NEWTON, MA | April 2, 2010
A study conducted by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), and Grunwald Associates LLC has found a strong interest among education leaders in delivering state accountability tests online. The study, sponsored by Educational Testing Service, found that the move toward delivering high-stakes tests via the Internet is accelerating, with states either offering tests online now or considering such a move in the next five years.
The study also found interest in an open source platform for online assessments. Despite knowledge gaps about the exact nature of open source, there was nonetheless real interest in the potential cost-saving benefits of an open source assessment delivery platform, its adaptability potential, and the promise for collaboration.
Findings were based on interviews EDC conducted with more than 80 state assessment and technology leaders in 27 states, as well as with national education opinion leaders representing both public and private organizations. The report also provides case studies on what two states, Virginia and Utah, are already doing with online and open source-based assessment.
“The information we gained from these interviews gave us insight into the state of, and perceptions about, online assessment across the nation,” said EDC’s Robert Spielvogel. “This research, combined with our experience with formative and online assessment practices and our work with individual states on assessment possibilities, affords us a unique perspective. It is an exciting time to be involved with the emerging and dynamic possibilities of assessment and to have the expertise to assist states and districts.”
An Open Source Platform for Internet-based Assessment: A Report on Education Leaders’ Perceptions of Online Testing in an Open Source Environment can be downloaded for free at http://www.edc.org/sites/edc.org/files/pdfs/Rept-OpenSourcePlatform_for_OnlineAssessment.pdf. The report was developed and released by Grunwald Associates LLC (http://grunwald.com/).
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) is a global nonprofit organization that develops innovative programs to address urgent challenges in education, health, and economic development. EDC conducts more than 300 projects in 35 countries. Visit www.edc.org.
