Pearson has acquired Baltimore-based assessment technology company Internet Testing Systems, expanding its professional assessment business with technology spanning remote testing, proctoring, performance-based assessments, certification maintenance and AI-powered assessment. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
ITS will become part of Pearson Professional Assessments following the transaction, extending a commercial relationship between the two companies that dates back to 2009.
The acquisition adds an established assessment technology platform and experienced team to Pearson’s existing testing and verification operations.
ITS develops technology used by testing and certification organizations to build, deliver, manage and report on professional assessment programs.
Its platform covers multiple stages of the assessment lifecycle, including test development, practice and preparation, secure test delivery, remote proctoring and ongoing certification.
Pearson sees the acquisition as an opportunity to broaden the services it can provide to professional organizations looking to verify skills and qualifications.
The combination is particularly relevant as employers, professional associations and credentialing organizations increasingly seek more flexible ways to test candidates remotely while preserving security and assessment integrity.
ITS also provides performance-based assessment capabilities, which can evaluate whether candidates can actually perform particular tasks rather than relying exclusively on traditional question-and-answer testing.
Continuous certification is another area of focus.
Rather than treating certification as a single test taken once every several years, continuous certification can allow organizations to verify knowledge or competencies on a more ongoing basis as professional requirements evolve.
Those capabilities complement Pearson’s existing assessment infrastructure and are expected to create additional opportunities across professional certification and related markets globally.
The deal also brings additional AI capabilities into Pearson’s assessment operations.
ITS offers AI-powered assessment technology, and both companies said they share a view of how artificial intelligence can improve the testing process while maintaining the quality and integrity required by professional assessment programs.
Pearson has increasingly positioned assessment and verification as important components of its broader lifelong learning strategy.
The company provides digital learning content, assessments, qualifications and data to customers in nearly 200 countries and employs approximately 18,000 people globally.
Professional assessment represents an important part of that platform because employers and other organizations increasingly need ways to verify what individuals know and what they can do.
That demand has become especially relevant as AI changes the skills required for many occupations and makes conventional indicators of knowledge potentially less informative on their own.
Pearson’s strategy is therefore focused not only on helping individuals learn new skills but also on providing trusted systems that can verify those capabilities.
ITS expands the underlying technology available to support that objective.
The company has grown from a startup into an assessment technology provider supporting some of the world’s largest professional testing programs.
Its customers use the platform to modernize testing operations while managing complex requirements involving candidate identity, test security, remote delivery, scoring, certification and reporting.
For Pearson, integrating ITS into Pearson Professional Assessments creates an opportunity to offer a broader collection of technology and services through one organization.
The companies’ longstanding relationship should also reduce some of the integration uncertainty often associated with acquisitions, as Pearson and ITS have worked together commercially for more than 15 years.
ITS President Pat Ward described the deal as a natural evolution of that relationship.
Pearson expects the combination to strengthen its role as infrastructure for trusted assessments and verified skills while creating additional growth opportunities across professional testing markets worldwide.
The acquisition also gives ITS access to Pearson’s international reach and broader assessment organization, potentially allowing its technologies to reach more testing programs and markets.
As testing increasingly moves across physical test centers, remote environments and digital platforms, Pearson is positioning the combined business to support multiple delivery formats while incorporating technologies such as AI without compromising assessment integrity.
KEY QUOTES:
“Organizations are turning to Pearson for assessment and verification they can trust. We know ITS well and value the proven technology, deep industry knowledge, and dedicated team they bring.”
“This acquisition strengthens Pearson’s role as verified skills and assessment infrastructure and supports our long-term assessment strategy.”
Art Valentine, President of Assessment & Qualifications at Pearson
“Joining Pearson is a natural next step for a partnership that has driven innovation in professional assessment since 2009.”
“Pearson and ITS share the same values, a vision for how AI can improve assessment, and commitment to protecting the integrity and quality of assessment for customers. I’m excited about what we achieve together.”
Pat Ward, President of ITS
