Questar Assessment, Inc. (OTCBB: QUSA) today announced that it has been awarded a contract to continue to provide support for the State of Indiana’s Indiana Core 40 End-of –Course Assessment programs for high school students. The new Core 40 program includes the phasing out of the current Graduation Qualifying Exams.
The value of this two year contract is $11.0 million dollars with the possibility of two two-year extensions for a total of six years.
“About six years ago, we began to provide assistance to Indiana and the Core 40 program,” said Andrew L. Simon, Questar President and Chief Executive Officer. “Over time, our role grew to encompass the entire program. We value our relationship with the State of Indiana and are committed to supporting the State’s economic objectives for a cost-effective, fiscally responsible, and academically rigorous assessment system.”
A key part of Indiana’s new plan for improving student achievement and the assessment system is the re-design and restructuring of the Core 40 End-of-Course Assessments (ECAs) program for high school students. As part of the new plan, the State is working with Indiana’s colleges and universities to also use the End-of-Course assessments as college placement exams for seamless transition from high school to college.
The new End-of-Course program is also a sound investment in Indiana’s economic future, noted Simon. Questar’s plan for the ECAs includes plans to employ Indiana educators and Indiana businesses wherever possible for activities including but not limited to item development, scoring, and materials printing.
“Our partnership with Indiana is both good for Indiana and good for Questar,” explained Simon. “We truly believe that we understand their concerns and needs as we continue our commitment to finding the right, high-quality educational solutions for the students, educators, and citizens of Indiana.”
ABOUT QUESTAR ASSESSMENT, INC. (formerly TASA)
Questar Assessment, Inc. headquartered in Brewster, N.Y., offers a comprehensive suite of educational assessment solutions to states, schools, school districts and to third parties. As one of the nation’s leading providers, Questar provides products and services that range from test design, development, calibration, and psychometric services through print production, distribution, scanning, scoring, reporting, and data analysis services, as well as readability analysis of written materials. To meet the requirements in electronic assessment, Questar offers on-line testing services to schools and educational entities in the K-12 market as well as customized assessment engines for curriculum providers. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.questarai.com.
Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are “forward-looking” statements as contemplated by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which are enumerated in the company’s reports filed with The Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in the forward-looking statements.