SMARTER Balanced and PARCC to Launch New Technology Readiness Tool to Support Transition to Online Assessments
31 Januar 2012 - 4:00PM
Business Wire
The SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium and the Partnership
for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) today
announced they have awarded a contract to Pearson to develop a new
Technology Readiness Tool to support states as they transition to
next-generation assessments. This new open source tool, with the
assistance of the State Educational Technology Directors
Association (SETDA), will support state education agencies as they
work with local education agencies to evaluate and determine needed
technology and infrastructure upgrades for the new online
assessments to be launched by the two consortia in the 2014-15
school year.
"Online assessments offer states and school districts clear
advantages, including expanded item types, timely feedback to
inform instruction, and improved accommodations for students with
special needs," said Joe Willhoft, Executive Director of SMARTER
Balanced. "To be successful, however, careful planning and
management of the transition process is a must. That’s why both
consortia are working with state and local education leaders from
around the country to develop this new, free tool to help states
facilitate the evaluation of current technology and infrastructure
for online testing."
SMARTER Balanced and PARCC both received grants from the federal
Race to the Top Assessment Program to work with states to create
next-generation, comprehensive assessment systems. The development
of the Technology Readiness Tool is one component of their
initiatives to establish infrastructure and content for common
online assessments. Intended to launch in spring 2012, the tool
will be developed using open source technology, allowing the
consortia free access to the source code. Data will be collected
twice annually through 2014 to provide updated information on
technology and infrastructure readiness.
"Navigating any type of educational change is a complicated
process and the move to online assessments brings with it great
opportunities and unique challenges," said Laura Slover, Senior
Vice President at Achieve, which is the project management partner
for the PARCC consortium. "Both test consortia are focused on
providing the tools and resources to remove any potential
roadblocks for states as they move through the transition
process."
Both consortia are working with their member states to develop
next-generation assessments that align to the new Common Core State
Standards and accurately measure student progress toward college
and career readiness. Use of the tool will allow local schools to
capture and report key readiness indicators, including: number and
type of computers; local network and bandwidth infrastructure; and
local staff resources and other information needed to evaluate
overall technology readiness for the coming transition to digital
delivery of assessments. The consortia are collaborating with SETDA
to work with Pearson to support its deployment by providing states
and school districts with multiple training resources and a
communications campaign.
“With their investment in the development of this Technology
Readiness Tool, the leaders of SMARTER Balanced and PARCC will put
states and school districts on a path toward successfully
implementing next-generation assessments," said Douglas Kubach,
President and CEO, the Assessment and Information group of Pearson.
"At Pearson we are deeply committed to contributing our vision and
expertise to support the transition to online assessments.”
About SMARTER Balanced
The SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium brings together
states to create a common, innovative assessment system for
mathematics and English language arts/literacy that is aligned with
the Common Core State Standards and helps prepare students for
college and careers. The Consortium involves educators,
researchers, policymakers, and community groups in a transparent
and consensus-driven process to help all students thrive in a
knowledge-driven global economy. The Consortium’s projects are
funded through a four-year, $175 million grant from the U.S.
Department of Education, comprising 99 percent of activity
resources, with the remaining support provided through generous
contributions of charitable foundations. Membership is open to any
interested U.S. state. For more information, please
visit www.smarterbalanced.org.
About PARCC
PARCC is an alliance of states working together to develop
common assessments serving nearly 25 million students. PARCC’s work
is funded through a four-year, $185 million grant from the U.S.
Department of Education. Partners include about 200 higher
education institutions and systems representing hundreds of
campuses across the country that will help develop the high school
component of the new assessment and then put it to good use as an
indicator of student readiness. PARCC is led by its member states
and managed by Achieve, a nonprofit group with a 15-year track
record of working with states to improve student achievement by
aligning K-12 education policies with the expectations of employers
and the postsecondary community. PARCC’s ultimate goal is to make
sure all students graduate from high school college- and
career-ready. For more information, visit www.parcconline.org
About Pearson
Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, has global reach
and market-leading businesses in education, business information
and consumer publishing (NYSE: PSO). For more information about the
Assessment & Information group of Pearson, visit
http://www.pearsonassessments.com/.
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