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ETS and Toledo Public Schools Partner to Improve Student Achievement

Posted on: Tuesday, 8 November 2005, 09:01 CST

ETS and the Toledo Public School District announced today a yearlong project in which the district's teachers and administrators will integrate ETS's data management and assessment tools into classroom teaching practice to help improve student achievement.

The effort will use ETS's Instructional Data Management System(TM) (IDMS(TM)), a Web-based software application, to provide educators with tools that helps teachers:

-- align their curricula to Ohio's Academic Content Standards

-- pace instruction throughout the school year

-- create formative assessments (tests or quizzes given in the classroom throughout the year)

-- disaggregate state and local assessment information

-- maintain an electronic grade book and produce standards-based report cards

ETS will partner with the district to train administrators and teachers on using the IDMS system and how to build tests using ETS's Formative Assessment Item Bank, an extensive online bank of 14,000 math and language arts test questions tailored to Ohio's Academic Content Standards. ETS will also train educators to interpret and use the reports and information the system generates to guide instruction.

"Toledo Public Schools has used IDMS on a trial basis since April, and we're impressed that all of the tools are research based and aligned to state standards," says Toledo Public Schools Chief Academic Officer Craig Cotner. "We believe IDMS will go a long way in helping the district align and pace curricula and focus instruction so that our students can achieve their full academic potential."

As part of this agreement, ETS will also partner with the district to create student progress assessments for grades 3-8. The assessments will help the district pace the curriculum, guide instruction and prepare students for the next grade level.

"The Toledo Public School District is a progressive district that understands the value and need for standards-based instruction and assessments," says John Oswald, Senior Vice President of Elementary & Secondary Education at ETS. "The district leadership and ETS share a strong commitment to improving student performance. We look forward to working with teachers and school leaders in Toledo to do just that and to take what we learn from this experience and use it to help students in other parts of the country."

The IDMS system and the Formative Assessment Item Bank are key components of a set of data-driven decision making resources under ETS's System 5 solution, a customizable and comprehensive suite of K-12 products and services designed to improve school performance and student achievement.

About Toledo Public Schools

The Toledo Public School District is the fourth-largest public school system in Ohio. The district operates more than 60 elementary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools and specialized learning centers for about 32,000 students. Toledo Public School District is a member of the Council of Great City Schools, which represents 50 of the largest urban school districts in the nation with a combined enrollment of 7 million students. For more information, visit www.tps.org.

About ETS

ETS is a nonprofit institution with the mission to advance quality and equity in education by providing fair and valid assessments, research and related services for all people worldwide. In serving individuals, educational institutions and government agencies around the world, ETS customizes solutions to meet the need for teacher professional-development products and services, classroom and end-of-course assessments, and research-based teaching and learning tools. Founded in 1947, ETS today develops, administers and scores more than 24 million tests annually, in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. Additional information is available at www.ets.org.

Source: Business Wire

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