For Immediate Release
Contact: Traci Barnett
Tel: (714) 990-4332
Email: tbarnett@ballard-tighe.com

PC-Based Software Management Tool, a Companion to Ballard & Tighe’s
New IPT 2004 Testing System, Facilitates Test Scoring and Reporting

BREA, CA – November 12, 2003 – IPT Manager 4, a software tool that supports Ballard & Tighe’s new IPT 2004 testing system, will provide educators at local and state levels with consistent placement and progress reports for limited English proficient (LEP) students.

“This will be a particularly valuable tool for school districts tasked to provide timely, accurate reports to their state governments on the progress of students for whom English is a second language,” said Dorothy Roberts, Ballard & Tighe’s president. “The IPT Manager 4 software product will create uniformly-consistent reports at the school, district and state levels, in compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).”

Set for availability in time for the Spring 2004 national student testing period, IPT Manager 4 is designed for use with IPT 2004 Oral, Reading and Writing tests. IPT 2004 is an enhanced version of the company’s current IPT testing series. It retains all the popular, time-honored IPT testing and scoring features, and also meets NCLB requirements. The IPT 2004 includes assessment instruments designed for K-12 students, and provides student scores in five categories: English listening, speaking, reading, writing and comprehension.

The IPT Manager 4 software automatically calculates student scores whether a school district chooses to machine-score the scannable answer sheets, or use the hand scoring method and manually enter a tally of the students’ answers.

Placement reports produced by IPT Manager 4 show a student’s test history and also provide descriptions of a student’s current language competencies to guide lesson planning. System-generated progress reports can sort, by subgroup or grade, student data at the school, district or state level, and thereby support federal NCLB accountability requirements.

“The data derived from the IPT are key in LEP classroom placements and help educators make sure that the curriculum meets student needs,” Roberts said. “In addition, our newest assessment offerings – the IPT 2004 testing system and the companion IPT Manager 4 software – will lead the way in response to changing government requirements and meet the rapidly evolving needs of the educational community that serves millions of LEP students nationwide.”

About Ballard & Tighe
Dedicated to making a difference in education, Ballard & Tighe publishes a highly regarded set of products that extend from assessing, identifying and instructing students with limited English proficiency to transitioning these students to mainstream classrooms. The company was founded in 1976 by Wanda Ballard and Phyllis Tighe, pioneers in the field of educational ESL (English as a Second Language.) Currently Ballard & Tighe provides testing, instructional and training products and services to more than 2,200 state, regional, and local school systems throughout the United States and internationally. Ballard & Tighe’s staff of seasoned educators and technical product developers is exclusively focused on delivering language assessment, English language development, and social studies materials and software, as well as online professional training that will help ensure academic success for today’s increasingly diverse student population.

Information at: nclb.ballard-tighe.com