Editing Educational Testing Service

{{short description|Educational testing and assessment organization}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Educational Testing Service
| logo = ETS Logo 2024.svg
| logo_caption = ETS logo used since 2024
| type = [[501(c)#501(c)(3)|501(c)(3)]]
| foundation = 1947
| location = 660 Rosedale Road, [[Princeton, New Jersey|Princeton]], [[New Jersey]], U.S.
| locations = <!--# of locations-->
| key_people = {{ubl|[[Robert S. Murley]] (Chairman)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=3795709&privcapId=333835 |title=Company Overview of Apollo Education Group, Inc.: Robert S. Murley |website=Bloomberg Business |access-date=November 12, 2015 }}</ref>|Amit Sevak (president and CEO)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jaschik |first1=Scott |title=A New Leader for ETS |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/03/29/new-leader-ets |access-date=10 May 2022 |work=[[Inside Higher Ed]] |date=March 29, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>}}
| area_served = 
| industry = 
| products = [[TOEFL]] and [[TOEIC]] tests, [[Graduate Record Examinations|GRE]] General and Subject Tests, [[CET1 Exam]] by [http://www.certtia.com Certtia] tests and [[Praxis test|Praxis Series]] assessments
| services = Testing, assessments and research for educational use
| revenue = 
| operating_income = 
| net_income = 
| num_employees = 
| parent = 
| divisions = 
| subsid = {{Unbulleted list|[[Edusoft Ltd.]]|[[ETS Canada]]|[[ETS Global B.V.]]|[[Kira Talent]]|[[Vericant]]}}
| homepage = {{official URL}}
| footnotes = 
}}
{{Education in the U.S.}}
[[File:ETS Welcome Sign.jpg|thumb|Educational Testing Service welcome sign]]
[[File:ETS Messick Hall.jpg|thumb|right|Messick Hall at ETS headquarters]]
[[File:ETS Lord Hall.jpg|thumb|right|Lord Hall at ETS headquarters]]
'''Educational Testing Service''' ('''ETS'''), founded in 1947, is the world's largest private educational testing and assessment organization.<ref name="fundinguniverse1">[http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Educational-Testing-Service-Company-History.html History of the Educational Testing Service]</ref> It is headquartered in [[Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey|Lawrence Township]], [[New Jersey]], but has a [[Princeton, New Jersey|Princeton]] address.

ETS develops various [[standardized test]]s primarily in the United States for [[K–12 education|K–12]] and [[higher education]], and it also administers international tests including the [[TOEFL]] (Test of English as a Foreign Language), [[TOEIC]] (Test of English for International Communication), [[Graduate Record Examination]] (GRE) General and Subject Tests, and The [[Praxis test]] Series—in more than 180 countries, and at over 9,000 locations worldwide.  Many of the assessments it develops are associated with entry to US [[tertiary education|tertiary]] (undergraduate) and [[quaternary education]] (graduate) institutions, but it also develops K–12 statewide assessments used for accountability testing in many states, including California, Texas, Tennessee, and Virginia.  In total, ETS annually administers 50 million exams in the U.S. and in 180 other countries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Who is ETS Global? |url=https://www.etsglobal.org/fr/en/content/who-we-are}}</ref>

==History==
ETS is a U.S.-registered [[501(c)#501(c)(3)|501(c)(3)]] [[non-profit organization]] created in 1947 by three other nonprofit educational institutions: the [[American Council on Education]] (ACE), [[The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching]], and [[College Board|The College Entrance Examination Board]].<ref name="fundinguniverse1"/> ETS was formed in 1947 to take over the testing activities of its founders (whose organizations were not well suited to running operational assessment programs), and to pursue research intended to advance educational measurement and education.<ref name="Fuess">{{cite news| last =Fuess| first =C.M.| title =The College Board: Its first fifty years.| publisher =New York: The Columbia University Press| year =1950}}</ref><ref name="ETS Origins">{{cite news| last =Educational Testing Service| title =The Origins of Educational Testing Service.| publisher =Princeton, NJ: ETS| year =1992}}</ref>  Among other things, ACE gave to the new organization the Cooperative Test Service and the National Teachers Examination; Carnegie gave the GRE; and the College Board turned over to ETS the operation (but not ownership) of the [[SAT]] for graduating high school students.

