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

  • Minnesota District Converts Middle School into Community Hub

    White Bear Lake Area Schools in White Bear Lake, Minn., recently announced the end of a major renovation project that converted a former middle school into a new centralized district and community hub, according to a news release.

  • Designing Third Spaces That Do What AI Can't

    In 2026, education is evolving faster than ever. With AI reshaping everything from lesson planning to personalized instruction, schools and universities are turning their attention to what AI can’t replicate: spaces that foster collaboration, community, and creativity.

  • 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).

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.