With 2018 around the bend, high school students across the state were able to take the first step in an ever-changing world of how testing is performed.
Tennessee Department of Education announced Monday that 266 high schools across the state successfully completed TNReady fall block end-of-course testing completely online.
“Nearly 120,000 TNReady EOC tests, which included more than 300,000 subparts, were taken on the online Nextera platform over the course of the three-week testing window. Because the online process allows students’ exams to be immediately uploaded, scoring was able to begin three weeks ago,” the Department said is a press release.
Elizabethton City Schools was also able to see positive results from the new online testing.
Travis Thompson, ECS director of the Wandell Early Learning Center, testing 6-12, curriculum 6-12, attendance & related services and student data services, indicated testing was a success for the fall, with administrators not encountering any significant problems and the students’ participation and attendance rate locked in at 99.6 percent.
Thompson credited the State by providing practice assessments and necessary tools for the district. ECS was also able to prepare for the testing by implementing technological infrastructure through the district, including Cyclone Checkpoint. Cyclone Checkpoints are used as a benchmarking-tool for students from third grade through high school level and are performed twice annually. The assessments allow teachers to understand what students are learning in core subjects so lesson plans can be modified to meet students’ learning styles.
Thompson added Cyclone Checkpoints are evaluated by ECS teachers to prepare them for assessments, like TNReady.
Steps taken by school districts like ECS are an encouraging sign for the success of TNReady online testing, according to Education Commissioner Dr. Candice McQueen.
“We are proud of our students, and we greatly appreciate the time and energy our educators spent to ensure that students were ready for this moment, both academically and technologically,” McQueen said in a statement issued to the Elizabethton Star. “We always want assessment to be a moment to celebrate what students know, and having a smooth online administration allows assessment to be a seamless part of the teaching and learning cycle so we can focus using these results to better support students. Now we are looking to be on this successful administration as we quickly return raw scores and move ahead into preparations for the spring.”
All high school students are taking TNReady online this year, but the platform was optional for students in grades 5-8. Thompson stated that the school district opted to stay with pencil and paper testing this year and will shift to online testing next year.
Thompson added that Cyclone Checkpoint is being utilized at the middle school level and that the infrastructure is in place to help prepare students and administrators for the testing.