In 2024 the company established massive layoffs. In June, the company "offered voluntary buyouts to every U.S. employee with more than two years of service." It was the fifth round of layoffs in five years. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Knox |first=Liam |title=More Downsizing at Beleaguered ETS |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/admissions/graduate/2024/06/18/massive-downsizing-ets-legacy-assessment-company |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=Inside Higher Ed |language=en}}</ref>

==Scientific contributions==

In keeping with the purposes for which it was established, ETS developed a program of research that covered not only [[psychometrics|measurement]] and [[education]] but also such related areas as [[statistics]], [[educational evaluation]], and psychology, particularly [[cognitive psychology|cognitive]], [[developmental psychology|developmental]], [[personality psychology|personality]], and [[social psychology]].<ref name=Advancing>{{cite news| last =Bennett| first =R.E.|author2=van Davier, M. (Eds.).| title =''Advancing Human Assessment: The Methodological, Psychological, and Policy Contributions of ETS''| series =Methodology of Educational Measurement and Assessment| publisher =Cham, Switzerland: Springer Open| year =2017| doi =10.1007/978-3-319-58689-2| isbn =978-3-319-58687-8}}</ref> This broad-based research program attracted many individuals who distinguished themselves in their fields, often while at ETS but also in subsequent professorial positions. Among the more influential scientists have been [[Harold Gulliksen]] (whose book, ''Theory of Mental Tests'', helped codify [[classical test theory]]);<ref name="Gulliksen memorial">{{cite news| last =Burkhart| first =F.| title =Harold Gulliksen, 93, Pioneer in Testing, Dies| work=The New York Times| url =https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/03/nyregion/harold-gulliksen-93-pioneer-in-testing-dies.html?pagewanted=1| access-date =April 17, 2010 | date=November 3, 1996}}</ref><ref name="Gulliksen book">{{cite news| last =Gulliksen| first =H.| title =Theory of Mental Tests| publisher =New York: Wiley| year =1950}}</ref> [[Frederic M. Lord|Frederic Lord]] ([[item response theory]]); [[Samuel Messick]]<ref name="Messick memorial">{{cite news| last =Landis| first =D.|author2=Tzeng, O.C.S.| title =Samuel J. Messick (1931-1998).| pages =132–133| publisher =American Psychologist, 57(2)| year =2002}}</ref> ([[test validity|modern validity theory]]); [[Robert L. Linn|Robert Linn]] (known for testing and educational policy); [[Norman O. Frederiksen|Norman Frederiksen]] ([[performance test (assessment)|performance assessment]]); [[Tucker decomposition|Ledyard Tucker]] (test analysis, including inventing the "Angoff Method" of [[Standard-setting study|standard setting]]); [[Donald Rubin]] ([[missing values|missing data]] and [[Rubin causal model|causal modeling from observational data]]); [[Karl Gustav Jöreskog|Karl Jöreskog]] ([[structural equation modeling]] and [[confirmatory factor analysis]]); Paul Holland ([[differential item functioning]], [[test equating]], causal modeling); [[Howard Wainer]] ([[differential item functioning]], Testlet Response Theory, statistical graphics); [[John Bissell Carroll|John Carroll]] (language testing and cognitive psychology); [[Michael Lewis (psychologist)|Michael Lewis]] (infant cognitive, social, and emotional development); Irving Sigel (children's cognitive development);<ref name="Sigel memorial">{{cite news| last =McGillicuddy-DeLisi| first =A.|author2=Shafrir, U. |author3=Johnson, J. |author4=Renninger, K. | title =Remembering Irving Sigel| page =253| publisher =Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29(4)| year =2008}}</ref>  [[Herman Witkin]] ([[cognitive styles|cognitive and learning styles]]); [[K. Patricia Cross]] (adult education); [[Samuel Ball (educator)|Samuel Ball]] (an evaluation researcher who documented the positive educational effects of [[Sesame Street]]); [[David Rosenhan]] (known for the [[Rosenhan experiment]], which challenged the validity of psychiatric diagnosis); [[Jeanne Brooks-Gunn]] (the effects of poverty on infant, child, and adolescent development); Robert J. Mislevy (Evidence-Centered Design); and Anthony Carnevale (education and the workforce).

