There are hundreds of vocational programs in the state of Arkansas: classes at high schools, technical schools, and career centers, in subjects like auto mechanics, welding, or computer-aided drafting. Each year, tens of thousands students take these classes. To test their progress and document it for funding purposes, the Arkansas Department of Workforce Education uses Questionmark™ Perception™ to create, schedule and administer those tests securely.

At the end of each vocational course, each student must take an assessment of 60 multiple-choice questions. With 33 courses and many students in multiple courses all across the state, the department administers 30-60,000 assessments each year.

The consulting unit also created a custom-built error tracking system that helps teachers report problems with tests or scheduling, and customized reports that show how well students did on each question and topic area. These reports show instructors whether they need to adjust their teaching in a topic, and the department uses them to make sure that test questions are written clearly and coded with the right answers.

The biggest advantage of the custom system is that it automates both registration and the scheduling of tests. “We used to spend two weeks on registration and on creating 24,000 schedules,” says Karen Chisholm, program manager for the office of assessment and curriculum for the department. “The work that the consultants have done allows us to use a customized piece as well as the regular Perception Enterprise Manager simultaneously, and it’s going very well.