AIR Enables Chromebooks to Deliver Assessments for K–12 Statewide Online Testing
Washington, D.C. – The American Institutes for Research (AIR) and Google are collaborating so that students throughout the nation will be able to use the Chromebook when taking major statewide tests. The collaborative effort combines AIR’s strength as an industry leader in K–12 online assessment with Google’s powerful low-cost secure computer technology.
AIR is currently partnering with the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced), a state-led consortium developing next-generation assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards in English language arts/literacy and mathematics. AIR is developing an open-source testing platform for delivering the Consortium’s online, computer-adaptive summative and interim assessments to students.
“We are delighted to be partnering with Google. Chromebooks give schools a robust, way to take the secure tests we deliver, and schools have them for instruction all year round,” said Jon Cohen, executive vice president of AIR and director of the Assessment Program. “Being able to support Chromebooks gives schools a versatile, high-power option for taking the Smarter Balanced assessments.”
The Chromebook is an ideal solution for schools with its cloud-based management capabilities, which allows administrators to provide rich educational applications to students in a controlled environment,” said Vidya Nagarajan, product manager, Chrome OS for Enterprise at Google. “AIR can use the Chromebook management capabilities to allow schools to securely administer assessments to students. This is a great opportunity to work with AIR in providing a secure and powerful solution for assessments.”
Chromebooks are optimized for the web and built with speed, security, and simplicity in mind, providing a secure browsing experience for students. Chromebooks can be used to deliver the Smarter Balanced tests in a secure mode that ensures that students cannot copy the test questions or search the Internet for answers. These features make the Chromebook an ideal tool for the next-generation assessments being created by Smarter Balanced.
AIR, a not-for-profit organization, is one of the nation’s leading providers of academic assessments and has been providing accessible, standards-based statewide adaptive testing services since 2007.
About AIR
Established in 1946, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of health, education, and workforce productivity. For more information, visit www.air.org.
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