President's Message

“If you tell me what type of assessment you have in your education system, I will tell you what type of quality you are providing to students.”

Jordan’s Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Tayseer Al-Nahar, made that observation recently while discussing his country’s expanding use of high-quality tests to measure the performance of its colleges and universities. It’s an insight with global application.

When it comes to promoting standards, accountability and student achievement, well-designed, research-based assessments are fundamental. That’s true whether they’re measuring student learning at the end of a course of study or during classroom lessons.

And it’s as true in the United States as it is in Jordan and in the scores of other countries that are turning to high-quality assessments to help improve education.

Tests aren’t lesson plans. But data from well-designed assessments can help identify a school’s strengths and weaknesses and point the way to improvement. They can ensure that higher standards actually mean something.

Dr. Al-Nahar was right: tests and quality go hand in hand. At ETS, we’re doing our part. We’re listening to educators, parents and policymakers. We’re learning from sound research. And we’re leading the effort to achieve informed public policy and informed educational practice.

Kurt Landgraf
President and CEO, ETS