Assessment

Skyward, Certica Partner on K-12 Assessment Tools

• By Michael Hart
• 08/05/15

In a new partnership, assessment tools can be integrated with a student management system that allows school districts higher-level planning and alignment regarding Common Core testing.

Skyward, a K-12 school administrative software provider, has launched its Test Bank Management Solution. The platform will provide access to Certica's Formative Assessment Item Bank (FAIB), which features more than 80,000 assessment items and 50,000 that are aligned with Common Core-related math and English language arts requirements.

As a result of the partnership, FAIB will be integrated with Skyward's existing student management suite to automate the process of recording assessment scores, sharing them with parents and making adjustments to meet district curriculum goals.

"Until now, districts have been on their own to purchase, review and compile test questions for their schools," said Skyward Vice President Ray Ackerlund.

Certica Solutions President and CEO Mark Rankovic added, "This combined solution allows districts to improve student outcomes despite being constantly asked to do more with fewer resources."

The FAIB is upgraded twice a year to guarantee its items adhere to best practices, are grade appropriate and are free of potential bias.

It will be available to Skyward users for a fee.

In February, Certica acquired the Northwest Evaluation Association's (NWEA) FAIB business. However, Certica had been a distributor of the item bank since 2011 and its data validation app was licensed by NWEA in 2007.