Members of the ETS staff have been among the presidents of the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME); the [[Psychometric Society]]; the Measurement and Evaluation Division of the [[American Educational Research Association]] (AERA); the Evaluation, Measurement and Statistics Division of the [[American Psychological Association]] (APA); the APA Developmental Psychology Division; and the [[Jean Piaget Society]]. They have been among the executive editors of the ''[[Journal of Educational Measurement]]'', ''[[Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics]]'', ''Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis'', ''Journal of Educational Psychology'', ''Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology'', and ''Discourse Processes''. Major citations received while on staff have included elected membership to the [[National Academy of Education]] ([[K. Patricia Cross]], 1975; Gregory Anrig, 1981; Paul Holland, 2005; [[Randy E. Bennett]], 2022; Irwin Kirsch, 2022); (the APA Distinguished Contributions to Knowledge Award (Norman Frederiksen, 1984), the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award (Frederic Lord, 1988; Howard Wainer, 2009); the AERA E.F. Lindquist Award (William Turnbull, 1981; Frederic Lord, 1988; Samuel Messick, 1994; Paul Holland, 2000; Wendy Yen, 2008; Howard Wainer, 2015; Charles Lewis, 2018; [[Randy E. Bennett]], 2020); the NCME Career Contributions to Educational Measurement Award (Frederic Lord, 1990; Paul Holland, 2004; Howard Wainer, 2007; Neil Dorans, 2010; Linda Cook, 2017; Shelby Haberman, 2019); The Psychometric Society's Lifetime Achievement Award (Howard Wainer, 2013), and the Jean Piaget Society's Lifetime Achievement Award (Irving Sigel, 2002); among many other awards.

ETS has produced both new knowledge and methodology, especially in measurement and statistics, much of which has been taken up by assessment organizations around the world. Among the key scientific contributions were:

