Test Scoring, Survey & Census - Avante International Technology, Inc.

Test Scoring, Survey & Census Data Collection System & Solution

Advantages of AVANTE test form scoring and test grading system, survey form tabulation system and census tabulation system and solution with census survey form for automatic data capturing and tabulation over traditional OMR and OCR form scoring solutions:

The first test scoring system to achieve less than 1 error in 1.5 million marks during testing by an independent testing laboratory responsible for testing election equipment and ballots. The same error-free tabulation method is adapted for test scoring, grading and survey tabulation.
The first system capable of scaling to paper size fluctuations from moisture and feeding alignment errors for dramatic reduction in standardized test scoring.
The first system to allow automatic evaluation of light marks and smeared marks without having to manually retrieve or re-scan the test or survey forms.
The best competitive solutions can boast 99.99% accuracy which is actually 100 times less accurate than our solution.
Software based test grading and assessment solution and survey scoring solutions use commercial-off-the-shelf document imaging scanners from about $500 that scan 20 pages per minute adequate for classroom use. Higher volume systems scan over 100 pages per minute appropriate for scoring SAT tests.
Most traditional systems use Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) or discrete sensor scanners that require specialized equipment costing at least 2-4 times more.
Flexible “Test and Assessment Management Software Systems” for standardized test or custom test preparation and grading for a large country or a small school classroom grading assessment with the same accuracy and “Survey Management Software Systems” to help large opinion polling agencies to prepare surveys and tabulate as needed.
Educators can prepare and print standardized or classroom tests on standard plain office paper and a laser printer, similar to preparing a simple Word document. Most traditional systems use Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) or discrete sensor scanners that require specialized equipment costing at least 2-4 times more.
Most traditional systems print tests and surveys on specialized paper forms
Standard forms costs more.
Pollsters can prepare and print their survey form, census form, and data collection from in-house on any paper stock or for high volume concerns send to a professional printer.
All standard demographic data including addresses and names that often needs keying in are captured automatically.
One of the first system to provide digital images (pictures) of tests and surveys. Written portions of the answers are displayed on a screen for comments and scoring.
The digital images also provide an electronic audit to enhance creditability of polls and surveys.
The images of the essay portion of public exams can be distributed to scorers with varied backgrounds.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) tools are used as needed for both type-written and deciphering manually written answers respectively

AVANTE’S Accurate Test Scoring Solution, Survey Tabulation Solution and Automatic Census Tabulation Solution are 2nd Generation Automatic Data Capturing Solutions for Government Polls, Public Surveys and Census Questionnaires for Unparalleled Accurate Classroom Test Grading and Assessment and for Statewide and National Standardized (SAT) Tests Scoring and Assessment

The unparalleled test grading accuracy and accurate data capturing of the AVANTE test scoring solution is achieved with its patented quantitative pixel counting that scales to accommodate paper expansion or shrinkage. This patented technology has been extended for use in survey tabulation, use in census tabulation systems and data collection forms.

These test grading and assessment solutions and survey and census solutions are coupled with flexible test and survey form preparation. This form generation software enables users to make their own test sheets, survey forms and census forms using standard copying papers that can be scanned with a commercial-off-the-shelf document-imaging scanner.

Traditionally, small-scale tests and surveys are scored or counted by hand. The increasing need and use of assessment and testing solutions in classes of different subjects enhances education achievements and is a priority of educators. AVANTE provides a patented test scoring solution and test assessment and grading system using low cost test and assessment forms that can be printed on demand and scanned for tabulation using a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) document imaging scanner. The patented test assessment and grading solution capabilities start at a few hundred dollars for a class room environment requiring 20 sheets per minute to systems working at speeds of over 100 sheets per minute for national scale application. AVANTE’s test scoring system is ideal for public standardized test scoring applications as well as common daily classroom test and assessment preparation and grading.

Most automatic test grading and assessment solutions incorporate standardized oval test forms and Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) technologies that have been used for the last 50 years without much improvement. Despite the periodic errors seen in large scale test scoring such as SAT and statewide test assessment and grading, for the most part traditional standardized forms continue to use OMR technology extensively. Additionally, automated testing at a smaller scale such as a classroom or a single school is untenable, as the schools and institutions must handle the logistics of stocking pre-printed and costly test forms of different formats.

Even for large scale surveys and national, state, provincial or organizational censuses, much of the data is still not captured automatically and requires keying in from written form. In countries such as the United States and European Countries with substantial populations, the cost of a census solution can amount to billions of dollars. The special forms themselves can cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The keying in of some of the data can amount to even more.

The AVANTE Optical Scan Test Scoring System, Automatic Survey Tabulation System and Automatic Census Data Capturing and Tabulation System for grading and assessment of tests, tabulation surveys, and automatic data capturing from census forms is a spin-off application of the company’s patented voting ballot tabulation solution that revolutionized ballot counting accuracy and integrity. By using an off-the-shelf scanner and standard copying paper, we provide test scoring and surveying at drastically reduced costs with even more dramatic reduction of all scoring errors (proven and independently tested to accuracy of less than one error in 1,500,000 marks).

Two test assessment and grading solutions are available with the use of this patented technology in test scoring:

A system that decouples the test generation and test grading (Preparation of tests anywhere with any means and scoring with traditional OMR on standard test forms):

Students mark on standardized test grading forms of multiple choice test sheets printed on-demand with laser or inkjet printer on standard copying papers.
Multiple choice tests.
Scan to capture and store digital images of all test sheets.
Scoring of tests is similar to traditional OMR test scoring systems.
Provide statistics of test results along with individual scores.

A system that couples test generation and test grading:

Use AVANTE test and assessment generation program.
Multiple choice and/or written answers in any combination.
Print tests on standard copy paper along with choices next to the question.
Scan to capture and store digital images of all test sheets.
Score and generate statistics of test results along with individual scores.

Leveraging the company’s expertise in registering voters and other similar personal identification systems, AVANTE can help testing authorities and government agencies with similar biometric identification solutions for those taking public tests. Detailed registration of persons performing the tests or being surveyed can be captured with a combination of OMR, OCR and ICR technologies.

UNPARALLELED FLEXIBILITY IN SURVEY FORM AND CENSUS FORM DATA CAPTURING AND TABULATION

In the case of survey sheet tabulation, AVANTE offers flexible survey forms, individualized census form preparation and automatic data capturing and tabulation solutions with the following unparalleled advantages:

Each survey or census question can be formatted with any number of choices and combination of choices.
The layout of questions is flexible to fit any design for the best reflection of the intended survey.
Written comments when applicable can be extracted for tabulation. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) tools are used as needed for both type-written and manually written answers deciphering respectively.
Each survey and census can be individualized for groups of varying sizes and special applications.
Survey and census forms are capable of extracting biometric information, including all alphanumerics for date, addresses, and demographic information.

The following are examples of the flexibility of survey and census form generation and accurate data capturing and tabulation capability via the AVANTE patented imaging, scaling and mark recognition technology: