MINNEAPOLIS, MN / ACCESSWIRE / July 18, 2017 / Questar Assessment Inc. announced today that Stephen Lazer has been named as its President and Chief Executive Officer. Lazer has been the interim head of the company since earlier this year and will assume his role as CEO effective August 4th.

"When we weighed all factors, Questar's board of directors saw Steve as the clear choice for this role," said ETS President and Questar board chair, Walt MacDonald. "His industry knowledge and understanding of complex day-to-day operations will serve Questar well as it continues on its course of exceptional customer service and growth as an independent subsidiary of Educational Testing Service (ETS)."

"Questar's mission - to build a bridge between learning and assessment - complements the ETS belief that better measurement solutions can make a positive impact on education," said Lazer. "I consider myself very fortunate to lead a company where the leadership and staff are so committed to making an important contribution to K-12 education in the U.S. I look forward to driving future growth and innovation at Questar."

Lazer brings more than 30 years of large-scale assessment design and management experience to Questar. Lazer joined ETS in 1985 and worked as a test developer until he moved into a role supporting ETS work on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in 1991. Between 1996 and 2004, he was the Executive Director overseeing ETS work on NAEP. Between 2004 and 2010, Lazer served as vice president of assessment development and was responsible for managing the nearly 600 individuals who developed all assessments and related materials at ETS. Between 2010 and 2012, Lazer served as Vice President of ETS's Teacher Licensure and Certification, and NAEP businesses. In 2013, he became Senior Vice President of Student and Teacher assessment, adding management of ETS work on College Board Programs to his portfolio.

Lazer has published widely on assessment matters such as assessment design, group score assessments, computer-based testing, assessment linking, and the results of national and international assessments. He is currently a member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the National Council for Measurement in Education (NCME). He earned a graduate degree in political science from Princeton University and a bachelor's degree (a joint honors degree in English and political science) at McGill University. Before joining ETS, Steve served as a policy analyst for the World Policy Institute, as well as a lecturer at Princeton University.