K-12 Assessment Platform

A state education agency administered paper-based standardized assessments across 200+ schools, managing the logistics of printing, distribution, collection, and scanning. Results took months to return, limiting their usefulness for instructional improvement. The agency partnered with Vitosha to build a cloud-native digital assessment platform on Microsoft technology, enabling computer-based testing with automated scoring, real-time reporting, and secure delivery.

Paper-based administration required printing and distributing over 500,000 test booklets across 200+ schools, with a 3–4 month turnaround for scoring and reporting. Results arrived too late for teachers to adjust instruction, and the manual scoring process introduced errors and inconsistencies. The agency also faced growing pressure to provide formative and interim assessments that could deliver results in days, not months. Schools needed a flexible platform that could support multiple assessment types, accommodate students with disabilities, and maintain the highest levels of security and reliability.

Phase 1: Digital Assessment Platform — Built and deployed a cloud-native assessment platform on Azure using Power Platform for the test delivery application, D365 SCM for test form and booklet management (handling the logistics of 500,000+ digital test forms), and Azure SQL for item bank and response storage. Phase 2: Auto-Scoring Engine — Implemented automated scoring for multiple-choice and constructed-response items using Azure ML, with human-in-the-loop review for flagged responses, ensuring accuracy and fairness. Phase 3: Reporting Ecosystem — Developed Power BI dashboards for schools, districts, and the state agency, providing results within 48 hours of test completion with drill-through to item-level analysis, achievement gap tracking, and growth measures.

Over 50,000 students assessed in the first deployment across 200+ schools. Scoring and reporting time reduced from 3–4 months to 48 hours — an 85% improvement. Test item alignment to state standards reached 92% accuracy through iterative refinement of the auto-scoring models. Schools reported significantly improved ability to use assessment data for instructional planning. The agency eliminated the logistics costs of paper-based testing and achieved a 40% reduction in total assessment administration cost.

The digital assessment platform transformed state-level testing, delivering faster, more accurate results while reducing costs. Teachers gained timely insights to adjust instruction, and the agency modernized a critical function with a secure, scalable cloud solution.