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TITLE:
The Marketplace for Educational Testing. NBETPP Statements, Volume 2, Number 3.

AUTHOR(S):
Marguerite Clarke
George Madaus
Catherine Horn
Miguel Ramos

DOCUMENT TYPE: Report

Link to Document: The Marketplace for Educational Testing. NBETPP Statements, Volume 2, Number 3.

ABSTRACT:
This paper considers the size of the marketplace for education testing. The discussion is focused on commercial standardized achievement tests produced for the elementary and secondary market, the "Elhi" market. A few testing companies now account for the bulk of the test sales in the Elhi market, but it is difficult to obtain exact figures on the size of the testing marketplace. Five indicators of indirect growth are examined: (1) number of state-mandated testing programs; (2) aggregate sales of tests; (3) revenues of four testing companies; (5) prices of test booklets, answer sheets, and scoring services; and (6) references to testing in the education literature. When all of these things are considered, it is evident that the test market is large and growing. The growth potential of the industry and the fact that it is largely unregulated mean that more attention must be paid to testing and the educational outcomes that result.