Students will revert to pencil-and-paper tests this year, previously described as a “worst case scenario”. “Hello, wake up! It is not rocket science to figure out there are going to be issues with online testing the first time you do it”.
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Tennessee Department of Education officials, who earlier this year gave districts the option to go with paper tests instead, are now telling school districts to stop testing and return to their normal class schedule.
Leading up to today’s testing, we have heard from educators and parents statewide about concerns with the state’s capacity to handle so many students on the server at one time, as well as concerns about local districts having enough resources to complete the testing with so little funding from the state.
Tennessee’s brand new online school assessment test, known as TNReady, has crashed due to computer-networking glitches, forcing officials across the state to halt testing on the first day of its rollout.
“We are urgently working with Measurement Inc.to identify the causes and correct the problem”.
Students at about 20 Knox County schools were taking the tests Monday, and spokesperson Melissa Tindell confirmed that some of them were experiencing problems.
In Metro Nashville Public Schools, spokesman Joe Bass said a half dozen principals reported testing trouble.
The testing window for the first part of the exam started Monday and lasts until March 4.
That was until technical glitches forced the state department of education to halt all TNReady testing until at least Wednesday. That’s why Williamson County Schools delayed the start of testing by several days.
“This technology failure was not a result of the district’s network or computers”, a notice sent Monday to CMCSS parents said. Supporters say it does a better job of assessing critical-thinking skills than the previous test.
It’s unclear whether individual schools will be able to make their own decisions at this point.
“Here’s what we believe should happen: Schools should be confident that they can administer the tests on any day or days within the testing window that work best for their students and teachers”, the letter said. The Tennessee Education Association calls the system problems “unacceptable”, considering the “stress and anxiety” that already surround the high-stakes assessments.
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As the spokesperson for teachers, I have asked Hamilton County school board members to write a resolution that states that test scores will not be included in teachers’ final evaluation scores.
