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  For Immediate Release Department of Defense Selects Ballard & Tighe’s New IPT® 2004 Test Series for Language Assessment Worldwide BREA, CA – (May 15, 2006) – Ballard & Tighe, publisher of tests and instructional materials for limited English proficient (LEP) students, today announced that the Department of Defense has selected the company’s IPT 2004 series of tests as its official language proficiency assessment instrument for students in grades Pre-K to 12. For more than 20 years, educators have relied on Ballard & Tighe’s IDEA Proficiency Tests (IPT) to help them assess the language proficiency of English learners. Ballard & Tighe recently released its newest version of the IPT 2004 series of tests, incorporating new norms that reflect the current population of test takers. These new norms allow users of the IPT 2004 to identify, place, and re-designate students based on the most up-to-date demographic norming data. “The Department of Defense’s schools serve a vital function by educating the children of military service members throughout the world. We are proud that our assessment materials have been selected as part of such an important educational system,” said Dorothy Roberts, president of Ballard & Tighe. The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) operates 222 public schools in 13 foreign countries, seven states, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Students in DoDEA schools represent many ethnic backgrounds, and DoDEA schools enroll approximately 7,000 students annually in 200 programs designed for students in grades Pre-K through 12 whose first language is not English. “The DoDEA sought a valid and reliable testing instrument to evaluate students’ English language proficiency in order to determine students’ instructional needs and eligibility for ESL services. The DoDEA will find that the IPT 2004 fully meets its assessment needs,” added Ms. Roberts. About Ballard & Tighe 
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