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ETS Wins New Contracts to Deliver The Nation’s Report Card

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PRINCETON, N.J., Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — ETS, a global education and talent solutions organization, has been selected by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to implement the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) during the 2025-2029 cycle. Known as The Nation’s Report Card, NAEP is the only nationwide assessment that provides a clear and comprehensive measure of student performance in grades 4, 8 and 12 across critical subjects such as math and reading. Over the next five years, ETS will support NCES in introducing groundbreaking innovations to NAEP, enabling teachers, policymakers and parents to better support every learner in reaching their full potential.

Ensuring NAEP remains the most trusted measure of student achievement in the U.S. is a top priority for ETS.

Under the new contract, ETS will provide the following services:

Program and operations coordination: Overseeing strategic planning, managing coalition contractors, coordinating research and development and aligning operations across multiple partners.Design, analysis, and reporting: Developing NAEP assessments and special studies, performing psychometric and statistical analysis and producing reporting tools such as The Nation’s Report Card.Assessment content development: Creating test questions, digital assessment tasks, scoring rubrics and survey items; conducting cognitive interviews and pilots; handling item translations and reviews.NAEP platform development: Building an innovative, user-friendly digital assessment platform and supporting systems, including the Assessment Management System and the Online Teacher and School Administrator Questionnaire.

“Our long-standing partnership with NCES reflects our continued commitment to measuring what matters—providing reliable insights to help shape the future of learning for all,” Amit Sevak, CEO of ETS, said.

“It is our priority to ensure that NAEP remains the most accurate and trusted measure of student achievement in the U.S.,” Kadriye Ercikan, Senior Vice President of Global Research at ETS, said. “Every NAEP cycle allows us to incorporate the latest advances in cognitive science and measurement. The upcoming 2024 results will include many new features that the ETS team created with NCES, such as descriptions of student skills demonstrated on the assessment and a new socio-economic status (SES) index. This improved level of analysis will equip stakeholders with new critical insights to help every student succeed.”

ETS deeply values its role supporting NCES to establish NAEP as the benchmark for educational evaluation in the U.S. and globally, driving its continuous innovation and modernization since 1983. Key milestones include:

In 2017, transitioning assessments from paper-based to fully digital formats, creating modern, flexible testing environments.In 2024, expanding device compatibility to include Microsoft Surface Pro tablets and Chromebooks, allowing students to take assessments on more familiar devices.By 2026, ETS aims to support NCES in transitioning NAEP to school-provided devices such as desktops, laptops, or tablets to leverage school-managed internet connections, maximize efficiency and align with students’ other testing experiences.

Looking ahead, ETS remains committed to ensuring that NAEP continues to provide valuable insights that power human progress.

About ETS
ETS is a global education and talent solutions organization enabling lifelong learners to be future-ready. We advance the science of measurement to build the benchmarks for fair and valid skill assessment. We are committed to powering human progress by promoting skill proficiency, empowering upward mobility and unlocking more opportunities for everyone, everywhere. Our assessment products—including the TOEFL®, TOEIC®, GRE®, and Praxis® assessments—as well as our innovative solutions and subsidiaries, help 50 million people each year clarify their strengths and find opportunities for growth in education, work and beyond. For more information, visit www.ets.org.

About NAEP
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as The Nation’s Report Card, is the largest ongoing assessment measuring U.S. students’ knowledge and abilities. Administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education, NAEP assesses mathematics, reading, science and writing learning outcomes. It is administered periodically to a representative sample of students in grades 4, 8 and 12 nationwide. For more information, visit https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ets-wins-new-contracts-to-deliver-the-nations-report-card-302346331.html

SOURCE ETS

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Bank Alfalah Acquires Strategic Stake in UAE Fintech Jingle Pay

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DUBAI, UAE, Jan. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Bank Alfalah, a leading commercial bank in Pakistan with a network of over 1,000 branches, has announced its acquisition of a 9.9% equity stake in Jingle Pay, one of the fastest growing fintechs in the MENAP region. The Bank’s fintech investment underscores its commitment to driving digital transformation and fostering financial inclusion across key markets.

Jingle Pay has redefined the fintech space with its proprietary AI-powered tech stack already processing over 2 million transactions and facilitating over $1 billion in international money transfers in 2024, saving customers over $6 million in fees. Jingle Pay was recently awarded the top global fintech for remittances into Pakistan.

