(Psst: It’s not just for assessments!)
Break out the confetti—it’s the birthday of the Question & Test Interoperability (QTI)® standard! This year, the standard that allows for more efficient and effective ways to exchange test questions, tests, scoring information, and results turns 25 years old.
The QTI specification is one of the earliest specifications that 1EdTech published, with the first version developed in 1999 and published in 2020, thanks to the work of 1EdTech members and 1EdTech’s Chief Architect Dr. Colin Smythe. At the time, the first version described a structure for exchanging tests and items (questions with all the bells and whistles) to enable the authoring and distribution of online assessments. And just like the rest of us, QTI matured over the years, moving the needle forward for digital assessments and the global assessment community, making more responsive and reliable alternatives to paper-based testing.
The current version of QTI, QTI 3.0.1 provides:
- Interoperable Assessment Content
- Accessible content across the globe, thorough Accessibility and Test Accommodations integration (WCAG 2.1 AA and more!), such as Data-SSML (inline HTML text-to-speech markup), internationalization presentation abilities with Vertical Text, WAI-ARIA and HTML 5 for Semantic markup (for WCAG compliance), Supplemental or Alternative content for assessment accommodations, and Personal Needs and Preferences (PNP)
- Simplified application development
- Consistency of presentation across delivery platforms
- Flexible and Extendable content that can have any metadata associated with it
- Standardized Results Format that can include student responses, time on the responses, academic standards, competencies, skills, etc., and test validity down to the item/question level.
- Works with other 1EdTech standards, such as Common Cartridge®, LTI® Advantage, Caliper Analytics®, CASE®, Open Badges, and CLR Standard®.
All of this gives educational organizations and institutions, as well as technology providers, ownership of their accessible test content, but it goes beyond just assessments:
- It helps assessments and digital content be portable, has presentation consistency, scoring logic, and results data
- It makes content and assessments accessible to everyone, providing equity and access for all learners.
- QTI has built-in branching logic that can make learning adaptive based on the learner's choices.
The durability and success of the QTI standard are due to our excellent member experts, beginning with research by ETS and through the dedication and support of our other members who have carried the torch for this standard. The QTI Project Group is highly collaborative, developing and promoting the QTI standard and its ancillary standards along with the Assessment Product Steering Committee, which promotes the adoption and certification in the edtech market.
Thanks to their great work, QTI has been adopted worldwide, with millions of students taking QTI assessments on multiple continents, including North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
1EdTech member organizations using QTI include: Educational Testing Service (ETS), HMH, Pearson Education, Cognia, Inc., Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, Data Recognition Corporation, NetLearning Holdings, Inc., Maryland State Department of Education, 1EdTech Japan Society, Uchida Yoko Co., Ltd., Uchidayoko Institute for Education Research, Cito, Trifork B.V., World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment WIDA, University of Kansas Achievement and Assessment Institute, PowerSchool, amp-up.io, Accelerate Learning, Carnegie Learning, Inc., McGraw Hill Education, BPS Bildungsportal Sachsen GmbH, Cambium Learning Group, MaivenPoint, Cognero, FocalPointK12, Inc., itslearning, and LearningMate Solutions Private Limited.
To learn more about QTI, check out these additional resources:
Spilling the Tea on QTI 3 - The Assessment Market Standard
Improved Text-to-Speech Capabilities Available for All Digital Assessments
Digital Assessment in EdTech Ecosystems: The Specifications Making Online Assessment a Reality *This is an "oldie" published when 1EdTech Consortium was IMS Global, but it has a ton of applicable background and information.
About the Author
Susan Haught
Susan Haught is the Senior Technical Program Manager of Digital Curriculum at 1EdTech. Her passion involves education technology leadership strategies that positively impact teaching and learning, supporting students and teachers in achieving their goals. She has 18 years of academic and technical professional experience working in K12 and higher education, with a focus on education and technology leadership, instructional design, IT project management, professional learning, and classroom teaching. She holds an M.Ed. in Education Technology Leadership and a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies/Elementary Ed.
