Patricia C. Ross
603.749.9102, ext. 2157
An easy-to-use test delivery suite simplifies the transition to the Common Core State Standards.
DOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE — September 17, 2013 — In response to the continued need to connect educators with quality assessment solutions, Measured Progress is pleased to introduce Measured Progress COMMON CORE ™ Assessments, a new, integrated online solution designed to enable school district administrators, teachers, and students to effectively transition to the Common Core State Standards.
COMMON CORE Assessments guide teachers as they prepare students for the increased rigor and cognitive demands of the new standards. The high-quality content Measured Progress is recognized for is now offered through Lighthouse™, a next-generation assessment delivery platform developed by Texas-based eMetric, LLC, and made available to Measured Progress for the delivery of the COMMON CORE Assessments.
This combination is unique in the assessment field. Among other features, it includes an online test delivery platform. Combined with COMMON CORE Assessments, the platform’s advanced tools and capabilities allow teachers to craft their own innovative items and assessments, provide students with accessibility tools, and offer a simple, intuitive testing experience.
COMMON CORE Assessments include:
- Benchmarks: Reading and mathematics assessments to monitor students’ understanding and progress before they are evaluated on summative assessments. Benchmarks also provide instructional feedback about the scope and sequence of a school or district’s curriculum and instruction.
- Testlets: Short, preconfigured assessments that measure student understanding of specific reading and mathematics standards in less than one class period. Formative tools that come with each Testlet engage students and allow teachers to analyze evidence of student understanding, which they can use to inform instruction.
- An Item Bank: Composed of items that span a range of levels of cognitive complexity. Educators may choose from a variety of item types in reading and mathematics to introduce students to the increased rigor and cognitive demands of the Common Core.
COMMON CORE Assessments are built to the Common Core State Standards and cover standards taught in grades three through eight. The Testlets and Item Bank also include items that target high school standards.
The introduction of this comprehensive assessment suite is well timed; as implementation of the Common Core State Standards draws closer, educators across much of the nation are focused on getting students ready for the heightened challenge of aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment to these new standards. Because Measured Progress built its Benchmarks, Testlets, and Item Bank specifically to the Common Core, teachers and students can gain familiarity with the new standards through formative instructional and assessment practices.
“We are totally committed to harnessing the power and potential of assessment to improve students’ opportunities for academic success,” said Martin Borg, Measured Progress President and Chief Executive Officer. “This announcement brings us closer to reaching this goal while helping educators through the challenges of transition.”
Measured Progress COMMON CORE Assessments give educators new insights into what students know—and pinpoint areas that need instructional focus. Moreover, teachers can construct Technology-Enhanced Items (TEIs), which promise to play a prominent role in next-generation testing. TEIs have the potential to improve measurement of high-level constructs and provide insights into student thought processes by capturing how students interact with content. TEIs also create a more engaging and authentic experience for students. Providing school district administrators and teachers with these powerful new item authoring capabilities helps support their students’ mastery of the rigorous new standards better than items created in a traditional, template-driven assessment process.
“In the education arena we spend plenty of time defining the ‘what’ of improving classroom practice; Measured Progress’s tools and systems finally put the ‘how’ into our hands,” said Gary Whiteley, Director of the Alaska Administrator Coaching Project. “These products truly marry the best of both worlds—grounded in research and reflective of the insights of practitioners.”
To learn more about Measured Progress COMMON CORE Assessments, visit www.measuredprogress.org.
About Measured Progress
Measured Progress is a Dover, New Hampshire-based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to student learning and improving instruction in the standards-based classroom. Since 1983, Measured Progress has successfully partnered with more than 30 states and hundreds of districts across the nation, as well as multi-state consortia, in support of assessment programs that affect millions of students. Measured Progress develops state- and district-level assessments and is the nation’s leading provider of alternate assessments for students with cognitive disabilities.
The SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium has awarded Measured Progress contracts to create specifications for new and innovative items; to design the consortium’s assessment technology architecture; and to develop policies and training materials related to item writing, item review, and testing accommodations and accessibility. The company has also worked with partners to develop items for the PARCC Consortium.