New company to administer qualifying test

MAT-SU -- Data Recognition Corporation may possibly be administrating the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam as soon as fall of this year. The Department of Education and Early Development announced last week an Intent to Award a contract to the Minnesota firm. Once awarded, DRC would develop and administer Alaska's statewide student assessment program, which will include tests in grades 3 through 9 plus the HSGQE.

"This is great news for Alaska," said Education and Early Development Commissioner Roger Sampson. "Our new statewide assessment system contractor offers many new benefits for Alaska's students, teachers, school administrators and the state of Alaska. An additional bonus is that it provides additional benefits as less cost to the state. It's a win-win situation for all of us."

The six-year contract will cost the state $5 million annually. Alaska will save a total of $12.3 million during the course of the contract compared to the costs of the former contractor.

During the past six years, Alaska was experiencing escalating costs combined with changing needs for the state's testing system because of assessment requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

A major benefit of the new contract is that Alaska will now own the test questions, which will make changing test contractors almost seamless the next time Alaska seeks a new contractor.

"The assessment market has changed considerably since we began building a statewide assessment system in 1998," Sampson said. "This time we discovered a different market that is offering more product for less money."

DRC will use two current versions of the HSGQE developed by CTB/McGraw-Hill for the fall 2004 and the spring 2005 administrations of the exam.

The tests will include a balance of constructed response questions, where students write out their answers, and multiple choice questions. All test questions will be tied directly to the Alaska content and performance standards.

The new contractor will offer the following benefits:

Assessments in grades 3 through 9 and the HSGQE that are criterion-reference tests based on Alaska standard student standards in English, writing and math, specifically designed for Alaska.

Testing window in April, maximizing instructional time within a year to teach skills outlined in the grade level expectations.

Alaska will own all test questions.

Contractor will study methods to move assessments to electronic format so students can take the exams on computers, allowing remote testing and faster return of assessments for scoring.

DRC currently conducts large-scale student assessment programs for the states of Louisiana, South Carolina, Minnesota, Alabama and Ohio.

In the near future, DRC, in concert with the department, will convene committees of Alaskans to assist in development of the new tests. The first versions of the test in grades 3 through 9 will be administered in the spring of 2005, the new HSGQE will be administered in the fall of that same year.