Jingle Pay has solidified its position as a high-growth fintech leader in the MENAP region, supported by prestigious investors, including MoneyGram, G42-backed Applied AI, and prominent U.S. venture capital firms known for backing global fintech giants like N26 and PayPal, Jingle Pay continues to disrupt the industry. Bank Alfalah’s equity investment and appointment to Jingle Pay’s Board signal a robust partnership aimed at driving growth and innovation. This collaboration leverages Bank Alfalah’s extensive infrastructure to amplify Jingle Pay’s impact on cross-border payments and digital banking, advancing its ambitious vision for the MENAP region.

Jingle Pay provides innovative services, including multi-currency accounts, instant money transfers via the world’s first remittance marketplace, card payments, and last-mile payouts across 150+ corridors in 99+ currencies. Additionally, its Remittance-as-a-Service solution enables banks, FinTech’s, and non-financial institutions to facilitate seamless international money transfers.

Jingle Pay plans to launch its digital banking services in Pakistan in Q1 2025 as a branchless banking mobile app targeting to bring seamless and inclusive financial services to the country’s largely unbanked population. Jingle Pay will leverage Bank Alfalah’s infrastructure to bring seamless banking solutions to millions of customers. The partnership will create synergies in cross-border payments strengthened by shareholder MoneyGram.

As Pakistan’s 5th largest remittance partner, Jingle Pay plays a crucial role in driving global financial flows that contribute significantly to the country’s GDP. Establishing local presence in Pakistan will strengthen its partnership and cross-border capabilities, further cementing Jingle Pay’s position as a leader in the remittance ecosystem.

Leadership Remarks

Farooq A. Khan, Group Head – Corporate, Investment Banking and International Business of Bank Alfalah, emphasized: “This acquisition is a milestone in our journey to lead the digital banking revolution. By combining Jingle Pay’s innovative platform with Bank Alfalah’s resources, we aim to redefine cross-border financial services and deliver exceptional value to millions of users.”

Amir Fardghassemi, Founder and CEO of Jingle Pay, said: “Partnering with Bank Alfalah empowers us to scale our vision of inclusive finance. Together, we aim to enrich the digital economy and create transformative cross-border financial solutions.”

The collaboration also enhances Bank Alfalah’s role in the global Payments ecosystem, strengthening its position as a leader in cross-border financial flows and delivering unparalleled value to customers in the MENAP and beyond.

About Bank Alfalah

Bank Alfalah is a leading commercial bank in Pakistan, with over 1,000 branches across 200 cities and an international presence in the UAE, Bahrain, and Afghanistan. Its heritage and prominence extend over 25 successful years, highlighted by achievements that reflect exponential growth in the country’s financial sector.

The Bank offers various products and services to private-sector institutions and governments, including corporate and investment banking, consumer banking, securities brokerage, commercial, small and medium enterprises, agricultural, Islamic, and asset financing.

The Bank has established itself as a premier digital bank by introducing various features on its banking app, such as Alfamall, Buy Now Pay Later, and Term Deposit Receipts. It has also launched Pakistan’s first digital lifestyle branch. 

About Jingle Pay

Jingle Pay, a UAE born fintech, is the MENAP region’s leading and fastest-growing fintech, specializing in cross-border money transfers licensed by Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). Jingle Pay operates in the UAE, Bahrain, and Pakistan, offering cutting-edge financial services. Backed by global financial institutions like MoneyGram, Bank Alfalah, top-tier U.S. and international venture capital firms that have backed PayPal and N26, as well as G42 backed, Applied AI.

The company provides a wide array of solutions, including Remittance-as-a-Service for financial institutions, enabling seamless global payouts across 150+ corridors and 99+ currencies. Additionally, Jingle Pay operates a B2C app for retail customers, facilitating card payments and international money transfers focused on driving financial inclusion and leveraging AI to redefine cross border payments.

CONTACT: Jingle Pay, Media@jinglepay.com, +971 4 547 7778

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2594862/Jingle_Pay.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/bank-alfalah-acquires-strategic-stake-in-uae-fintech-jingle-pay-302347236.html

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Better Business Bureau Serving the Tri-Counties Warns Homeowners About Donation Scams Following Southern California Fires

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BBB Offers Recommendations for Donating to Southern California Wildfire Requests, Warning to Beware of Click-Bait and Phishing Scams, Bogus Crowdfunding Requests

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Better Business Bureau Serving the Tri-Counties issues warning to businesses and consumers tied to donation scams following Southern California Fires. As reported, strong winds fueling a fast-moving fire in Southern California has caused more than 100,000 people to evacuate their homes. For those seeking to help those in need, BBB Wise Giving Alliance offers the following tips to give thoughtfully.

