Fair Value Measurements

6 Months Ended

Feb. 28, 2015

We measure and disclose certain financial instruments at fair value as described in Note 5, Financial Instruments. Liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis, all of which are included in other liabilities on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, consist of the following as of February 28, 2015 and August 31, 2014:



			Fair Value Measurements at Reporting Dates Using
	Fair Value as of Respective Reporting Dates		Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Liabilities (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
($ in thousands)	Fair Value as of Respective Reporting Dates				Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Contingent consideration as of February 28, 2015	$	6,416	$	—	$	—	$	6,416
Contingent consideration as of August 31, 2014	$	41,893	$	—	$	—	$	41,893

The following summarizes changes in liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) for the respective periods:



	Three Months Ended February 28,				Six Months Ended February 28,
($ in thousands)	2015		2014		2015			2014
Beginning balance	$	6,292	$	5,743	$	41,893		$	5,277
Initial contingent consideration at fair value	—		21,371		—			21,371
Change in fair value included in net income	124		8,288		(997		)	8,754
Payment for contingent consideration	—		—		(34,480		)	—
Currency translation adjustment	—		621		—			621
Ending balance	$	6,416	$	36,023	$	6,416		$	36,023

Our contingent consideration liabilities are valued using discounted cash flow valuation methods encompassing significant unobservable inputs. The inputs include estimated operating results scenarios for the applicable performance periods, probability weightings assigned to operating results scenarios and the discount rates applied. Our contingent consideration liabilities relate to the following:

•

Open Colleges - As a result of our acquisition of Open Colleges during fiscal year 2014, we had contingent consideration that was based on Open Colleges’ operating results through June 2014 as defined in the acquisition agreement. We initially measured the contingent consideration at $21.4 million based on information available as of the acquisition date. We settled the contingent consideration during fiscal year 2015 and paid $34.5 million, which includes $21.4 million in financing activities and the remaining portion is included in operating activities on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.


•	Apollo Global - As a result of our purchase of the noncontrolling interest in Apollo Global during fiscal year 2013, we have contingent consideration that is based on a portion of Apollo Global’s operating results through the fiscal years ending August 31, 2017. As of February 28, 2015, the estimated fair value for this contingent consideration was $6.4 million.

We did not change our valuation techniques associated with recurring fair value measurements from prior periods.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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