sales, except that individual components of costs of sales and gross profit are shown as a percentage of their corresponding component of net sales: THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2000 1999 CHANGE ------------------------- ------------------------- ---------------------- (Dollars in thousands) Net Sales: Products $18,372 76.3% $15,144 81.5% $3,228 21.3% Services 5,698 23.7% 3,445 18.5% 2,253 65.4% --------- ======== ---------- =========== ----------- Total net sales 24,070 100.0% 18,589 100.0% 5,481 29.5% --------- ======== ---------- =========== ----------- Cost of sales: Products 2,517 13.7% 1,576 10.4% 941 59.7% Services 3,049 53.5% 1,732 50.3% 1,317 76.0% ------------ ------------ ----------- Total cost of sales 5,566 23.1% 3,308 17.8% 2,258 68.3% ------------ ------------ ----------- Gross profit: Products 15,855 86.3% 13,568 89.6% 2,287 16.9% Services 2,649 46.5% 1,713 49.7% 936 54.6% ------------ ------------ ----------- Total gross profit 18,504 76.9% 15,281 82.2% 3,223 21.1% ------------ ------------ ----------- Operating expenses: Product development 3,170 13.2% 1,454 7.8% 1,716 118.0% Selling and marketing 6,633 27.6% 4,884 26.3% 1,749 35.8% General and administrative 2,833 11.8% 2,256 12.1% 577 25.6% ------------ ------------ ----------- Total operating expenses 12,636 52.5% 8,594 46.2% 4,042 47.0% ------------ ------------ ----------- Operating income 5,868 24.4% 6,687 36.0% (819) -12.2% Other income: Interest income 575 2.3% 413 2.2% 162 39.2% Other, net 146 0.6% 157 0.8% (11) -7.0% ------------ ------------ ----------- Total other income 721 3.0% 570 3.1% 151 26.5% ------------ ------------ ----------- Income before taxes 6,589 27.4% 7,257 39.0% (668) -9.2% Income taxes 2,591 10.8% 3,001 16.1% (410) -13.7% ------------ ------------ ----------- Net income $3,998 16.6% $4,256 22.9% $ (258) -6.1% ============ ============ =========== - 6 - 9 Net Sales. The Company's net sales increased by $5.5 million, or 29.5%, to $24.1 million in the first quarter of 2000 from $18.6 million in the first quarter of 1999. Product sales increased by $3.2 million, or 21.3%, to $18.4 million in the first quarter of 2000 from $15.1 million in the first quarter of 1999. The increase in product sales is primarily attributable to (i) increased sales of optical-mark card scanners included with the sale of all Accelerated Math software and also sold separately, (ii) increased sales of Accelerated Reader title disks, with about 32,000 available book titles, to a larger base of Accelerated Reader schools, and (iii) continued strong sales of the Company's STAR Reading software. The first quarter 1999 product sales included the shipment of a significant backlog of new Accelerated Math orders, as that product was completed in late 1998. While title disk sales grew over 1999 levels, management believes the rate of growth continued to be negatively impacted by the effects of the fall 1999 shipment of its new version of Accelerated Reader. Management expects the future growth rate of title disk sales will depend, in part, on schools' completing installation of the new version of Accelerated Reader. Service revenue, which consists of revenue from sales of training sessions and software support agreements, increased by $2.3 million, or 65.4%, to $5.7 million in the first quarter of 2000 from $3.4 million in the first quarter of 1999. Approximately $2.0 million of this increase is attributable to the Company's first annual National School Renaissance Conference presented in February. Service revenue from software support was negatively impacted by a decline in software kit sales in the first quarter of 2000 compared to the first quarter of 1999 due to the shipment of a significant backlog of Accelerated Math orders in 1999. Cost of Sales. The cost of sales of products increased by $941,000, or 59.7%, to $2.5 million in the first quarter of 2000 from $1.6 million in the first quarter of 1999. As a percentage of product sales, the cost of sales of products increased to 13.7% in the first quarter of 2000 compared to 10.4% in the first quarter of 1999. The increase in cost of sales of products is primarily due to increased sales of optical-mark card scanners. A scanner is included with the sale of all Accelerated Math software and in many cases, additional scanners are sold. Although scanners are profitable, the gross profit margin on hardware is not as high as the gross profit margin on software. The cost of sales of services increased by $1.3 million, or 76.0%, to $3.0 million in the first quarter of 2000 from $1.7 million in the first quarter of 1999. As a percentage of sales of services, the cost of sales of services increased to 53.5% in the first quarter of 2000 compared to 50.3% in the first quarter of 1999. This increase is primarily the result of costs associated with (i) the Company's first annual National School Renaissance Conference presented in the first quarter of 2000 and (ii) increased technical support costs due to broader product lines and the introduction of new versions of existing