TMCnet News
Vantage Learning Releases IntelliMetric(TM) 9.3, Most Accurate Automated Essay Scoring Engine AvailableNEWTOWN, Pa. --(Business Wire)-- Aug. 8, 2005 -- Enhanced Ability to Detect Unusual Student Writing Patterns and Improved Optimization Reinforces IntelliMetric's Role as the Leading Scoring Technology on the Market Vantage Learning (www.VantageLearning.com) today announced the release of IntelliMetric(TM) 9.3, the most accurate version of its award-winning essay scoring technology to date. IntelliMetric 9.3 takes advantage of recent breakthroughs by Vantage Learning's research and development group in detecting unusual student writing patterns to achieve unprecedented levels of accuracy in evaluating student essay responses. IntelliMetric uses a rich blend of artificial intelligence (AI) and the digitization of human expertise to accurately score and assess student responses to open-ended essay questions in a wide range of subjects. In a recent research study examining middle school-level writing, IntelliMetric matched expert human scorers 99 to 100 percent of the time and achieved correlations with human scorers as high as .96. The integration of new technology into Version 9.3 has optimized the scoring engine's performance, ensuring an even higher rate of accuracy combined with scoring times of one second or less, a claim unmatched within the market. Recent studies undertaken by independent agencies support the findings of in-house research. In early 2005, after a thorough evaluation of Vantage Learning's IntelliMetric automated essay scoring program, ACT determined the program was able to accurately and reliably score the GMAT(R) essays. During the evaluation, IntelliMetric was used to score 500 responses to six GMAT test prompts. IntelliMetric showed very similar results to human raters, with a perfect and/or adjacent agreement 96 to 98 percent of the time. This agreement level was significantly higher than the other options examined. The IntelliMetric scoring engine also supports the ACT e-Prep and the College Board's SATPrep online application, and is found within Vantage Learning's flagship product MY Access!(TM) and several other customized applications. Vantage Learning simultaneously announced additional enhancements to IntelliMetric's companion tools that are used for analyzing student writing. New features include the evaluation of "voice" (a key feature of many state rubrics), improvements in grammar, syntax and mechanics analysis, a parts-of-speech analyzer, and further support for English as a Second Language students, including a Japanese version. "With IntelliMetric's increased levels of accuracy and enhancements to its companion tools, educators have at their disposal an invaluable set of tools that provide both accurate, rapid assessment of student writing, and enhanced, effective writing instruction," says Scott Elliot, Chief Operating Officer of Vantage Learning. "One example is our MY Access! writing instructional program, which is helping schools across the country achieve gains of 25 percent or more in students' writing performance." The unveiling of IntelliMetric 9.3 comes on the heels of the release of MY Access! 6.0, which was announced by Vantage Learning in June at the NECC conference in Philadelphia. MY Access! 6.0 incorporates the new enhancements to both IntelliMetric and its companion tools. About Vantage Learning Vantage Learning (http://www.VantageLearning.com), an affiliate of Vantage Laboratories and the leading provider of online assessment and automated essay scoring, developed IntelliMetric(TM) to meet the needs of business, education, and government agencies needing a comprehensive Internet-based test authoring, delivery, scoring and reporting platform. IntelliMetric administers and scores responses to open-ended questions over the Internet using advanced artificial intelligence technology. An individual can enter a response to a question posed, submit the response, and receive an immediate score with feedback within seconds. Eduventures recently selected Vantage Learning as one of the eight most innovative educational technology companies. MY Access!(TM) won the 2004 Technology and Learning Awards of Excellence in the Language Arts category, was included in that magazine's Top 10 Smart Technologies for Schools, and won the 2005 Codie Award in two categories, "Best Secondary Education Instructional Tool" and "Best English Language Learning Instructional Solution". Vantage Learning provides services in all 50 states including Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Virginia, Oregon, and Texas and provides services to educational leaders such as The College Board, ACT, Harcourt Educational Measurement, CTB/McGraw Hill and Thomson Learning. |
