Certiport and ETS Announce the Development of iCritical Thinking Certification Powered by ETS.

New Certification Program Validating Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills in Technology-Enabled Environments Enters Beta Test Period for Slated November 2009 Launch

TORONTO -- In response to the growing need for digitally literate workers and students with in-demand, applied ICT skills, Educational Testing Service and Certiport--the acknowledged leaders in educational assessment and certification--have developed a new certification program: iCritical Thinking[TM] Certification powered by ETS.

The core of the iCritical Thinking Certification program is an outcomes-based examination that can be used to assess and validate critical thinking and problem solving skills in technology-enabled academic and workplace environments.

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) standards and is endorsed by the Global Digital Literacy Council (GDLC). iCritical Thinking features real-time, simulated, scenario-based exam items; a marketable certification credential; independent credential verification; and individual and group reporting.

The exam itself takes about an hour to complete. It is designed and suitable for students in grades 10 through college, teachers, employers, the adult workforce and those seeking employment. Content areas reflect real-world academic and workplace scenarios. Test takers must demonstrate the ability to accomplish everyday tasks by effectively utilizing 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

The iCritical Thinking Certification exam provides a clear understanding of how test takers incorporate and integrate these technologies while performing ICT literacy tasks that require them to define, access, evaluate, manage, integrate, create and communicate information.

ETS Vice President Charles Cascio said, "We recognized that the market needs an applied ICT literacy assessment that serves a diverse range of individuals and organizations. We began exploring market strategies and found in Certiport a learning and assessment philosophy, global testing channel and research-based approach to program development and delivery."

"Individuals who not only know how to obtain digital information, but can also analyze, evaluate and apply what they find to solve everyday problems are the lifeblood of the 21st century economy," said Ray Kelly, President and CEO of Certiport. "iCritical Thinking addresses a growing need for education administrators and teachers, workforce development program managers, and human resource managers--among others--to effectively evaluate critical thinking skills in today's digitally enabled academic and workplace environments. We are honored to join forces with ETS to offer iCritical Thinking as a certification program."

iCritical Thinking Certification may be taken as a stand-alone certification exam, or it may be paired with other Certiport digital literacy, desktop computing, or desktop publishing programs to create certification solutions aligned with specific market needs. When paired with other programs such as Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC[R]) program, iCritical Thinking may serve as a capstone experience, assessing problem solving skills in a technological environment.

The new exam will be in beta testing from August 17 through September 11 and is scheduled to launch in November 2009. Upon launch, 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, go to www.certiport.com/icriticalthinking.

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 (IC[R]), the official Microsoft[R] Office certification programs and the Adobe[R] 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[R] and TOEIC[R] tests, the GRE[R] test and The Praxis Series[TM] assessments--in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. www.ets.org.

"Certiport" and "IC" 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. ETS and the ETS logo are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). iCRITICAL THINKING is a trademark of ETS. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.