DENVER - (Business Wire) Educational Testing Service (ETS) and Certiport—leaders in educational assessment and certification—announced the launch of a new certification designed to assess information and communications technology (ICT) critical thinking and problem solving skills: iCritical Thinking™ Certification powered by ETS. Details about the certification: www.certiport.com/icriticalthinking
The iCritical Thinking assessment features real-time, scenario-based tasks designed to measure a student’s ability to navigate, critically evaluate, and analyze the wealth of information available through digital technology. The certification provides portable, verifiable credentials that prepare students for academic and career advancement.
In just under an hour, test takers demonstrate the capability to accomplish everyday tasks by effectively incorporating and integrating technology such as:
- Web Use – E-mail, Instant Messaging, Bulletin Board Postings, Browser Use and Search Engines
- Database Management – Data Searches and File Management
- Software – Word Processing, Spreadsheet, Presentations and Graphics
“Today's students and workers are part of a technology-dependent generation,” said ETS Vice President Charles Cascio. “It’s not enough to be technology-savvy; we must think critically and effectively to solve problems while using technology. Having the ability to employ these digital skills provides strong evidence that an individual can deliver in today’s workplace environment.”
This outcomes-based examination gives administrators and teachers, workforce development program managers, and human resource managers a comprehensive solution to more effectively align education institutions with industry needs.
When incorporated successfully, the exam helps with incoming student evaluation and placement, student literacy assessment and curriculum development decisions. This allows both students and administrators an insight into the necessary changes needed to narrow the skills gap.
“Credentials from even the best institutions are no guarantee that jobseekers have the skills that really count in a modern workplace,” said Quinn Sutton, Certiport’s Senior Vice President of Marketing. “Ultimately, organizations confident with their ability to effectively apply latest technologies stand a greater chance of contributing to the success of today’s information-based businesses than their digitally unskilled counterparts.”
The iCritical Thinking Certification exam measures the range of cognitive and applied ICT literacy skills aligned with the nationally recognized Association of Colleges and Research Libraries (ACRL) information literacy standards and is endorsed by the Global Digital Literacy Council (GDLC).
The program will be available to Certiport testing centers in English; other language versions will become available in subsequent releases. For more information about iCritical Thinking powered by ETS, visit www.certiport.com/icriticalthinking.
iCritical Thinking Certification Resources:
Testing Centers: www.certiport.com/CenterLocator
Distributors: www.certiport.com/SolutionProviders
General Registration: www.certiport.com/portal/Pages/Registration.aspx
Center Registration: www.certiport.com/BecomeaCenter
ABOUT CERTIPORT
Certiport prepares individuals with current and relevant digital skills and credentials for the competitive global workforce. These solutions are delivered by more than 12,000 Certiport Centers worldwide and include Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC³®), the official Microsoft® Office certification programs and the Adobe® Certified Associate certification program. For more information, visit www.certiport.com.
ABOUT ETS
At nonprofit ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English-language learning, and elementary, secondary and post-secondary education, as well as conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually—including the TOEFL® and TOEIC® tests, the GRE® test and The Praxis Series™ assessments—in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. www.ets.org
"Certiport" and "IC³" are registered trademarks of Certiport, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
"Microsoft" is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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Certiport
Brenda Armstrong, 801-369-7535
barmstrong@certiport.com
or
ETS
Jason Baran, 609-683-2428
jbaran@ets.org
