Pearson VUE Extends Partnership with TDA
London (UK), July 2008 - Pearson VUE is helping to raise England's teaching standards through its delivery of the Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) skills tests for the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). This new three-year partnership will see the specialist provider of Computer-Based-Testing (CBT) solutions, who deliver electronic tests to over 35,000 trainee teachers each year, helping the Government ensure greater measurability and performance in the profession.
Now in its seventh year of partnership with the TDA, Pearson VUE's proven track record for quality and unrivalled capacity to host large volumes of tests has been the cornerstone of its continuing work with trainee teachers in their move towards Qualified Teacher Status.
A required standard for every teacher to meet in order to qualify, the computerised QTS skills tests, ensure that people entering the profession possess the core skills required to fulfil their wider professional role in schools. Delivered in over fifty TDA testing centres across England and taken at any point throughout their final year of training, soon-to-be teachers are required to pass skills tests in numeracy, literacy, and information-and-communications technology (ICT).
Pearson VUE's tests have an innovative real-time reporting functionality that enables candidates to see instantly whether they have achieved the pass mark. This also removes the previously time-consuming task for moderators of marking large volumes of paper-based tests.
Paul Howarth, Managing Director of Pearson VUE EMEA, comments: "We are delighted to be working with the TDA for the seventh year in succession and to make such a valuable contribution to education. Computer-based assessment enables the TDA to offer the QTS skills tests on demand at a time convenient to the candidate and provides instantaneous feedback on their results. It also eliminates complex logistical problems, such as the distribution, storage, and tracking of test papers, saving the organisation a great deal valuable time."
Jeremy Coninx, Director, Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Market Management, at the TDA said: "We are delighted to continue our relationship with Pearson, who have a proven track record in delivering high-stakes computer-based examinations such as the QTS skills tests."
Currently working with over 100 education and publishing brands, including Edexcel, Longman, Penguin, Prentice Hall, and The Financial Times, Pearson VUE also offers organisations added security and nationwide delivery of tests and examinations through its network of 150 professional centres across the UK and 4,400 centres worldwide. Pearson VUE also helps companies to develop tests, including the application of key psychometrics to ensure that tests are valid, reliable, accurate, and consistent.
