Technological advancements are slowly but surely making their way into classrooms nationwide, changing the way teachers teach and children learn – and test.
In Ohio, state-required assessments are conducted online, with students swapping their pencils and paper for tablets and keyboards. But an Ohio state representative has concerns that not all districts and charter schools are ready to go paperless, reports Shannon Gilchrist for The Columbus Dispatch.
Ms. Gilchrist writes:
After one year of requiring students to take their state standardized tests on a computer, Ohio’s legislators could give the state’s schools the choice to go back to paper and pencil.
The version of the state budget that the House passed on May 2 says that schools may administer the tests on paper, online or by using a combination of the two. The budget still must go through the Senate and to Gov. John Kasich for approval by June 30.
Rep. Andrew Brenner of Powell, the chairman of the House Education Committee, introduced the measure. He said a few charter schools came to him because they don’t have the technology to test successfully, and he suspects that some traditional districts don’t, either.
“Despite what they’ll tell you, the large chunk of districts are still not up to snuff with the technology,” Brenner said. “If you’ve got computers that are still crashing around the state. ... Until we are 99 percent certain that this works, let’s maybe go back to paper and pencil.”
But not everyone is convinced that allowing school districts to choose between paper and online testing would be good in the long run.
Per Ms. Gilchrist:
The Senate is hearing testimony and hashing out its version of the budget. On May 10, state Superintendent Paolo DeMaria testified before a Senate subcommittee that 94 percent of Ohio students took the tests online this year, with relatively few problems.
“Online tests can be processed more quickly and are more secure, more accurate and less expensive,” DeMaria said. “Reverting back to multiple modes of test administration will create confusion about validity, reduce pressure to integrate technology in classrooms, increase costs and restrict the efficiencies gained by online test administration.”
Paper vs. computer testing has been a point of contention over the past couple of years. Education Department officials point out that learning to use technology is part of the learning standards starting in kindergarten, and state law mandated that schools switch to online testing by this school year.
Read the full story here.
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