South Dakota Turns to WriteToLearn From Pearson for Spring 2010 Writing Assessment Pilot
Technology-Based Formative Assessment Will Measure Student Progress, Help Build 21st Century Literacy Skills
BOULDER, Colo. - March 11, 2010 - More than 18,000
South Dakota students will participate in a pilot test of a new state
writing assessment this spring. Students in grades 5, 7 and 10 will take
the 2010 Dakota Writing Assessment using WriteToLearn™, an
award-winning Web-based writing and reading comprehension tool from the
education, technology and services company, Pearson.
The state made the decision to move from a summative to formative
writing assessment in response to requests from teachers for a test they
can use periodically throughout the year to measure student progress and
give immediate feedback to students on their writing skills.
"Using WriteToLearn allows students to practice their writing with
informative feedback and gives teachers the information they need to
identify individual and class strengths and weaknesses," said Wade
Pogany, Director, Assessment and Technology Systems, South Dakota
Department of Education. "This will help students continue to build
the communication skills needed for success in school and life."
With WriteToLearn, students practice essay writing and summarization
skills, and their efforts are measured by Pearson's state-of-the-art
Knowledge Analysis Technologies™ (KAT) engine. The KAT Engine is a
unique automated assessment technology that evaluates the meaning of
text, not just grammatical correctness or spelling. WriteToLearn
provides feedback on six traits of writing - ideas, organization,
conventions, sentence fluency, word choice and voice - and allows
students and teachers to focus on each of these important dimensions of
writing.
Students find the WriteToLearn environment both engaging and
motivational, encouraging them to spend extra time on assignments and
projects.
"South Dakota is truly leading the nation with this new
forward-thinking approach to student writing assessment," said
Bruce Smith, Pearson's Vice President for assessment for South Dakota.
"As students move from taking paper-and-pencil assessments to using
our online, formative assessment, the power of technology will
accelerate their learning and put them on the path to higher levels of
achievement."
More information about WriteToLearn is available at www.WriteToLearn.net.
About Pearson
Pearson (NYSE:PSO), the global leader in education and education
technology, reaches and engages today's digital natives with effective
and personalized learning, as well as dedicated professional development
for their teachers. This commitment is demonstrated in the company's
investment in innovative print and digital education materials for preK
through college, student information systems and learning management
systems, teacher professional development, career certification programs,
and testing and assessment products that set the standard for the
industry. Pearson's commitment to education for all is supported by the
global philanthropic initiatives of the Pearson Foundation. Pearson's
other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the
Penguin Group. For more information, go to www.pearson.com.
For more information, press only:
Adam Gaber, Pearson, 800-745-8489, adam.gaber@pearson.com
Lisa Wolfe, L. Wolfe Communications, 773-227-1049, lwolfe@lwolfe.com
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