AIR is partnering with the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, a state-led consortium committed to developing tests that use technology to better measure student knowledge and to make tests accessible to all. The Smarter Balanced tests will be delivered online and include innovative items and performance tasks that take advantage of the potential of technology.

AIR will make available an open-source testing platform to enable all states and others to deliver cutting edge tests.

Smarter Balanced is creating an assessment system aligned to the Common Core State Standards to measure mastery of the content students will need to succeed in colleges and careers. Initial tests will reach millions of students in 2013 and 2014.

The Smarter Balanced tests will be adaptive, meaning the difficulty of the questions will adjust to the knowledge level of the student. The test will be standards-based so each student will be assessed on the full range of the content they should be taught. Those taking the test will have access to a broad array of tools and embedded supports that will enable every student to clearly and fairly show what they know and can do.

AIR is one of the nation’s leading providers of academic assessments, and has been providing accessible, standards-based statewide adaptive testing services since 2007. AIR counts among its partners three of the Consortium’s Governing States—Delaware, Hawaii and Oregon—with whom AIR collaborated to develop some of the innovations that the Consortium is now building upon. The innovations include new ways to enable a test to adapt to student performance, as well as a breakthrough way to provide online Braille tests to improve testing for blind students.
 
AIR has partnered with Data Recognition Corporation, another of the nation’s most respected assessment organizations, to deliver these services.