*co-invention of [[item response theory]], an integrated framework for asking and answering a variety of practical problems related to the design and analysis of tests;<ref>Lord, F.M. (1980). "Applications of item response theory to practical testing problems" Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.</ref><ref name="Lord">{{cite news| last =Lord| first =F.M.| title =A Theory of Test Scores.| publisher =Psychometric Monographs, 7| year =1952}}</ref><ref name="Lord and Novick">{{cite news| last =Lord| first =F.M.|author2=Novick, M.R.| title =Statistical Theories of Mental Test Scores| publisher =Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley| year =1968}}</ref>
*creation of an approach and software for [[structural equation modeling]] and [[confirmatory factor analysis]] ([[LISREL]]), used throughout the social sciences to test theoretical relationships among variables;<ref>{{cite news| last =Joreskog| first =K.G.|author2=Van Thillo, M.| title =LISREL: A General Computer Program for Estimating a Linear Structural Equation System Involving Multiple Indicators of Unmeasured Variables (RB-72-56)| publisher =Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service| year =1972| url =http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED073122.pdf}}</ref>
*seminal contributions to [[test validity|modern validity theory]], including the idea that validity was a unitary concept and that the evaluation of score meaning requires consideration of the consequences of test use as those consequences may imply functional problems with the test;<ref name="Messick">{{cite news| last =Messick| first =S.| title =Validity| pages =13–103| publisher =In R.L. Linn (Ed.), Educational Measurement (3rd Ed.). New York: MacMillan| year =1989}}</ref>
*development of widely used approaches to data analysis when there are [[missing values|missing data]];<ref name="EM">{{cite news| last =Dempster| first =A.P.|author2=Laird, N.M. |author3=Rubin, D.B. | title =Maximum Likelihood from Incomplete Data via the EM Algorithm| pages =1–38| publisher =Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, 39(1), Series B (Methodological)| year =1977}}</ref>
*generation of approaches to [[Rubin causal model|causal modeling from observational data]];<ref>Rubin, D. ''Estimating Causal Effects of Treatments in Randomized and Nonrandomized Studies'', Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol. 66, No.5, (1974), pp. 689.</ref><ref name="Holland">{{cite news| last =Holland| first =P.| title =Statistics and Causal Inference| pages =945–960–103| publisher =Journal of the American Statistical Association, 81(396)| year =1986}}</ref>
*invention of the [[in basket test|In-Basket Test]] (used throughout the world to assess applicants for managerial jobs in a wide variety of industries);<ref>{{cite news | last =Frederiksen| first =N.|author2=Saunders, D.R. |author3=Wand, B. | title =The In-Basket Test| pages =86–88| publisher =Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 71(9)| year =1957}}</ref>
*development of methods for detecting test unfairness, including invention of the Standardization approach to [[Differential item functioning|Differential Item Functioning]] (DIF) and application of the Mantel-Haenszel method;<ref>{{cite news | last =Holland| first =P.W.|author2=Thayer, D.T.| title =Differential item performance and the Mantel-Haenszel procedure| publisher =In H. Wainer & H.I. Braun (Eds.), Test Validity. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.| year =1988}}</ref>
*creation of the [[holistic scoring|holistic-scoring]] approach to [[writing assessment]], a means of rapidly and reliably judging the quality of essay text, which allowed direct [[writing assessment]] to become a more affordable alternative to multiple-choice questions for large-scale testing programs;<ref>{{cite news | last =Coffman| first =W.E..| title =Essay Examinations| pages =271–302| publisher =In R.L. Thorndike (Ed.), Educational Measurement (2nd Ed.) Washington, D.C.: American Council on Education.| year =1971}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last =Elliot| first =N.| title =On a Scale: A Social History of Writing Assessment in America.| pages =160–165| publisher =New York: Peter Lang| year =2005}}</ref>
*development of research-based procedures and standards for occupational licensing and certification.<ref name=ShimbergObit>{{cite news| last =Esser| first =B.F.| author2=Kruger, D.H.|title =Benjamin Shimberg, 85, Expert on Testing in the Professions| work=The New York Times| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/30/nyregion/benjamin-shimberg-85-expert-on-testing-in-the-professions.html}}</ref>

==Current status==

ETS' international headquarters is located on a {{convert|376|acre|km2|adj=on}} campus outside of [[Princeton, New Jersey]] in [[Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey|Lawrence Township]], [[Mercer County, New Jersey|Mercer County]];<ref>{{cite journal | url = http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/14_03/sat143.shtml | title = Sat + Ets = $ | author = Alan Stoskopf | journal = [[Rethinking Schools]] | volume = 14 | issue = 3 | date = Spring 2000 | access-date = 2007-07-04 | archive-date = 2007-07-13 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070713180303/http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/14_03/sat143.shtml | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://archives.cnn.com/2002/fyi/teachers.ednews/06/28/sat.overhaul.ap/index.html | title = Board: New SAT to produce better writers | date = 2002-06-28 | work = CNN | access-date = 2007-07-04 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071028175747/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/fyi/teachers.ednews/06/28/sat.overhaul.ap/index.html |archive-date = October 28, 2007}}</ref><ref name="Randy Elliot Bennett 2005">{{cite web | url = http://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/Nonprofit.pdf | title = What Does It Mean to Be a Nonprofit Educational Measurement Organization in the 21st Century? | author = Randy Elliot Bennett | work = ETS | year = 2005 | access-date = 2007-07-04 }}</ref> processing, shipping, customer service and test security is in nearby [[Ewing Township, New Jersey|Ewing]].  ETS also has a major office in [[San Antonio, TX|San Antonio, Texas]], which houses its K–12 Assessment Programs division, and smaller offices in [[Philadelphia|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], [[Washington, DC]], [[Hato Rey|Hato Rey, Puerto Rico]], [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]], and [[Monterey, California|Monterey]], [[California]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.22f30af61d34e9c39a77b13bc3921509/?vgnextoid=2369253b164f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD| title = Contact Us| author = ETS| access-date = 2010-05-12 }}</ref> Overseas office locations, all of which are associated with for-profit subsidiaries that are wholly owned by ETS, include [[Amsterdam]] (ETS Global BV headquarters), [[London]] (ETS Global BV), Seoul (ETS Global BV), [[Paris]] (ETS Global BV), [[Amman]] (ETS Global BV), [[Warsaw]] (ETS Global BV), [[Beijing]] (ETS China), [[Delhi]] (ETS India) and [[Kingston, Ontario]] (ETS Canada). Not including its for-profit subsidiaries, ETS employs about 2,700 individuals,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_17/b3880102.htm | title = A Syllabus Way Beyond The SATs | author = Jennifer Merritt | date = 2004-04-26 | work = [[Business Week]] | access-date = 2007-07-04 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071028174700/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_17/b3880102.htm | archive-date = 2007-10-28 }}</ref> including 240 with doctorates and an additional 350 others with "higher degrees."

