Tennessee selects Pearson to take over student assessment

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee has selected a new vendor to oversee its student assessment test for elementary and secondary students.

Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn announced Thursday that the state intends to award the vendor contract to London-based testing company Pearson.

Details about the contract were not immediately available, including how much it’ll cost the state each year but the state had previously estimated it could cost $20 million each year.

Schwinn made the announcement while talking in front of the State Board of Education and did not disclose financial information about Pearson’s bid.

Tennessee sought a new school testing vendor after previous rollouts with Questar resulted in statewide delays and sparked outrage from teachers, students and lawmakers.

The state is expected to finalize its contract negotiations with Pearson by June 13.