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Open laptop displaying testing summary for Arabic 3 test in the Avant online language assessment.

Avant Assessment

Streamlining a top language assessment platform

We helped Avant Assessment strengthen its language testing products from both the bottom up and the top down

BEFORE

Online language testing leader Avant had grown its platform offerings quickly, but not strategically

Its fragmented network of products had become hard to manage and clunky to use

Infrastructure inconsistencies and tech debt were blocking further expansion and evolution

100 Best Companies to work for in Oregon 2024

AFTER

Consolidated eight non-standardized products into one cloud-based platform

Hosting costs cut by 75%

Modernized interface dramatically improved product adoption and engagement, spurring immense growth for its team, revenue, and customer base

Challenge

A new chapter in online language testing

Avant Assessment, developers of the first internationally recognized online language testing standard (STAMP), tapped into a massive demand for their services and quickly moved to expand the variety and capacity of their products. They earned the trust of educators, employers, and government agencies across the world, but unfortunately, their rapid growth outpaced their technological infrastructure.

Process

Bringing it all together

Our team analyzed Avant's eight different portal variations and identified the optimal infrastructure and interface to apply across its portfolio. Then, without disrupting service to its existing users (revenue base), we consolidated all Avant offerings onto one modern, cloud-based platform, applied consistent branding and design, and implemented processes for on-going project management.

Solution

Breaking the sound barrier

technology replaced aging Flash plugins, reducing costs and bandwidth requirements to increase classroom accessibility.

Solution

Reassessing the user experience

New tools and reporting configurations provide greater control and clearer feedback to users on both sides of the testing experience.

Solution

Remodeled for modern users

Updated assessment interface presents questions and prompts in a clear, contemporary format to support comprehension and focus. It also features a custom-designed machine learning algorithm that can auto-score student writing responses.

Solution

Results you can see

New report designs for test takers and administrators break down scores and highlight specific areas for improvement, both for individuals and across test groups.

Praise from our clients

Twenty Ideas brings a special combination of efficient management, elegant product design along with serious technology chops.
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David Bong

Avant Assessment, CEO

Twenty Ideas follows direction well and produces amazing results. They successfully manage communication, timelines, and project flow, and commitment and expertise are hallmarks of their high-quality work.
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Kyle Ennis

Avant Assessment, VP Educational Products

Featured technologies

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React

  • Data visualization & charting
  • Novel web-based voice recording feature
  • Cypress end-to-end testing
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Kotlin & Java

  • Spring Boot framework
  • Hibernate & Postgresql
  • Extensive unit testing
  • Robust Datadog (APM) intergrations
  • QR code processing pipeline for handwritten work submissions
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Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud Migration

  • Migrated all services from data center to AWS
  • Infrastructure-as-code via CloudFormation & Docker
  • CI/CD & automated build
  • Multiple environments with auto-scaling
  • Audio format optimization pipeline via SQS
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Compliance Support

  • WCAG – Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
  • GDPR
  • FERPA
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Extensive & Complex Technology Migration

  • Merging of multi-year forked codebase
  • Graceful merging of three deployments into one
  • Planning allowed minimal downtime

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