SIIA Releases First Behind the Data Report on the U.S. PreK-12 Testing and Assessment Market

Report Shows Sales in Testing and Assessment Category at $2.5 Billion

Washington, D.C.The Education Division of the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal trade association for the software and digital content industries, today released the first report in a new series of Behind the Data publications. This report is an extension of SIIA’s annual vendor survey reports on the PreK-12 U.S. Education Technology Market, which contain vital data for companies and the education community at large.

Testing and assessment sales have experienced such significant growth that it is now the largest single category of educational technology sales – defined as software, digital content, and related digital services – reported by vendors responding to the SIIA annual U.S. Education Technology Market: PreK-12 survey. Sales in this category have increased a dramatic 57 percent over the last three years of the survey. For the 2012-2013 school year, sales in the testing and assessment category represented almost $2.5 billion.

“In looking carefully at the data for SIIA’s annual report, we saw the growth of testing and assessment as a trend that prompted further questions about the reasons for this growth, and the need for this report,” said Dr. John Richards, president of Consulting Services for Education (CS4Ed). “We’re pleased that 20 companies provided the further information to us."

Participants almost universally identified four key factors affecting the recent growth of the digital testing and assessment market segment:

  1. The Common Core State Standards are Changing Curricula
  2. The Rollout of Common Core Assessments is Galvanizing Activity
  3. There is Widespread Demand for More and Better Formative Assessments
  4. Testing and Assessment is Leading the Transition from Print to Digital

“We view the growth of the PreK-12 testing and assessment market segment over the last several years even more remarkable, given that it has occurred in difficult economic times during an overall PreK-12 budget and spending decline,” said Karen Billings, vice president of the SIIA Education Division.

To access the Executive Summary of the report go to www.siia.net.

Featured

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.

  • Phoenix School District Breaks Ground on New Prep Academy

    The Creighton Elementary School District near Phoenix, Ariz., recently broke ground on a campus replacement for Biltmore Preparatory Academy, according to a news release. The new space will allow the school to expand its enrollment by 50 percent for K–8 students and accommodate modern, collaborative learning styles.

  • Nashville Elementary School Receives LEED Gold Certification

    Goodlettsville Elementary School, part of Metro Nashville Public Schools in Nashville, Tenn., recently achieved LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to a news release. The 81,750-square-foot school opened in 2023 and was designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC).

  • S4L Announces 2026 Education Design Showcase Winners

    Spaces4Learning is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Education Design Showcase! Now in its 27th year, the annual awards program honors innovative solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction across K–12 and higher education.