To help support its nonprofit educational mission, ETS, like many other nonprofits, conducts business activities that are unrelated to that mission (e.g., employment testing). Under US tax law, these activities may be conducted (within limits) by the nonprofit itself, or by for-profit subsidiaries.<ref name="Randy Elliot Bennett 2005"/> Most of the "off-mission" work conducted by ETS is carried out by wholly owned, for-profit subsidiaries, including ETS Global BV, which contains much of the international operations of the company, ETS China, ETS India and ETS Canada.

About 25% of the work carried out by ETS is contracted by the [[College Board]], a private, nonprofit membership association of universities, colleges, school districts, and secondary schools. The most popular and well-known of the College Board's tests is the [[SAT]], taken by more than 3 million students annually. ETS also supports The College Board's Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test ([[PSAT/NMSQT]]) and administers the [[Advanced Placement]] program, which is widely used in US high schools for advanced course credit.

Since 1983, ETS has conducted the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as the "Nation's Report Card", under contract to the US [[National Center for Education Statistics]]. NAEP is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what US students know and can do. ETS is responsible for coordination among the nine NAEP Alliance contractors, for item development, and for design, data analysis, and reporting.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/previous_support.aspx| title = Previous NAEP Contractors| author = National Center for Education Statistics| year = 2023| access-date = 2023-03-17 }}</ref>

In addition to the contract work that ETS undertakes for nonprofit and government entities like the College Board, the National Center for Education Statistics, and state education departments, the organization offers its own tests. These tests include the [[Graduate Record Examinations]] (GRE) (for graduate and professional school admissions), the [[Test of English as a Foreign Language]] (TOEFL) (for post-secondary admissions), the [[Test of English for International Communication]] (TOEIC) (for use by business and industry), and the [[Praxis Series]] (for teacher licensure and certification).<ref>{{cite web | url = http://ets.org|title = ETS| author = ETS| year = 2010| access-date = 2010-05-15 }}</ref>

