Companies Target Large States Where the Stakes are High

By Jessica L. Sandham

New York

Last fall, as middle school administrators here combed through the results of state achievement tests in English and mathematics, some of them may also have noticed a flier in the mail from Kaplan Inc. The mailing promoted the company's professional-development seminars, designed to help teachers help their students perform better on state tests.

The timing of the mailing was no coincidence, and neither was the location of its recipients. Like a handful of other states targeted by Kaplan and other companies providing test preparation at the K-12 level, New York is a large state with high stakes attached to its well-known annual assessments. It is, in other words, fertile ground for a test-prep sales pitch.

While the test- preparation market for SAT and ACT college-entrance exams is national, the market for such services tied to state assessments is overwhelmingly focused in a limited number of states, including California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, and Virginia. In determining which state tests to target, executives with companies that produce test-prep materials and services say they look not just at a state's student population, but also at the perceived stability of its assessment system. Another factor is how much publicity the...