products. The Company's overall gross profit margin decreased to 76.9% in the first quarter of 2000 from 82.2% in the first quarter of 1999 due to decreased gross profit margins on both products and services and to an increase in service revenue as a percentage of total revenue in the first quarter of 2000. Management expects that the overall gross profit margin will improve somewhat in the remainder of 2000 as service sales are not expected to represent as large of a percentage of total sales in the remainder of the year. Product Development. Product development expenses increased by $1.7 million, or 118.0%, to $3.2 million in the first quarter of 2000 from $1.5 million in the first quarter of 1999. These expenses increased primarily due to increased staff and consulting costs associated with new product development including Perfect Copy High School, a writing skills product targeted at secondary-school English teachers; Accelerated Math objectives libraries for the first- and second-grade market; the completion of approximately 3,300 new Accelerated Reader quizzes; continued development of a suite of Web-based versions of the Company's existing core products; enhancements to and international versions of existing products; and a number of new products at various stages of development. As a percentage of net sales, product development costs increased to 13.2% in the first quarter of 2000 from 7.8% in the first quarter of 1999. The Company anticipates that product development costs will continue to increase with the Company's continued emphasis on product development and new business initiatives as a key to achieving future growth. Selling and Marketing. Selling and marketing expenses increased by $1.7 million, or 35.8%, to $6.6 million in the first quarter of 2000 from $4.9 million in the first quarter of 1999. These expenses increased due to (i) salary and recruiting costs associated with the hiring of additional personnel to market and promote a broader product line, (ii) expenses related to the Company's National School Renaissance Conference in February 2000, (iii) costs of marketing the Company's new Generation21 enterprise-wide training and knowledge management software system and (iv) international marketing efforts. As a percentage of net sales, selling and marketing expenses increased to 27.6% in the first quarter of 2000 from 26.3% in the first quarter of 1999. Management anticipates that selling and marketing expenses will generally continue to rise as the Company expands its product lines and customer and prospect base. - 7 - 10 General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses increased by $577,000, or 25.6%, to $2.8 million in the first quarter of 2000 from $2.3 million in the first quarter of 1999. The higher expenses for the first quarter of 2000 are largely due to increased costs associated with the hiring of additional personnel, including wages and related benefits to support a larger base of business including new initiatives such as Generation21 and the expansion internationally. As a percentage of net sales, general and administrative costs decreased to 11.8% in the first quarter of 2000 compared to 12.1% in the first quarter of 1999. Operating Income. Operating income decreased by $819,000, or 12.2%, to $5.9 million in the first quarter of 2000 from $6.7 million in the first quarter of 1999. As a percentage of net sales, operating income decreased to 24.4% in the first quarter of 2000 compared to 36.0% in the first quarter of 1999. Income Tax Expense. Income tax expense of $2.6 million was recorded in the first quarter of 2000 at an effective income tax rate of 39.3% of pre-tax income, compared to $3.0 million, or 41.4% of pre-tax income in the first quarter of 1999. The Company expects to maintain its effective tax rate at between 39% and 40% for 2000. LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES As of March 31, 2000, the Company's cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments increased to $46.2 million from the December 31, 1999 total of $41.0 million. The increase of $5.2 million in the first quarter of 2000 is primarily due to the net effect of an increase of $6.3 million in net cash provided by operating activities offset by $1.3 million used in the purchase of property, plant and equipment. The Company believes cash flow from operations and its current cash position will be sufficient to meet its working capital requirements and fund future growth acquisition opportunities for the foreseeable future. At March 31, 2000, the Company had a $10.0 million unsecured revolving line of credit with a bank which is available until March 31, 2001. The line of credit bears interest at either a floating rate based on the prime rate less 1.0%, or a fixed rate for a period of up to 90 days based on LIBOR plus 1.25%. The rate is at the option of the Company and is determined at the time of borrowing. The Company also has a $1.0 million unsecured revolving line of credit with a bank which is available until April 30, 2001. The line of credit bears interest at a fixed rate of 7.5%. As of March 31, 2000, the lines of credit had not been used. