State Assessments...
...in the Electronic Age
by Judy Chamberlain
It seems that the yellow pencil and the pink eraser have gone the way of the buggy whip! The state of Kansas is requiring all students to take the annual assessments online unless there is a significant reason to use a pencil and bubble sheet, and even the paper-pencil tests will need to be uploaded by a proctor after they are complete. Since families will be sent the results before school is out for the summer, there is literally not enough time to score forms the "old" way.
Two subjects, Math and Reading, are assessed every single year for all students in grades 3-8 and once in high school, and scoring well on these tests is a requirement for each school to make Adequate Yearly Progress. In addition, students in grades 4, 7, and selected levels in high school take the science test each year in order to maintain our accreditation.
The students and teachers are preparing for the assessments in the focused way that has been so successful for our district in the past. We know which skills will be tested, and we all work as a team to ensure that each student can perform to the best of his or her ability on testing days. Each school sets its testing schedule to allow enough time on the computers for each subject, which can be quite a challenge.
Families can help in this important aspect of our district's success by watching for notes from the schools about testing dates and trying hard to have the students at school on the scheduled days. We know that working together never goes out of style, even if pencils and erasers are becoming collector's items!
