All California Community Colleges can now utilize an online assessment tool designed to improve learning outcomes in online courses. The assessment tool, called SmarterMeasure™ Learning Readiness Indicator, was created by eLearning applications provider SmarterServices™. This agreement came about through a partnership between the California Community Colleges Online Education Initiative (OEI) and the Foundation for California Community Colleges (Foundation).  SmarterMeasure™ Learning Readiness Indicator™ is a web-based, diagnostic assessment that evaluates multiple factors related to education and student success, including learning styles, life factors, individual attributes, technical competency and knowledge, on-screen reading rate and recall, and typing speed and accuracy. "Since 2002, 3.7 million students have taken the SmarterMeasure™ assessment and have received guidance and resources mapped to their scores to help them succeed," said Dr. Mac Adkins, CEO & founder of SmarterServices.  SmarterServices and the SmarterMeasure™ Learning Readiness Indicator were originally only available to select Online Education Initiative pilot colleges, but are now available to the entire California Community College system through the Foundation's systemwide purchasing program, CollegeBuys, which offers significant discounts on a wide range of educational products for colleges. "Online student readiness is one of the most important factors that will impact whether or not a student will succeed in a course," said Pat James, OEI's executive director. "Making SmarterMeasure™ available to all California Community Colleges allows these students to be fully informed about their individual challenges with online learning."  Students can use the results of these assessments to understand their own strengths and weaknesses and seek help. Administrators are empowered to better identify at-risk students, provide remedial help to meet specific student needs, and ultimately improve retention. The SmarterMeasure™ assessment is part of Quest for Online Success, a learning program developed by the OEI to prepare students to succeed in online education. Online student success and retention rates have been consistently lower in online learning environments than in traditional academic settings, and the Quest for Online Success program aims to address these discrepancies. SmarterMeasure™ joins a burgeoning suite of tools designed to serve online counseling, online course preparation, online tutoring, and proctoring needs. These tools have been identified in partnership with the OEI and community college practitioners. For more information about SmarterMeasure™, visit smartermeasure.com. For more information about the Online Education Initiative, a project of the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, visit ccconlineed.org. For information about CollegeBuys products offerings, please visit foundationccc.org/CollegeBuys.  About SmarterServices, LLC SmarterServices™ offers a suite of eLearning applications that empower nearly 600 educational institutions—K-12 schools, colleges, universities—to organize and analyze relevant data about students, teachers, employees, and curriculum. Our data-driven solutions include assessments that measure learner readiness, non-cognitive skills, and CBE readiness and an exam proctoring management tool. As a result, clients can more intelligently form strategic plans, maximize efficiency, and foster formative learning. Since 2002, over 3.7 million students have benefited from SmarterServices. About the Online Education Initiative The Online Education Initiative is a collaborative effort among California Community Colleges (CCCs) to ensure that significantly more students are able to complete their educational goals by increasing both access to and success in high-quality online courses....