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS In accordance with the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Company can obtain a "safe-harbor" for forward-looking statements by identifying those statements and by accompanying those statements with cautionary statements which identify factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, the foregoing "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" contains certain forward-looking statements relating to growth plans, projected sales, revenues, earnings and costs, and product development schedules and plans. The Company's actual results may differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements herein. Factors which may cause such a difference to occur include those factors identified in Item 1, Business, Forward-Looking Statements, contained in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999, which factors are incorporated herein by reference to such Form 10-K. Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk At March 31, 2000, the Company had no material market risk exposure (e.g., interest rate risk, foreign currency exchange rate risk or commodity price risk). - 8 - 11 Part II - OTHER INFORMATION Item 2. Changes in Securities and Use of Proceeds (a) Not applicable. (b) Not applicable. (c) Not applicable. (d) The net proceeds to the Company from its initial public offering, after deducting underwriting discounts of $3,606,400 and other expenses of approximately $941,000, were approximately $46,972,000. From September 24, 1997 (the effective date of the Company's Form S-1 Registration Statement; SEC Reg. No. 333-22519) through March 31, 2000, the Company used the net proceeds from the offering as follows: (i) Approximately $1.6 million was used to pay compensation expenses related to the termination of the Company's phantom stock plan. (ii) Approximately $7.2 million was used to pay the entire principal and accrued interest on the mortgage note and an unsecured note, both related to the construction of the Company's facility in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. (iii) Approximately $5.1 million was used to pay the entire principal and accrued interest on notes from the Company's principal shareholders related to the 1996 acquisition of IPS Publishing, Inc. (iv) Approximately $10.9 million was used to pay distributions of S corporation retained profits to S corporation shareholders. (v) Approximately $7.4 million was used to invest in Athena Holdings LLC, a limited liability company formed for the purpose of constructing the Company's facility in Madison, Wisconsin. (vi) Approximately $2.4 million was used for pilot operations in various markets and miscellaneous acquisitions. (vii) Approximately $4.0 million was used for capital expenditures for expansion of operations. The Company has broad discretion with respect to the use of the remaining proceeds. - 9 - 12 Item 6. Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K (a) Exhibits. Exhibit No. Description ----------- ----------- 3.1 Amended and Restated By-laws of Advantage Learning Systems, Inc., as amended. 10.1 First Amendment to Credit Agreement dated as of December 31, 1997 by and between Norwest Bank Wisconsin, National Association and Advantage Learning Systems, Inc. 10.2 Second Amendment to Credit Agreement dated as of December 31, 1997 by and between Norwest Bank Wisconsin, National Association and Advantage Learning Systems, Inc. 27.1 Financial Data Schedule Pursuant to Regulation S-K, Item 601 (b) (4) (iii), the Registrant hereby agrees to furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission, upon request, a copy of each instrument and agreement with respect to long-term debt of the Registrant and its consolidated subsidiaries which does not exceed ten percent of the total assets of the Registrant and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. (b) The Company filed no reports on Form 8-K during the quarter covered by this report. - 10 - 13 SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. ADVANTAGE LEARNING SYSTEMS, INC. (Registrant) May 12, 2000 /s/ Michael H. Baum ------------- ------------------------------ Date Michael H. Baum Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) May 12, 2000 /s/ Steven A. Schmidt ------------ ------------------------------ Date Steven A. Schmidt Secretary, Vice President, and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) 14 Index to Exhibits Exhibit No. Description ----------- ----------- 3.1 Amended and Restated By-laws of Advantage Learning Systems, Inc., as amended. 10.1 First Amendment to Credit Agreement dated as of December 31, 1997 by and between Norwest Bank Wisconsin, National Association and Advantage Learning Systems, Inc. 10.2 Second Amendment to Credit Agreement dated as of December 31, 1997 by and between Norwest Bank Wisconsin, National Association and Advantage Learning Systems, Inc. 27.1 Financial Data Schedule