Introducing Caveon—New Company Formed
to Detect and Prevent Test Fraud
Testing Experts From Galton, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard
Join Forces To Launch the First Multi-Industry Test-Protection
Powerhouse
DRAPER, UTAH—October 1, 2003—Pervasive, sophisticated test cheating and
piracy schemes are the catalyst for today’s introduction of Caveon, the
first end-to-end testing security services and technology company
providing detection, remediation, and prevention to combat cheating and
piracy of test information.
Test development costs a testing program up to a hundred thousand dollars
and six to twelve months of development time. Piracy of test information
and its subsequent publication alone can jeopardize the accurate
measurement of knowledge and skills, and poses an economic threat to
testing programs and the organizations that rely upon tests for hiring and
admissions decisions.
Caveon opens its doors today as the first test security services
consulting firm focusing on the burgeoning problem of test security and
offering organizations protection from the unauthorized disclosure and use
of their valuable test information. Caveon is armed with the experience
and technology to help organizations protect their tests with barriers to
the piracy and sharing of copyrighted materials; web patrolling services
to locate and defeat attempts to disseminate test information; and
proprietary technology which uses test data to identify the cheaters.
Founded by testing industry luminaries David Foster, Ph.D and Jerry
Christensen, who started Galton Technologies, Inc., a computerized
assessment and certification services company recently purchased by
Thomson Learning, the team not only brings decades of experience and a
wealth of knowledge of the testing industry, but also a unique
understanding of how tests are being compromised. Additional Caveon
principals include: Dennis Maynes, previously with Intel and Wicat, who
brings statistical data analysis expertise; Lane Brewer a technology
infrastructure specialist who previously held positions at Galton
Technologies and Novell; and Robert Hunt, Ph.D., a veteran attorney with
long experience in the design, development and management of certification
exams for Microsoft.
Caveon Security Consultants review testing program’s existing test
security measures against industry-endorsed Caveon security standards.
Besides reviewing and recommending prevention and response strategies,
consultants will also provide access to services such as Caveon Data
Forensics and Legal Support Services. The security consulting staff is
comprised of top names in the testing industry including: Cyndy
Fitzgerald, Ph.D., formerly directed psychometric efforts at Microsoft;
Jamie Mulkey, Ed.D., previously led the Certified Professional Exam Design
department at Hewlett-Packard; James Impara, Ph.D., a veteran educator
with an extensive record of research and publication on testing issues;
John Fremer, Ph.D., the former Senior Development leader for the revision
of the SAT and Director of School and College Test Development at
Educational Testing Services (ETS); and Robert Pedigo, the executive
director of the Information Technology Certification Security Council, the
IT certification industry’s anti-piracy trade association.
“Caveon’s mission is to provide testing programs with some new defenses in
the fight against test cheating and piracy,” stated David Foster, CEO and
co-founder of Caveon. “It takes creative technology and focused service
to detect and deter cheating, attack the problems forcefully, and prevent
its occurrence in the future.”
Key Markets
Caveon is focusing its anti-fraud and piracy efforts toward four specific
industry sectors, Clinical, Educational, Industrial Organizational and
Licensure/Certification
“The introduction of Caveon represents the ‘beginning of the end’ for test
cheaters and thieves,” said Ron Hambleton, distinguished professor and
chairperson of the Research and Evaluation Methods Program and co-director
of the Center for Educational Assessment at the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst. “Test fraud and piracy are major concerns in
our industry. The introduction of computerized tests and the Internet,
while improving the quality and convenience of testing, have also
escalated the amount and varieties of cheating. Caveon will address this
need by helping organizations design secure testing programs which extend
the life-cycle of their tests, and by providing the means to protect the
integrity and value of existing tests for decision making.”
Services
Caveon offers a full range of detection, remediation and protection
consulting services including:
· Investigative Services to confirm identified instances of
test compromise,
· Security Audits to review and certify as “Caveon Secure”
the security measures of testing programs,
· Data Forensics to monitor test data, via proprietary
statistical methods, for anomalies and response patterns that indicate
test fraud,
· Web Patrol including Web crawling and other proprietary
techniques to identify unauthorized disclosures, and disclosers, of
sensitive test information,
· Secure Services to assist testing programs in the
development of legally sound, market tested, scientific methods for the
design and administration of tests, and
· Legal Support to provide the legal means for testing
programs to respond to confirmed instances of test abuse.
“Testing security is complex to administer and difficult to manage.
Testing programs typically lack the time, personnel and resources
necessary to investigate or otherwise respond to test fraud and piracy,”
said Foster. “Now with Caveon, testing programs will have access to the
tools, talent and technologies to protect the security and integrity of
their tests and end the wasteful cycle of investing time and money to
develop and issue replacement tests likely to meet a similar fate.”
Pricing
Caveon products and consulting services are available now. Pricing is
based on a subscription model that provides ongoing security consulting,
detection and remediation. For more information please visit
www.caveon.com.
About Caveon
Caveon is the first test security firm to offer comprehensive services to
combat test fraud and piracy with detection services to identify
security breaches, remediation services to confirm suspicions and
leverage legal processes to halt abuses of sensitive test information, and
prevention services to secure tests from compromise. Caveon is
derived from the Latin word Caveo, meaning “to keep safe,” “to guard” and
“to protect,” and was founded by psychometric and testing experts who also
founded Galton Technologies, Inc. Caveon does not provide test
development, delivery, or data management services.
* * *
Press Contacts:
Paulette Brown, Brown Communications, Inc.,
browncom@bellsouth.net,
770-577-3881
Jerry Christensen, VP of Marketing at Caveon,
jerry.christensen@caveon.com,
801-208-0103.
©1997 - 2003 Association of Test Publishers