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Learning.com Launches Beta for New Assessment Aligned to Refreshed ISTE Standards, 21st Century Skills

Beta administration to test a minimum of 3,000 students this fall

Portland, Ore. – November 10, 2008
Learning.com has begun a beta administration for its new 21st century skills assessment that aligns to the “refreshed” 2007 ISTE NETS-S standards, and includes a portfolio assessment.

More than 3,000 students nationwide are being assessed with Learning.com’s newest assessment, designed to go well beyond merely assessing whether students are proficient using technology tools. Rather, this new psychometrically valid assessment focuses on student proficiency in 21st century skills, including creativity, collaboration, the ability to demonstrate information fluency, practice safe and legal use of technology, and troubleshoot systems and applications, among others. The assessment is aligned to the 2007 refresh of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S).

The final assessment will be released in early 2009 and will include:

• elementary and middle schools versions
• a blend of multiple choice, knowledge-based questions and interactive, performance-based questions
• project-based portfolio assessment and rubrics for teachers to score student responses
• both pre  and post assessments
• multiple levels of proficiency reporting
• reports at the district, school, class and student levels.

For statewide implementations, the assessment provides aggregated reporting for students in every district in which it is administered.

The new assessment items were developed by seasoned education content developers, including teachers, all of whom have deep curriculum experience and knowledge of the ISTE standards, with established psychometricians overseeing the validation.

“What we have learned from educators is that while it is true that students come to school with a willingness to engage with technology and experience in game playing and being online, what they still need is strategies to apply technology in meaningful ways, how to learn new technologies when they come up, and how to behave in these new environments,” says William J. Kelly, CEO for Learning.com. “We believe these areas deserve attention, and our customers embrace that and find value in having data from our assessment to guide their instruction.”

Learning.com is a pioneer in technology proficiency assessment. More than half a million assessments have been administered with TechLiteracy Assessment to students throughout the United States since its introduction in 2006. It has won numerous awards, including the prestigious SIIA Codie Award.

About Learning.com
Learning.com, the premier provider of Web-delivered curriculum and assessment, partners with schools and districts to improve student learning outcomes. The Portland, Ore.-based company transforms learning experiences through its understanding of the art and science of Web-based teaching and learning. Founded in 1999, it serves nearly two million students in schools across the United States. Its award-winning solutions are EasyTech, a proven, K-8 technology literacy curriculum that helps students develop and apply technology skills in math, language arts, social studies and science; TechLiteracy Assessment, provides valid measurement and reports for critical technology skills and knowledge; and Aha!Math, an interactive K-5 supplemental math curriculum that supports teachers to improve students’ foundational math skills while developing their higher level problem-solving and reasoning skills. For more information, please visit www.learning.com or call 800-580-4640.