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(Roseville, MN…) The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) today chose companies with Minnesota roots as awardees of contracts worth up to $100 million over five years to develop, administer and score its statewide student achievement tests. The contract for the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment-II (MCA-II) tests in grades 3-8 went to Questar Educational Systems of Apple Valley, Minn., in partnership with Riverside Publishing of Itasca, Ill. and Pacific Metrics of Monterey, Calif. The contract for MCA-II tests in high school, Basic Skills Tests (BST) and tests for English language learners went to Pearson Educational Measurement of Iowa City, IA, in partnership with Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) of Maple Grove, Minn.

“Our thoughtful, competitive process helped us choose testing partners with the best to offer for quality, service and responsiveness,” said MDE assistant commissioner for accountability and improvement Patricia Olson. “We are confident the successful bidders can help us provide the best value for the people of Minnesota.”

The grade 3-8 contract for up to $57 million covers MCA-II reading and math tests in all grades from third to eighth as well as grade 5 writing and grades 5 and 8 science tests.

Questar will provide the Department with an operational, user-friendly item bank and an exceptional online operational and customer service system. The Questar on-line ordering system will allow districts to manage student-detail information in a real-time environment. This allows for cleaner student data for the state and a decreased administrative burden to the districts. Questar's contract offers opportunities for upwards of 300-350 regular and seasonal employees in the Apple Valley area.

The high school contract, up to $43 million, covers MCA-II math, reading and science tests in those grades; Basic Skills Tests in reading, math and writing; and the Test of Emerging Academic English (TEAE), Test of Emerging Academic English: Listening and Speaking (TEAELS) and Minnesota Student Oral Language Observation Matrix (MN-SOLOM) for English language learners.

As current vendors, Pearson Educational Measurement and DRC offer the state the experience and technical expertise needed to meet the continuing challenges involved in complying with No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

Both contracts have terms of one year, with up to four one-year extensions available based on annual performance reviews and subject to continued funding. The approximate value of the contracts over five years (subject to final negotiations) is $100 million. More information on MDE’s statewide testing program is available on its Web site.

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http://education.state.mn.us/html/087092.htm