Press Release - June 21, 2004

Leading Testing and Standards Groups Announce New Technology Assessment Designed to Meet Needs of Middle School Students in U.S.

ISTE®, ICDL and Vantage Learning team up to develop and distribute a unique, affordable assessment tool that will draw from ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS*S) to address the challenges of No Child Left Behind and broader middle school technology literacy requirements

Newtown, PA, June 21, 2004 - Announced from the floor of the National Education Computing Conference (NECC), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the International Computer Driving License US company (ICDL-US) and Vantage Learning have teamed up to create a scalable, national assessment for middle school students anchored in ISTE's NETS*S. The partnership will create an assessment designed for both No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements as well as more general technology literacy assessment needs. The test will be affordably priced and will be ready for national use for the 2005-06 school year.

The three partners in this endeavor are all leaders in developing, validating and delivering online testing. ISTE is the creator of the NETS, a set of goals that describe specific standards that administrators, teachers and students should accomplish by given grade levels in grades K-12. ICDL is the world's leading basic technology skills certification program with more than 3.5 million individuals gaining their certification worldwide and the ICDL syllabus will be used as a guideline in developing this new assessment. Vantage Learning is the world's leading provider of online tests, delivering more than 18 million tests per year primarily in U.S. schools.

The assessment will be the first created with ISTE's direct participation as an option to meet the NCLB technology literacy requirement that includes an open-ended question format and instant feedback through an automated response system. It will consist of several specific test units that will include knowledge-based, performance-based, and open-ended responses requiring students to apply their knowledge. Each testing unit will last up to a maximum of one hour and will be delivered online in a secure, proctored environment.

ISTE's partnership in the project ensures that the content of the assessment is anchored in the NETS standards. ISTE, the leading organization for technology in education standards, will participate in the overall design of the project and will provide insight from school technology leaders nationwide. "ISTE is pleased to be an official partner in the development of this student assessment tool. We have had multiple requests for an assessment to meet these needs, and feel that with the partnership we have formed with ICDL-US and Vantage we can create a unique, valuable and affordable tool that schools can trust to assist them in addressing the challenge of meeting technology literacy requirements in their areas," said Don Knezek, Chief Executive Officer of ISTE.

ICDL will contribute to developing the assessment based upon the program's goals and open syllabus. "ICDL is a certification tool that was created to help bridge the digital divide. We are pleased to be part of creating a new tool that uses the ICDL syllabus and philosophy in building a highly useful program for middle schools," said Grant Castle, President of ICDL-US.

Vantage Learning believes that the combination of knowledge-based, performance-based and open-ended question formats will give the new assessment tool a definable advantage versus any other test format available. "In order to demonstrate literacy in technology, students have to show they understand a range of skills and concepts. Vantage's world-leading position in delivering essay and open-ended questions will allow teachers to go beyond standard multiple choice or simulations to assess a student's use of technology literacy in the context of classroom-based learning," said Harry Barfoot, VP of Sales of Marketing of Vantage Learning.

The pilot project for the new assessment will launch in 5-10 states (or large districts) during the 2004/2005 school year, with national use of the test expected for the 2005/2006 school year.

About the International Society for Technology in Education

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is the trusted source in education technology for professional development, knowledge generation, and advocacy. A nonprofit membership organization, ISTE provides leadership and service to improve teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology in K-12 and teacher education. Home of the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS), the Center for Applied Research in Education Technology (CARET), and National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), ISTE represents more than 85,000 worldwide leaders and potential leaders in educational technology. We support our members with information, networking opportunities, and guidance as they face the challenge of integrating technology into schools.

About the International Computer Driving License-US

The International Computer Driving License (ICDL) is a globally recognized certification program that enables individuals to validate fundamental computer skills. Based in Southport, Connecticut, ICDL-US is the sole U.S. licensee of the ICDL/European Computer Driving License (ECDL) Foundation. For more information, visit ICDL at www.icdlus.com or call 866-799-4235. ICDL certifies that the holder has knowledge of the essential concepts of information technology (IT) and is able to use a personal computer and common computer applications at a recognized level of competence.

About Vantage Learning

Vantage Learning (http://www.vantagelearning.com), an affiliate of Vantage Laboratories and the leading provider of online assessment and automated essay scoring, developed IntelliMetric® to meet the needs of business, education, and government agencies needing a comprehensive Internet-based test authoring, delivery, scoring and reporting platform. IntelliMetric administers and scores responses to open-ended questions over the Internet using advanced artificial intelligence technology. An individual can enter a response to a question posed, submit the response, and receive an immediate score with feedback within seconds.

Eduventures recently selected Vantage Learning as one of the eight most innovative educational technology companies. Vantage provides services in 50 states including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, Oregon and Texas, and provides services to educational leaders such as The College Board, ACT, Harcourt Educational Measurement, CTB/McGraw Hill and Thomson Learning, and industry giants such as Microsoft, Apple Computer, AOL and Sun Microsystems.