For those seeking to help those in need, BBB Wise Giving Alliance offers the following tips to give thoughtfully.

Tips for Donating to Southern California Wildfire Relief Efforts

Make Sure the Charity Is Trustworthy: Before giving, search for the charity’s report on Give.org to find out if the charity meets the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability (i.e., a BBB Accredited Charity). While disaster fundraising has not yet fully emerged for this tragedy, donors might check with the following BBB Accredited Charities to help start their selection of organizations offering help: American Red Cross, Direct Relief, GlobalGiving and Salvation Army.

Look for Specific Fire Relief Activities in Appeals: Be wary of relief appeals that have vague program descriptions and do not explain what activities your support will assist.

Watch Out for Click-Bait and Phishing Scams: Online giving scams tend to pop up after a disaster to take advantage of public sympathy. Don’t click on email, text, or social media links promising to connect you to a familiar charity. Instead, go directly to the charity’s website on your own.

Review Crowdfunding Requests: Some crowdfunding sites take precautions in carefully screening, vetting, and managing postings after a disaster or tragedy. Others might not. If unsure, review the procedures described on the site and also find out about transaction fees and other specifics.

Verify Charity Registration: About 40 of the 50 states require charities to annually register. Check with your state’s office of the attorney general or secretary of state’s office.

Understand the Phases of Disaster Relief: Most disasters go through three periods of activity: rescue, relief, and recovery. Each phase involves different activities and support. You can familiarize yourself with each phase on our Supporting Disaster Relief and Preparedness page.

Better Business Bureau Serving the Tri-Counties intends for this advice to help donors to give with confidence while avoiding questionable efforts.

For more information
To report a scam, go to BBB Scam Tracker.
To learn how to protect yourself, go to “10 Steps to Avoid Scams.”

Media Contact

Frank Tortorici, Marketing Maven, (908) 875-8908, frank@marketingmaven.com, https://marketingmaven.com/ 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/better-business-bureau-serving-the-tri-counties-warns-homeowners-about-donation-scams-following-southern-california-fires-302347662.html

SOURCE Better Business Bureau

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Pollo AI Launches Consistent Character Video to Maintain Consistency of Characters, Objects, or Scenes in Generated Videos

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SINGAPORE, Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Pollo AI  continues to raise the bar in AI video generation with the addition of its latest feature: Consistent Character Video, which can transform still images into high quality AI videos, while maintaining consistency of characters, objects, or scenes throughout every frame.

Users can upload one or up to three images of a subject to the tool – it could be a person’s face, for example, or image(s) of an inanimate object, like an appliance or piece of clothing, or image(s) of specific scenes. The AI video generator will then use the image(s) as the reference point(s) when generating its video content, ensuring that the original visuals are accurately and consistently portrayed.

This way, users can make multiple videos while keeping the same consistent subjects. They can make themselves the star of numerous clips, for example, or incorporate real-life items into their video creations. While other elements of the videos may change, the core subjects you choose will always remain consistent.

The uses for this are numerous. Brands, for example, could upload images of their latest products and then make various AI-generated videos featuring those products in a range of settings and scenarios. Or creators could make entire feature-length films by generating multiple short-form AI videos with the same consistent subjects in different scenes.

You could even upload an image of a famous landmark or monument, and instruct the tool to use that throughout your video creations. This makes it so much easier to create sequences or series of videos with the same consistent background, environment, or setting – a feat that many AI video generators have historically struggled with.

It’s a huge leap forward for AI video technology. Before the Consistent Character Video Generator, many users had expressed frustration when it came to trying to keep the same characters and subjects in multiple AI-generated videos. But with this new tool, that challenge has been solved.

What’s more, the Consistent Character Video Generator is backed up by Pollo AI’s advanced algorithms and powerful technology. Thanks to that, it’s able to make some of the most visually impressive AI videos, with cinematic levels of quality, fluid motion, realistic physics, and other desirable characteristics.

Plus, just like other AI videos generated with Pollo AI, the user has total control over various aspects, such as the aspect ratio, the length of the video, the resolution, and the camera movement. With this bold new addition, Pollo AI continues to assert itself as one of the leading and most innovative names in the AI video sphere.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pollo-ai-launches-consistent-character-video-to-maintain-consistency-of-characters-objects-or-scenes-in-generated-videos-302347735.html

SOURCE Pollo AI

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