In a story about the Tennessee Department of Education scaling back the requirements for online testing next year in light of this year’s testing challenges, this caught my attention:
Even with the problems this year, it was one of the most successful online administrations for the state to date. More than 2.5 million TNReady tests were administered this spring, with about 300,000 students taking the test online. Only high school students were required to take the online version this year.
What does the word “success” mean? Because my recollection of this year’s TNReady administration is that it was a debacle.
I’m not the only one. As I noted last week:
While lots of states are moving to online testing, one expert says Tennessee is unique:
“I’m not aware of a state that has had a more troubled transition” to online testing, said Douglas A. Levin of the consulting group EdTech Strategies.
And there’s this helpful explainer:
Why is Tennessee in the unique position of having the worst online testing transition in the country?
The reality is that Tennessee’s online-testing mess has left everyone in a difficult position, said Chad Aldeman, a principal at Bellwether Education Partners, a consulting organization.
“The state has not [made] stability a key priority in their testing vendors,” Aldeman said.
Nevertheless, Commissioner of Education Candice McQueen says:
The state will put out a request for contract proposals in the fall, with a new vendor to be identified in the spring. Questar Assessment could again win the contract, but McQueen said who wins the proposal will have to show the ability and history of seamlessly administering an online test.
“We look for a company with a track record of success in administering online testing and who can manage our test well.”
Haven’t we heard that before?
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