Since 1999, Edison has invested substantial resources into developing a world-class assessment tool that would provide teachers the standards-based data necessary for adjusting instruction to best meet the diverse needs of their students on an ongoing basis.

The result of this significant investment of time, funding, experience and expertise is the Edison Benchmark Assessments, a comprehensive online assessment system for students in grades 2-10 in reading, mathematics, writing, and language arts. The assessments take the form of short tests that mirror standardized criterion- and norm-referenced tests. From 2000-2002, Edison administered more than one million online assessments, resulting in critical data that enabled teachers and principals to adjust heir instructional plans to meet the needs of their students.

For the 2002-2003 school year, Edison has improved further on its revolutionary assessment system in two significant ways. First, state-specific Benchmarks were launched this fall in five locales—California; Illinois; Michigan; Pennsylvania; and Washington, D.C.—with content correlated to the end-of-year standards of their particular state curriculum and assessment frameworks. Additional state-specific content will be added in the fall of 2003. Second, Edison has incorporated a proprietary split-ASP technology model that frees our Benchmark system from the bandwidth dependency characteristic of other online assessment engines by placing a local server in each school connected to the school’s network.

These two improvements—brought about in response to the feedback from our students and faculty—ensure that Edison teachers are equipped with 21st century tools to assist them in raising student achievement.