TDA awards BTL 3 year e-Assessment contract for test development

May 14, 2008 - PRLog -- BTL Group Ltd, a leading independent learning and assessment solutions provider, is pleased to announce the award of a new 3-year contract with the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) for the content development of the Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) skills tests.

The QTS skills tests comprise one of the largest and longest running e-assessment programmes of its kind, with over 30,000 candidates each year taking over 100,000 tests in numeracy, literacy and Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

BTL has been producing QTS skills tests content since 2003. The new 3-year contract will see BTL develop highly innovative and interactive content using their award-winning content production system, CP3, for the numeracy and literacy tests and their powerful Flash-based ICT simulation desktop, The Virtual DesktopTM, for the ICT tests.

The content for the QTS skills tests will be developed in conjunction with AlphaPlus (who will be authoring the test content).The QTS skills tests will then be deployed in a 3rd party delivery system, proving that BTL content is truly flexible and reliable.

Jeremy Coninx, Director, Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Market Management, at the TDA said:
“We are delighted to award this new contract to BTL. Their innovation, flexibility and experience makes them an ideal choice as test content developer for the QTS skills tests.”

About QTS skills tests

The QTS skills tests cover the core skills in numeracy, literacy and ICT that are needed to fulfil wider professional roles within schools.

Passing the skills tests in numeracy, literacy and ICT is one of the standards that all trainee teachers in England have to meet before they can be recommended for the award of QTS by their ITT provider.

To view and try QTS practice material please visit:
http://www.tda.gov.uk/skillstestsonline/ict/ict_practice.htm
                                                                                                                                                              About the TDA

The TDA works with schools to develop the workforce and ensure that schools can recruit good-quality, well-trained people. It supports schools to provide extended services for parents, children and young people.

The TDA is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). It also has a close working relationship with the Department for Innovation, Universities, and Skills (DIUS). The DCSF and the DIUS were set up by the Prime Minister on 28 June 2007 and their responsibilities cover much of the remit of the former Department for Education and Skills.

For more information about the TDA please see www.tda.gov.uk

About AlphaPlus Consultancy Ltd

AlphaPlus is a team of highly experienced educational consultants with a large and varied portfolio of work in education and training whose expertise lies in:
•   vocational and general qualification development
•   assessment and public examinations
•   e-assessment, e-learning and e-portfolios
In addition, AlphaPlus has considerable experience of managing large projects in public sector education in schools and post compulsory education.
http://www.alphaplusconsultancy.co.uk

About BTL

BTL is a leading UK owned and run assessment and learning development and delivery company. With over 1 million certified exams powered by BTL, our content development and delivery tools are helping some of the UK’s largest agencies face the challenge of onscreen delivery.

Since 1985 we have been successfully helping our customers exceed their Assessment and Learning expectations, and continue to develop some of the most innovative onscreen content, engaging learners anywhere.

For further information about BTL and its product offering, please visit:
http://www.btl.com