In [[England]] and [[Wales]], [[ETS Europe]], a unit of the ETS Global for-profit subsidiary, was contracted to mark and process the [[National Curriculum assessment]]s on behalf of the government. ETS Global took over this role in 2008 from [[Edexcel]], a subsidiary of [[Pearson PLC|Pearson]], which had encountered significant and repeated problems in carrying out the marking and processing contract.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/1771461.stm Examiners knew about maths error]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081015163110/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,591-1772007,00.html Call for a GCSE shake-up as pass mark sinks to 16%]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4172812.stm Admin staff 'marking GCSE papers']</ref> As was the case for Edexcel, The first year of ETS Global's operation was struck by a number of problems, including the late arrival of scripts to examiners, a database of student entries being unavailable,<ref>{{cite news|url = http://education.guardian.co.uk/sats/story/0,,2280299,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=8| title = Headteachers angry at Sats 'nightmare'| access-date =2008-05-17 | work=The Guardian | location=London | first=Anthea | last=Lipsett | date=May 15, 2008}}</ref> and countrywide reports of problems with the marking of the papers. The opposition [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] (Tory) criticized the awarding of the contracts to ETS, and produced a dossier listing previous problems with ETS's service.<ref>{{cite news|url = http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,2291802,00.html|title = A history of exam failures|work=The Guardian|date= 19 July 2008 | location=London | first=Polly | last=Curtis | access-date=May 1, 2010}}</ref> The ETS contract with the [[Qualifications and Curriculum Authority|QCA]] was terminated in August 2008, with an agreement to pay back £19.5m and cancel invoices worth £4.6m.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7562835.stm | work=BBC News | title=Sats marking contract is scrapped | date=August 15, 2008 | access-date=May 1, 2010}}</ref> Subsequently, the contract for National Curriculum assessment marking and processing was again awarded to Edexcel. Like the two prior contracts, the Edexcel contract has encountered significant quality problems<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/education/2009/jun/04/sats-markers-delays| title = Hundreds of Sats examiners wrongly disqualified| author = Guardian| work = The Guardian| date = 4 June 2009| access-date = 2010-05-14 | location=London}}</ref> and the tests themselves, the focus of longstanding controversy in the English education community and among the public, have been subjected to a massive boycott by schools.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/education/2010/may/06/planned-sats-boycott| title = Hundreds of primaries to boycott Sats| author = Guardian| work = The Guardian| date = 6 May 2010| access-date = 2010-05-14 | location=London}}</ref>

In 2009, ETS released the My Credentials Vault Service with Interfolio, Inc to "simplify the entire letter of recommendation process".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ets.org/Media/Campaign/12150/index.html |title=ETS My Credentials VaultSM Service |access-date=2010-01-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091219020213/http://www.ets.org/Media/Campaign/12150/index.html |archive-date=2009-12-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Criticism==
[[File:ETS lake and fountains.jpg|thumb|right|Pond with fountains behind Messick and Lord Halls. [[Steven Brill (journalist)|Steven Brill]] reported in 1974 that ETS is known "around Princeton ... for its extravagance."<ref name="Brill">{{cite journal |last1=Brill |first1=Steven |author-link1=Steven Brill (journalist) |title=The Secrecy Behind the College Boards |journal=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |date=October 7, 1974 |volume=7 |issue=40 |pages=67–83 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k-gCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA67 |access-date=October 19, 2020}}</ref>]]
ETS has been criticized for being a "highly competitive business operation that is as much multinational monopoly as nonprofit institution".<ref>{{cite news | url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30915FB3B5E0C738FDDA00894DF494D81&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fOrganizations%2fE%2fEducational%20Testing%20Service| title = Testing Giant Exceeds Roots, Drawing Business Rivals' Ire | work = [[The New York Times]] | access-date = 2007-07-07 | first1=Jon | last1=Nordheimer | first2=Douglas | last2=Frantz | date=September 30, 1997}}</ref> Due to its legal status as a non-profit organization, ETS is exempt from paying federal corporate income tax on many, but not all, of its operations.<ref name="Brill" /> It annually reports detailed financial information to the [[IRS]] on [[Form 990]], which is publicly available.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://andyhilbert.blogspot.com/2005/11/teacher-watch-ets-monopoly-continues.html| title = Teacher Watch: ETS Monopoly Continues | work = [[HorseSense and Nonsense]] | date = 11 November 2005 | access-date = 2007-07-07 }}</ref>

In response to growing criticism of its monopolistic power, New York state passed the Educational Testing Act, a disclosure law which required ETS to make available certain test questions and graded answer sheets to students.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.answers.com/topic/educational-testing-service-company-private-not-for-profit?cat=biz-fin| title = Educational Testing Service - Hoover's profile | work = [[Answers.com]] | access-date = 2007-07-07 }}</ref>

