Questar Assessment, Inc. (www.QuestarAI.com), a leading educational assessment provider for states, school districts, and higher education institutions, has announced its participation in the upcoming Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) 41st Annual National Conference on Student Assessment (NCSA). The conference will take place the week of June 19–22, 2011, at the Peabody Orlando in Orlando, Florida.
“NCSA is an important event for the assessment industry,” said Roy Lipner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Questar Assessment, Inc. (Questar). “Questar looks forward to participating in this excellent forum for state and district assessment decision-makers, both as a sponsor and as a contributor to thought leadership.”
Questar will participate in the following session:
Results from EdSteps: An Open-Source, Paired Comparison Rating Process to Build a Continuum of Student Writing Samples
Susan Trent, Vice President of Assessment Services, Questar Assessment, Inc., Panel Member
Members of the EdSteps Technical Advisory Committee, facilitated by CCSSO, will share the results of the rating process used to create the EdSteps writing continuum. EdSteps asked the public to engage in an online paired-comparison review of over 1,000 writing samples collected from students from every state, in every grade level, and for all types of purposes and prompts. Over three months, 400 raters from across the country contributed to completing 40,000 pair-reviews online. The results of these comparisons have been aggregated and analyzed to create a continuum of student writing, from the most emerging expressions of writing to the most advanced. This session will explore the results of this process and what lessons can be learned from this innovative measurement approach.
Questar is a gold sponsor at the conference and will sponsor the conference program guide. In addition to sponsorship, Questar will also be exhibiting.
About Questar Assessment, Inc.
Questar Assessment, Inc., is a leading educational assessment provider for states, schools, and school districts. Headquartered in Minnesota and New York, Questar offers comprehensive custom assessment services—from large-scale statewide assessment programs to alternate, modified, and English language proficiency assessments. Questar provides complete, end-to-end services designed to address all aspects of assessment from test design, development, calibration, and psychometric services to print production, distribution, scanning, scoring, reporting, and data analysis. Questar also offers customized online testing services to schools and educational entities in the K–12 market. For further information, visit www.QuestarAI.com or call 800-800-2598.
About the Council of Chief State School Officers
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the United States, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five United States extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. The Council seeks member consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public. For further information, visit www.ccsso.org or call 202-336-7000.