Educational Testing Service (ETS)--famed (or notorious?) publisher of the AP, SAT, LSAT, GRE, TOEFL, GMAT and most recently the HSEE--has again been granted an exclusive contract to administer the "mammoth" testing program for California students, grades 2-11, through 2008-09. According to ETS estimates, the contract is worth $170 million. The final price has yet to be negotiated.
Keep in mind that ETS maintains not-for-profit status under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code. This means two things: ETS pays zero federal income tax and does not have to report any of its financial information to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fact that ETS vies for public tax dollars makes no difference.
John Oswald, former president of the Association of Test Publishers and senior VP of ETS Elementary and Secondary Education, is reportedly "gratified" to see the state board reward ETS's performance since 2002-03. Interestingly, Oswald has been fairly open about ETS's essential monopoly: "This might sound a little silly, but I don't really think that we have competitors... We really do approach the market from a very different standpoint. We want to work with states that will use assessments to make teaching more effective, that will invest in professional development programs, and that are serious about curriculum reform. Our trustees have made that a matter of policy."
One of Oswald's ETS colleagues, President and CEO Kurt Landgraf, has clarified the corporation's attitude towards (public) money: "[ETS] will never be the low-cost bidder on a contract." Landgraf has also quipped, "I would really be happy if people didn't know what the 'T' meant in 'ETS'. I think of this as an educational-solutions company."
Read the full article about Thursday's new contract award in the Los Angeles Times California section.
Click links for more about ETS, John Oswald and Kurt Langdraf (as sources for above quotes). Ironically, the first appears on a website run by ETS sometimes-competitor Thomson Prometric. The other appears on the site of Stanford University of Education.
4 comments:
I have a Master's degree in Language arts, but I can not get my teacher certification because I can't pass the Praxis II exam. I have taught for 2 years in an accountiabilty position. My test scores were 94 in reading and 88 in on-demand. Now the state department says I can't teach anymore because I'm am not "Highly Qulified." The state department is basing 8 years of college 40,000 dollars and my livelihood on paper and pencil(a test).The praxis proves nothing. My scores were just as good as the teachers who passed the test. I think we need some alternative routes!!!!!!
Anonymous from 10/26/2007..
I am looking for a way to unite against ETS also. They refuse to set up the Middle school science test as condusive to a professional standard in the testing center. We can not take out our reference tables and have to flip back and forth between pages to the front of the book. We are not given enough time to answer 90 questions and 3 essays and and to produce the scholary essays that they want. I would like to find out how to approach my state (Va) about this problem.
If you are looking for a way to unite against ETS, take a look at the Americans for Educational Testing Reform website at http://www.AETR.org . They are organizing people to hold the major testing companies responsible for their poor performance and unethical practices, specifically ETS. It's a pretty new organization, but it looks like it's growing pretty fast - not exactly a big surprise considering how poorly ETS treats its test takers.
Thanks for writing this article and thanks to those who included links. I signed up to take the GRE ($140) earlier this year and then my plans changed. I ended up canceling the test over 5 WEEKS before the exam date and ETS still kept $70. It didn't seem like they operated ethically. I wanted to take my business elsewhere but...oh yeah, impossible! If I want to apply to Graduate School I MUST GIVE ETS $140. This company is a scandalous for-profit business masquerading as a non-profit. The CEO, Kurt M. Landgraf, made $200K last year and that's only visible profit. Furthermore, ETS has 3 for-profit subsidiary corporations.
Here are the links to support my claims:
http://republicans.edlabor.house.gov/archive/hearings/107th/edr/account3801/landgraf.htm
http://people.forbes.com/profile/kurt-m-landgraf/23288
I've already signed the petition at AETR web-site and I'm pitching to news outlets to begin investigating ETS and their monopoly.
Let's make some noise.
Post a Comment