New Mexico Selects Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Formative Assessments


BOSTON -- Global education leader Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) today announced that two assessments from its Riverside division have been selected as state-approved formative assessments for English/Language Arts and Mathematics in the state of New Mexico.  The Riverside® Interim Assessments and the Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) District Benchmark Assessment, the latter of which employs Riverside’s DataDirector™ platform and Assess2Know® item banks, were two of the three assessments selected by the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) for use in the 2012-2013 academic year.  This mandate will affect more than 325,000 students in grades 4-10 across the state. 

In choosing the assessments that would make up the state-mandated list, the New Mexico PED underwent a rigorous vetting process to identify tools steeped in research and with strong alignment with the Common Core State Standards.  The group also wanted strong internal consistency, plus fair and accessible items for English Language Learners and students with disabilities.  Riverside’s assessments more than satisfied these requirements. 

“HMH is committed to easing the transition to the Common Core State Standards.  We will work hand-in-hand with school districts in New Mexico and across the country to ensure each student’s development is being properly assessed,” said Jim Nicholson, President of Riverside, the testing and assessment division of HMH.  “We are confident in the strength of these tools and are pleased to continue working with the Public Education Department in this capacity.” 

The Riverside Interim Assessments are supported by years of research and enable educators to better prepare their students for the Common Core State Standards.  They provide an independent referent to help educators determine the effectiveness of their Common Core curriculum and make adjustments based on data received.  These assessments offer three forms per grade to monitor growth and achievement, plus online reporting tools to allow educators to understand and communicate individual and group results and guide instructional decisions.  The cognitive level performance reporting also reflects students' mastery of standards at three levels of complexity. 

In January, HMH announced a partnership with Albuquerque Public Schools that produced a systematic approach to implementing the Common Core Standards.  The partnership resulted in the APS District Benchmark Assessment, a tool that implements DataDirector, HMH’s Web-based data and assessment management system, and the Assess2Know item banks, which include thousands of high-quality measures. The item bank enables educators to create their own assessments according to their district’s pacing guide by using an online test generator, and also allows them to construct tests aligned to individual state standards.

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About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a global learning company with the mission of changing lives by fostering passionate, curious learners. Among the world’s largest providers of pre-K–12 education solutions and one of its longest-established publishing houses, HMH combines cutting-edge research, editorial excellence and technological innovation to improve teaching and learning environments and solve complex literacy and education challenges. HMH’s interactive, results-driven education solutions are utilized by 60 million students in 120 countries, and its renowned and awarded novels, non-fiction, children's books and reference works are enjoyed by readers throughout the world. For more information, visit www.hmhco.com.