Arkady Zilberman, Ph. D’s Post

View profile for Arkady Zilberman, Ph. D, graphic

CEO of Language Bridge Technology, Inventor of Subconscious Training in English Skills

I felt distressed while reading this article: More Downsizing at Beleaguered ETS. ETS has struggled to maintain its foothold in the shrinking assessment space. Amit Sevak, CEO of ETS, stressed the need to be nimble and to adapt to rapidly changing market demands for educational assessments. In April, ETS released a report titled “Charting the Future of Assessment.” The report declares that skills assessment, certifications, and credentials are the new frontier, and the biggest untapped consumer pool for assessment companies is adults interested in lifelong learning and continuous career development. Is it a good example of adaptability? While ETS recognizes the need for adaptation, staying within the same educational assessment industry may not fully exemplify adaptability. Amit Sevak’s statement confirms it: “The way we’re structured is inhibiting us from swiftly pivoting to mitigate external threats such as AI, geopolitics, future customer needs, and the disruptive, competitive context [of testing].” It’s a classic example of how a company's reluctance to adapt to disruptive innovations can lead to its downfall. Here are some remarkable examples of companies that successfully reinvented themselves by adapting their product lines and business strategies: ·       Originally an online bookstore, Amazon expanded into e-commerce, cloud computing (Amazon Web Services), and even physical stores. Its net worth now exceeds $460 billion. ·       IBM shifted from punch card machines to mainframes, PCs, and services. Its reinvention allowed it to thrive in the tech industry. ETS has accumulated a unique database detailing how difficult it is to increase learners' fluency by 500%. Beginners have a fluency of about 30 words per minute. To pass standardized English tests, learners must demonstrate a fluency of 150 words per minute. Instead of developing new methods to ensure learners develop the required fluency quickly, ETS is charting the future of soft skills assessments. Creating such assessments would be extremely controversial since they are personal attributes difficult to measure and entirely amorphous. They are a vain attempt to domesticate what is untamable. History has shown us great examples of how to open the gates to creativity and new discoveries. In their IPO letter, founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page wrote: “We encourage our employees, in addition to their regular projects, to spend 20% of their time working on what they think will most benefit Google.” This unregulated time led to innovations like Gmail, Google Maps, and AdSense. ETS’s future hinges on its ability to break free from existing boundaries and embrace disruptive innovation. Adaptability is not merely staying within the same industry—it’s about daring to explore new frontiers and reinvent oneself. ETS faces a critical juncture, and its choices will shape its destiny. 

Massive downsizing at ETS, legacy assessment company

Massive downsizing at ETS, legacy assessment company

insidehighered.com

Dr Jeannette J Vos

Author of international best-seller, keynote speaker, trainer, coach

5mo

 I am not surprised that this is happening with ETS! Test-taking is only sometimes an appropriate way to assess whether authentic learning has taken place. Determining whether students can apply and integrate what they have learned to real-life situations has more accountability and relevance. So how can we do this? What is the best way to assess learning a second language? Wouldn't it make sense to assess how fluent students are in that new language? This could be done in three ways: 1) Begin with self-assessment. 2) Follow up with peer assessment, and finally, 3) Coach/Teacher assessment with pre and post-video demonstrations could indicate the degree of improvement.

To view or add a comment, sign in

Explore topics