Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)
Press Contacts: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Twitter: @KapTestNews
New York, NY (September 16, 2019) — The Association of Test Publishers, a non-profit organization representing providers of tests and assessment tools and/or services related to assessment, selection, screening, certification, licensing, educational or clinical uses, has named Kaplan’s Holly Garner and ACT’s Dianne Henderson as the newest co-editors of its Journal of Applied Testing Technology. JATT, a peer-reviewed journal that focuses on the role of technology in educational and psychological measurement, aims to foster scientific dialogue about advances in applied psychometric practice, especially related to the use of technology.
Dr. Dianne Henderson, ACT’s vice president of psychometrics research and assessment transformation, has extensive experience creating innovative solutions for educational assessment and measurement, including formative, interim, and summative assessments with expertise in test design, IRT, CAT, AI in education, equating, test scoring and reporting. She has held positions at CTB/McGraw-Hill, ETS, ProExam, and Renaissance Learning. Dr. Henderson earned her PhD in educational psychology from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
The founder of successful education technology focused on the use of new scoring methods to train AI, Holly Garner holds deep technical expertise at the intersection of assessment and education technology, and the use of data and AI to support business transformation. Ms. Garner is an award-winning education executive, an invited guest lecturer at the University of Iowa, Texas Tech and other institutions, and a frequent presenter on strategy in education technology and entrepreneurship. She holds a B.A. in Finance from University of Northern Iowa (UNI), an M.A. in Postsecondary Education and Program Evaluation from UNI, an MBA from the University of Iowa, an MBA Diploma from the Business School Sao Paulo, a PMP certificate and has conducted PhD coursework in Measurement and Statistics from the University of Iowa.
In a joint statement, Ms. Garner and Dr. Henderson noted, “We are grateful for the support of our respective companies and the test publisher’s community and look forward to serving. Our goal is to build on the wonderful job that [outgoing editors] Reid Klion and Cor Sluijterand and the ATP/editorial team have done and work to continue to increase readership. We’ll focus more on social media to increase engagement with our members, continue using special editions that focus on specific themes, and help authors consider search engine discoverability. We also plan to encourage them to create video abstracts, which will visually and dynamically express their papers in a social sharing-friendly format that will engage the audience more. We are excited for the opportunity to help facilitate the dissemination of research in this new and growing area.”
Long-time editorial board member and professor at Boston College Mike Russell added, “Reid and Cor did an excellent job and I am looking forward to the continued growth of JATT. There is a critical need for a journal that focuses on cutting edge issues in the testing and assessment field and which has a quicker turnaround than paper-based journals. JATT fills this need and it’s fitting that Dianne and Holly have been chosen to continue the assessment community’s commitment to the journal.”
ATP’s members include leading publishers and assessment services providers in today’s testing industry, including the Graduation Management Admission Council, Law School Admission Council, and Educational Testing Service.
For more information, contact Russell Schaffer at 212.453.7538 or russell.schaffer@kaplan.com.
About Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in preparing learners for college and careers through test prep. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 200 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Among those tests are the SAT®, PSAT®, ACT®, GRE®, GMAT®, LSAT®, MCAT®, NCLEX-RN® and bar exams. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.
About ACT
ACT is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people achieve education and workplace success. Grounded in 60 years of research, ACT is a trusted leader in college and career readiness solutions. Each year, ACT serves millions of students, job seekers, schools, government agencies and employers in the US and around the world with learning resources, assessments, research and credentials designed to help them succeed from elementary school through career.
# # #
Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)
Press Contacts: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Twitter: @KapTestNews, @KaplanLSATPrep
New York, NY (September 12, 2019) — The LSAT, the most widely taken admissions exam to get into law school, is just days away from its biggest change in decades. Beginning September 21, every student taking the exam will take it in its new digital interface, on a tablet. To prepare test takers, Kaplan has released a free downloadable 25-page e-book outlining everything aspiring attorneys need to know about the digital test. Below are some must-knows and best strategies that students can find in it:
The digital LSAT soft launched in July, when approximately half of the test takers were assigned to take the exam on a tablet, while half took it in its now retired paper-and-pencil format. Based on a survey of Kaplan students who took the LSAT in its new format in July, respondents were practically even in their evaluation as to whether the digital test was easier, harder or about what they anticipated, although the largest number claimed it was easier*.
While those results are mixed, digital LSAT takers were more conclusive when specifically asked about technological aspects of the exam like touch-activated page turning, stylus functionality, and time keeping. A majority rate this experience “very good” or “good.” Some students, however, called out specific challenges they faced. The most commonly cited issue was with the stylus, with one student saying, “I kept underlining or highlighting things that I didn’t mean to, or undoing my earlier annotations when I accidentally highlighted more than I needed to.”
Jeff Thomas, Kaplan’s executive director of admissions programs notes that just as important as what is changing on the LSAT is what’s not changing: “The LSAT’s sections and questions are remaining the same, save for the LSAT Writing Sample which you’ll now take on your own from home. At Kaplan, we will continue to prepare students for Test Day with up-to-date, realistic practice materials that will make them feel confident and ready for the new digital format.”
For more information about the LSAT change change, contact Russell Schaffer at 212.453.7538 or russell.schaffer@kaplan.com.
*The e-survey was conducted in July 2019 and includes responses from 118 students who prepared for the LSAT with a Kaplan course and were assigned to take the digital LSAT.
LSAT® is a registered trademark of Law School Admission Council, Inc. which does not review or endorse specific test preparation materials or services.
About Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 200 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Among those tests are the SAT®, PSAT®, ACT®, GRE®, GMAT®, LSAT®, MCAT®, NCLEX-RN® and bar exams. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.
# # #