2025 International eAA Awards Most Innovative Use of Technology in Assessment Finalist Duolingo

This video is a summary of Duolingo English Test’s project A Novel Scalable System for High-Stakes Computerized Adaptive Testing shortlisted for the 2025 International e-Assessment Awards in the Most Innovative Use of Technology in Assessment category.

Commenting on being a finalist, Duolingo said, “We are deeply honored to be shortlisted as a finalist for this year’s E-Assessment Award. This recognition is a testament to the dedication, creativity, and collaboration of the entire team behind the development of S2A3—an innovation that reimagines how large-scale, high-stakes adaptive testing can be delivered in a fast, fair, and scalable way.

At Duolingo, our mission is to make high-quality education accessible to everyone. The Duolingo English Test reaches learners around the world—many of whom rely on it for life-changing opportunities in higher education and beyond. Being recognized for the S2A3 system affirms the value of building smarter, more equitable tests that meet people where they are.

S2A3 enables us to deploy and score new test items in real time, ensuring that the DET remains secure, adaptive, and inclusive—even when collecting millions of test-taker responses across hundreds of thousands of test takers and tens of thousands of test items. This innovation represents a significant leap forward not just for our test, but for the future of e-assessment as a whole.

We’re especially grateful to the interdisciplinary team of psychometricians, applied linguistic researchers, AI research scientists, software engineers, and product leaders who made this work possible, as well as the test-takers, institutions, and partners who continue to inspire us to raise the bar in assessment design.

Being shortlisted motivates us to keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in adaptive testing—ensuring that rapid innovation and rigorous validity can go hand in hand. We’re excited to share what we’ve built and to learn from the amazing work being done across the e-assessment community.

Thank you for this incredible recognition.”

Thank you to our Awards Headline Sponsor, The British Council. With a presence in over 100 countries, the British Council plays a pivotal role in transforming lives and fostering global partnerships, making a positive impact on individuals and communities worldwide.