July 2004 — SETDA
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Virginia: Getting Ready for Online Testing
Time spent planning and thinking through the goals of the project, what needs to happen along the way, and what you expect to achieve in the short and long run will pay off in being able to answer the hundreds of questions that will arise. For example, early in the process, our schools were concerned with trying to test students with their existing limited infrastructure. They asked, "How do they do online testing in a school when it d'esn't have enough computers or bandwidth to accommodate all kids?" Our answer: "Don't start with a complete school, start with a subject or two using existing technology. Then increase tests given until you reach the number of computers that you have available. As you have more computers and develop a more robust infrastructure, increase the number of tests given." This response showed that we understood that it would take time and resources to accomplish our technology goals. Districts felt relief that they could plan a "test of the test" and then build from that experience.
Our assessment goal was to establish a statewide, secure Web-based system to provide administrators and teachers with the ability to register students for tests, manage test delivery sessions, and report test data. Students must be able to take tests online and get results quickly, but should not be able to "break security." Assessment issues were addressed by PMT work groups as the test engine was developed. Often, the school teams provided some of the most valuable input. As testing strategies, students suggested adding a "highlighter" and the ability to "mark for review" questions that they wanted to revisit. When tests were administered, proctors suggested having student names appear at the top of screens so they could be certain that the right student was taking the test.
We found that our technology people had much to learn about assessment, and our assessment people had much to learn about technology. We originally thought that we could separate the two, but when a technology glitch happened, it also caused a testing irregularity. In a similar way, test presentation on a computer screen, needed test accommodations, and creation of in-test manipulatives (e.g. protractors, compasses, periodic tables, etc.) became technical challenges. But continual communication and working together as a team to solve problems helped us deal with these issues.
Overcoming Challenges
Communication with schools as these areas of tests were administered was of vital importance. We realized that issues which were not addressed promptly could lead to a local testing disaster. For instance, districts expressed concerns that they had to use local funds to hire contractors to verify their certification. To address these concerns, we worked with our vendor partner to make software available that could emulate test takers. This allowed districts to verify their capabilities whenever they wanted, as well as gave them reassurance that the technology would work during testing.
Another challenge was what happened when 60 to 100 test takers in a school hit the "test download" button at the same time. This used all available bandwidth and took too much time.
