Questar Assessment Inc. has announced a contract award from the Florida Department of Education for the Florida Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment (CELLA). This comprehensive program is designed to measure annual progress toward English proficiency of students who are classified as English language learners (ELL). An estimated 264,000 Florida students in Grades K-12 will participate in the program during the 2009-2010 school year. Questar's three-year contract for the English language proficiency assessment begins with the 2009-2010 school year and continues through December 2012. The contract contains a 2-year renewal option. The program represents an important step toward serving ELL students by providing a fair opportunity for them to demonstrate their skills. The assessment will address Title III program accountability requirements set forth with the No Child Left Behind Act. The exam will enable educators to review each student's strengths and weaknesses and subsequently tailor instruction to maximize student performance.

Questar Assessment Inc. appointed student assessment IT and Operations leader Dennis Anest as Senior Vice President of Technology and Operations. In this newly created role, Anest will be responsible for technology and operational initiatives to position Questar for successful and sustainable growth as they continue to adapt to a changing business climate and new technology requirements. With more than 20 years of experience in IT and Operations, Dennis has an excellent record of drawing on his understanding of systems and processes from IT, operations, and customer perspectives and leveraging that knowledge to deliver outstanding customer solutions, reduce costs, and accelerate growth in the K-12 assessment market. Most recently, Anest served as the Executive Director of Production Management at ETS, where he was responsible for providing subject matter expertise and leadership for operational and IT growth in the delivery of end-to-end K-12 services.

Questar Assessment Inc. appointed educational publishing leader Steve Mesmer as Senior Vice President of Business Development and Program Management. In this newly created role, Mesmer is responsible for growing Questar's K-12 custom contract business and overseeing the program management department for all of company’s state clients. Most recently, Mesmer served as Vice President of Business Development and Solutions at CTB/McGraw-Hill, where he was responsible for the strategy, response to proposals and acquisitions of numerous large-scale custom assessment contracts in the United States and international K-12 markets.