About Assessment Systems
What makes us different from the rest? Our long history of focusing on sophisticated psychometrics and solid software. We’ve been supplying nothing but the best to the testing industry since 1979. Learn more about our unique background…
Who We Are
Assessment Systems has been a trusted provider in computerized testing since its inception. We exist to supply best-in-class software platforms and consulting services to support high-quality measurement in completely scalable solutions. Whether you need a user-friendly item banking system, reliable high-volume internet testing, or a complete outsourcing of a high-stakes exam, we craft solutions that directly impact your success.
What We Do
Our fundamental goal is to make your tests better, and your assessment-related processes more efficient. This means that we develop world-class systems with heavy input from psychometricians and test development professionals at our partners,.
Bad Tests Hurt Good People
Why is this so important to us? Tests are used to make millions of decisions every day. This can be high stakes, like accepting to university, hiring or promotion, or entry into a profession. Or it can be “low” stakes such as tracking a 7th grade math student – but that could impact their future profession too! So there is no excuse for the organizations that do not invest in having quality assessment.
Our Mission: Improving Assessment via Technology and Psychometrics
The goal of Assessment Systems is to provide software and consulting services utilizing best practices in psychometrics, helping our clients to produce the best assessments possible, thereby providing the best information about people’s skills, knowledge, abilities, and traits. This allows better decisions to be made about people, or people to make decisions about themselves. Testing is our profession, not just our business.
Our Values
Quality Psychometrics: We believe at a fundamental level that better assessments produce better information, allowing better decisions, which maximizes people’s potential and organizational success. We are committed to exceeding best practices and industry standards, by innovating the science and technology of assessment.
Innovative Technology: We strive to build technology that is user-friendly, so that users find the sophisticated psychometrics to be easily implemented. Our systems are secure and reliable, while state-of-the-art technology drives leading-edge assessment.
Our Story
Assessment Systems has been leader in the assessment and testing industry since 1979, providing both world-class software for testing and psychometrics (with a focus on item response theory and computerized adaptive testing) and extensive consulting services for testing organizations. Our mission is to provide software and consulting to make test development more efficient and defensible. ASC’s psychometricians have published in both scholarly and testing industry journals, as well as presenting at important testing conferences.
Assessment Systems was founded out of the University of Minnesota. During the 1970s, the Psychometrics PhD program there was involved with the invention of computerized adaptive testing (CAT), supported by funding from the US government. The director of the program, David Weiss, PhD, and his graduate student, David Vale, PhD, founded Assessment Systems to bring this innovative technology to the public.
Assessment Systems was therefore first company to offer item banking and testing software to the public, in the form of the DOS-based MicroCAT adaptive testing system, nearly 30 years ago. Today’s descendant of MicroCAT, FastTest, implements this comprehensive testing program functionality based on decades of experience into a web-based system that is accessible anywhere, both for examinees and users.
