Provo, UT and Eagan, MN—August 13, 2014—Imagine Learning®, the developer of focused language and literacy software for students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, today announced a new alliance with Scantron®, a leading provider of K–12 interim/formative assessment solutions. The combination of Scantron’s leading online assessments with the Imagine Learning platform offers an independent, valid, and reliable growth measure to evaluate student learning during program use and across grade levels.
This strategic relationship expands assessment resources available to teachers and administrators to now include a market leading, researched-based diagnostic tool that provides an unbiased data set to measure and track student learning—allowing educators to make better-informed decisions regarding individualized instruction.
“We’ve received requests from teachers and administrators who want to be able to validate the efficacy of Imagine Learning through an independent assessment. Because meeting customers’ needs is at the top of our priority list, we are happy to join with Scantron in addressing this request,” said Marc Liebman, Chief Academic Officer. The alliance with Scantron will allow Imagine Learning to provide an integrated solution of its software with Scantron’s computer adaptive Performance Series® Reading assessment, so the test will launch automatically on a school-selected schedule.
Because Performance Series is adaptive, each assessment is tailored to the proficiency level of the individual student, making it an ideal assessment solution for all student populations. The online test adjusts automatically to each student’s ability level, generating more difficult questions if the student is answering correctly and easier ones if the student is answering incorrectly.
“Scantron is committed to advancing language and literacy development through opportunities like this where our flexible, highly-individualized assessment solutions help pinpoint instructional needs of diverse student populations like English language learners, beginning students, and struggling readers,” said Jay Whitchurch,Executive Vice President for Scantron. “Our process for item development and detailed, skill level reporting aligned to Common Core, specific state, or a combination of standards is what makes us a leader in the diagnostic assessment space. We are delighted to ally with Imagine Learning and support school districts across the country.”
Because Imagine Learning works with a variety of educators—some in states that are using state standards, some who are transitioning to the Common Core Standards, and some who have adopted a blend of state and Common Core standards—Scantron’s flexibility in providing diagnostic assessments aligned to Common Core,state standards, or a blend of standards was a key requirement in forming the new partnership. Imagine Learning will utilize Performance Series Express version, which allows for shorter and more frequent assessments. Students complete the 15–35 minute computer adaptive test during Imagine Learning time, so as not to detract from core classroom instruction.
