CTB/McGraw-Hill Presents Webinar Series for Development of Next Generation State Assessments

MONTEREY, Calif., Dec. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- CTB/McGraw-Hill, a leading provider of PreK–12 and adult education assessments, today announced the completion of a webinar series designed to provide technical advice and design guidance for the development of state and local assessment programs. The webinar series, titled Performance Assessment for the Next Generation of State Assessments, focused on assessment relative to the Common Core State Standards, monitoring growth toward college and career readiness, and targeting content areas, skills, and cognitive processes demanded by the new standards in English language arts and mathematics.

Archived versions of each webinar are available at CTB.com/AssessmentWebinar. Presentation slides also are available for downloading.

"The role of state and local assessment in the teaching-learning process is evolving rapidly as the result of important initiatives such as Common Core State Standards, which pose some challenges to states as they redesign their assessment programs to meet new requirements," said Ellen Haley, president of CTB/McGraw-Hill. "CTB offered the webinar series to bring together the best minds in the assessment field, to evaluate and discuss the implications to state assessment programs. These topical seminars, with input from CTB research professionals and state assessment experts from across the country, will help educators understand these challenges and develop the next generation of assessment programs."

The Performance Assessment for the Next Generation of State Assessments webinar series comprised presentations, commentaries, and examples, each targeting a specific aspect of assessment practice and technology. Webinars also addressed psychometric and other considerations that experts envision for the next generation of state assessment programs. Each webinar consisted of a 30 minute presentation by a recognized national expert, followed by 15 minutes of commentary by other educational professionals such as assessment program staff from various states. Each session concluded with 15 minutes of participant Q and A. Nine webinar sessions were included in the series:

1. Overview on Performance Assessment for the Next Generation of State Assessments
2. Assessing Mathematics Learning and Growth in the Next Generation of State Assessments
3. Assessing Learning and Growth in the Reading Common Core Standards for the Next Generation of State Assessments
4. Psychometric Issues, Opportunities, and Challenges for the Next Generation of Assessments
5. Computer-Adaptive Testing and Automated Test Assembly in the Next Generation of State Assessments
6. Assessing the Common Core State Standards in Writing, Listening, and Speaking in the Next Generation of State Assessments
7. Capitalizing on Technology to Assess Student Cognition and Learning in Formative Assessments
8. Current and Needed Vendor Capabilities to Support the Next Generation of State Assessments
9. Bonus Session: Classroom Formative Assessment and Learning Progressions

CTB will continue working with its state partners and the assessment consortia to develop and refine the assessment approaches, methods, and technologies that will define the next generation of state assessment programs.

About CTB/McGraw-Hill

CTB/McGraw-Hill has an 85-year record of innovation and excellence in assessment, and serves more than 18 million students in all 50 states and in 46 countries. One of the first American publishers to introduce objective, standardized achievement tests to schools, today CTB/McGraw-Hill is a leader in testing with recognized products for online formative, adult, and language proficiency assessment. Dedicated to advancing the use of student performance data to inform instructional decision-making, CTB/McGraw-Hill's innovation continues today with technologies that include Web-based assessment and reporting, student response device (clicker) software, and artificial intelligence for automated scoring of student essays. CTB/McGraw-Hill is part of McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP). McGraw-Hill Education is a leading global provider of instructional, assessment and reference solutions that empower professionals and students of all ages. For more information, visit CTB.com.

SOURCE CTB/McGraw-Hill