Problems administering England's national tests in 2008 by ETS Europe were the subject of thousands of complaints recorded by the [[Times Educational Supplement]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/chaos-casts-doubt-over-tests-deadline|title=Chaos casts doubt over tests deadline|author=Warwick Mansell|date=4 July 2008|publisher=Times Educational Supplement}}</ref> Their operations were also described as a "''shambles''" in the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|UK Parliament]], where a financial penalty was called for.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7409234.stm|title=MPs criticise testing 'shambles'|publisher=BBC|date=20 May 2008}}</ref>  Complaints included papers not being marked properly, or not being marked at all<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7511922.stm|title=More questions about Sats results|publisher=BBC|date=17 July 2008}}</ref> and papers being sent to the wrong schools or lost completely.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7521459.stm |title=Schools hunting missing papers |publisher=BBC|date=24 July 2008}}</ref> It has even been suggested that the quality of service is so poor that the [[Department for Children, Schools and Families]] (formerly the [[Department for Education and Skills (United Kingdom)|Department for Education and Skills]]) might not be able to publish the 2008 league tables of school performance.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7513619.stm |title=League tables 'might be scrapped' |publisher=BBC|author=Mike Baker|date=18 July 2008}}</ref> However, the contract was ended by "mutual consent".<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7562835.stm | work=BBC News | title=Sats marking contract is scrapped | date=August 15, 2008}}</ref> The UK government asked Lord Sutherland to conduct an inquiry into the failure of the 2008 tests. The report included in its main findings:

''•	primary responsibility for this summer's delivery failure rests with ETS Global BV, which won the public contract to deliver the tests;''<br>
''•	ETS's capacity to deliver the contract proved to be insufficient. A lack of comprehensive planning and testing by ETS of its systems and processes was a key factor in the delivery failure;''

In 1983, students of [[Garfield High School (Los Angeles County, California)|James A. Garfield High School]] in [[East Los Angeles, California]], achieved unexpectedly high exam results on the ETS Advanced Placement Exam. ETS implied that the students may have cheated to obtain such results based on common mistakes across different exams.  The students were required to prove their abilities and innocence by taking a second exam, which they did successfully.<ref>[http://reason.com/archives/2002/07/01/stand-and-deliver-revisited Stand and Deliver Revisited]</ref>

[[Americans for Educational Testing Reform]] (AETR) claims that ETS is violating its non-profit status through excessive profits, executive compensation, and governing board member pay (which the IRS specifically advises against<ref>{{cite web | author=United States Internal Revenue Service | title=Good Governance Practices for 501(c)(3) Organizations | url=https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/governance_practices.pdf | date= February 7, 2007| access-date=2009-05-31}}</ref>). AETR further claims that ETS is acting unethically by selling test preparation materials, directly lobbying legislators and government officials, and refusing to acknowledge test-taker rights. It also criticises ETS for forcing GRE test-takers to participate in research experiments during the actual exam.<ref>{{cite web | author=Americans for Educational Testing Reform | title=America's Corporate Guinea Pigs - How ETS Exploits GRE Test-Takers | url=http://aetr.org/downloads/How_ETS_Exploits_GRE_Takers.pdf | date=10 May 2009 | access-date=2009-05-30 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724224711/http://aetr.org/downloads/How_ETS_Exploits_GRE_Takers.pdf | archive-date=24 July 2011 | url-status=dead }}</ref> 

In 2014 the [[BBC]] reported that the [[Home Office]] has suspended English language tests run by ETS after a BBC investigation uncovered systematic fraud in the student visa system. Secret filming of government-approved English exams needed for a visa showed entire rooms of candidates having the tests faked for them.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26024375 Student visa system fraud exposed in BBC investigation]</ref>

