Discovery Education has announced the extension of its services into the assessment market with the launch of Discovery Education ThinkLink Assessment. This suite of assessment products stems from the ThinkLink Learning formative assessment services that help educators improve student learning and predict how students will score on high-stakes achievement exams.

The tests within the ThinkLink Assessment suite of products are created specifically to match student proficiency requirements as defined by each state's unique No Child Left behind plan. In 2004-2005, 92 percent of ThinkLink schools maintain or improved adequate yearly progress status (AYP). In 2007, Discovery Education ThinkLink Assessment is expanding its services to 21 states and Washington, D.C. The states include Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Discovery Education acquired ThinkLink Learning in April 2006, expanding the business unit's high-quality products and services to include formative assessment. Founded in 2000 at Vanderbilt University, ThinkLink pioneered a unique approach to formative assessment that uses a scientifically research-based continuous improvement model that maps diagnostic assessments to state high-stakes tests. Benchmark Assessment, from ThinkLink, assesses student progress toward meeting state standards for reading/language arts, math, and science. The assessment products powered by ThinkLink are proven to predict performance with up to 80-90 percent accuracy.

Source: Discovery Education, http://www.discoveryeducation.com