Educational Testing Service, a heavyweight in standardized assessment, plans to cut 757 California jobs before the year closes. The workforce reduction lands as another blow for the nonprofit that once dominated the U.S. testing industry.
A state regulatory notice filed last week confirmed ETS will shutter its constructed-response scoring operations for multiple state education exams, including ELPAC, CAST, and CSA. The service termination takes effect Dec. 31.
The cuts permanently eliminate rater roles linked to the Sacramento office, although most affected employees perform their work remotely. Allison Corallo, an ETS human resources coordinator, stated all impacted staffers have received notification.
Measurement Inc. will absorb scoring responsibilities for the affected programs, according to the filing. That company may extend job offers to some displaced ETS workers.
“These individuals were all given the opportunity to apply for roles and continue performing their work with the new vendor,” ETS said in a Wednesday statement. The organization framed the move as an operational adjustment rather than a halt to services.
The layoffs represent the latest setback for ETS. Founded in 1947 through a collaboration between the College Board and other education entities, the organization administered the SAT for decades while expanding its testing portfolio.
But the landscape has shifted dramatically. Universities increasingly moved away from requiring standardized test scores for admission. Meanwhile, digital-first competitors have eaten into ETS’s traditional market share.
Last year, ETS offered voluntary buyouts to its U.S. workforce after losing the long-held SAT administration contract. The organization now operates in more than 200 countries and delivers roughly 50 million assessments annually.
On Wednesday, CEO Amit Sevak announced Janet Garcia will step into the president role, overseeing global operations and portfolio integration. The leadership change signals ETS’s intent to stabilize and reposition itself amid ongoing industry disruption.