==Tests administered==
* [[Graduate Record Examinations]] (GRE)
* [[PSAT/NMSQT|Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test]] (PSAT/NMSQT)
* [[College Level Examination Program]] (CLEP)
* [[TOEFL|Test of English as a Foreign Language]] (TOEFL)
* [[TOEIC|Test of English for International Communications]] (TOEIC)
* [[CET1 (exam)|Certified English Test One]] (CET1)
* ''[[Test de français international]]'' (TFI)
* [[California High School Exit Exam]] (CAHSEE)
* [[California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program]] – replaced by CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) in 2015. 
* the [[Praxis test]] (successor to the NTE)
* the [[National Assessment of Educational Progress]] (NAEP)
* the ''Examen de Admisión a Estudios de Posgrado'' (EXADEP)<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ets.org/exadep/english| title = EXADEP| author = ETS| access-date = 2010-08-01 }}</ref>
* British Trade Test Institute  (BTTI) 
* [[Major Field Test for Master of Business Administration]]

==See also==
* [[SAT]]
* [[SPEAK (test)]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* Bickerstaffe, George, "Students Without IT Need Not Apply", Financial Times (London), October 26, 1998, p.&nbsp;17.
* Brennan, Lisa, "ETS, Kaplan in Legal Skirmish over Test Security", New Jersey Law Journal, January 23, 1995, p.&nbsp;3.
* Celis, William, III, "Computer Admissions Test Found to Be Ripe for Abuse" New York Times, December 16, 1994.
* Elson, John, "The Test That Everyone Fears", Time, November 12, 1990.
* Honan, William, "Computer Admissions Test to Be Given Less Often", ''The New York Times'', January 4, 1995.
* Kladko, Brian, "Computer Technology Passes Judgment on Students' Essays", Record (Bergen County, N.J.), July 9, 2001.
* Merritt, Jennifer, "Why the Folks at ETS Flunked the Course", Business Week, December 29, 2003, p.&nbsp;48.
* Nairn, Allan, ''The Reign of ETS: The Corporation That Makes Up Minds'', New York: Ralph Nader, 1980.
* Nissimov, Ron, "SAT Officials to Stop Flagging Disabled Students' Tests", Houston Chronicle, July 22, 2002.
* Nowlin, Sanford, "Standardized Test Giants Lock Horns in Court over Allegedly-Stolen Secrets", San Antonio Express-News, April 8, 2001.
* Owen, David, ''None of the Above: Behind the Myth of Scholastic Aptitude'', Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1985.
* Sidener, Jonathan, "Educational Testing Service of Princeton, N.J., Develops New Grading System", Arizona Republic, February 1, 1999.
* Tabor, Mary B.W., "Disabled to Get an Extra Chance for S.A.T.s", ''The New York Times'', April 1, 1994.
* "Testing Company Claims State's Bidding Process Is Unfair", Associated Press State & Local Wire, January 6, 2003.
* Vickers, Marcia, "Hate Exams? Here's a Chance to Profit from Them", ''The New York Times'', Business Section, October 5, 1997, p.&nbsp;4
* Weinstein, David, "ETS to Create Standardized English Test for Chinese Government", Associated Press State & Local Wire, July 9, 2002.
* Williams, Dennis A., "Testers V. Cram Courses", Newsweek, August 12, 1985.
* Winerip, Michael, "No. 2 Pencil Fades as Graduate Exam Moves to Computer", ''The New York Times'', November 15, 1993.

==External links==
* {{official website|https://www.ets.org/}}
* [http://www.bookdownloading.com/article/detail/ets-signs-new-college-board-contract/ ETS Signs New College Board Contract]{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2004/210/634/2004-210634479-1-9.pdf 2004 Form 990 from the IRS] – lists ETS' executives' incomes
* [http://www.etsglobal.org/ Educational Testing Service in Europe, Middle-East and Africa]
* [http://www.aetr.org Americans for Educational Testing Reform (AETR)]

{{Princeton, New Jersey|state=collapsed}}

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[[Category:Educational testing and assessment organizations]]
[[Category:Companies based in Princeton, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Standardized tests in the United States]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1947]]
[[Category:Educational organizations based in the United States]]
[[Category:1947 establishments in New Jersey]]
[[Category:501(c)(3) organizations]]