Poll: More Americans Support Online Assessment Than Common Core

A new poll from Lincoln Park Strategies and Social Driver has found that a large majority of Americans strongly or somewhat support “the greater use of online technology for testing students." The two leading assessment consortia, Smarter Balanced and PARCC, are proposing “computer adaptive technology,” much of which they hope to conduct online, although only 37 percent of the respondents reported knowing anything about this online testing. 

The Lincoln Park Strategies-Social Driver Poll of 1,000 Americans revealed that online student testing tied to Common Core has more support than Common Core itself. While 61 percent of respondents expressed approval of online testing, only 42 percent strongly or somewhat supported the initiative in general.

Stefan Hankin, CEO of Lincoln Park Strategies, said, “The poll results are surprising because we see a situation where people are lukewarm about Common Core, yet a clear majority are completely comfortable with using technology when asked about it in connection with Common Core. My advice to Common Core supporters is to embrace the technology aspect of this effort as a gateway to helping Americans accept other parts of the initiative.” 

Anthony Shop, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Social Driver, added, “We may disagree about the need for and design of Common Core, but we understand that filling out bubble tests isn’t getting with the future."


About the Author

Christopher Piehler is the former editor-in-chief of THE Journal.

Featured

  • digital illustration of Estonia with glowing neural network-like connections spreading across the map

    Estonia to Roll Out ChatGPT Edu for all Secondary Schools

    In a nationwide artificial intelligence program dubbed "AI Leap 2025," the country of Estonia plans to provide free access to leading AI applications for all secondary school students and teachers. The initiative will launch with a rollout of ChatGPT Edu to 20,000 high school students in grades 10-11 and their 3,000 teachers, beginning Sept. 1.

  • computer monitor with glowing digital data and graphs bursting out in an abstract, energetic explosion of lines and elements against a dark background

    New OpenAI Agent Turns ChatGPT into a Research Analyst

    OpenAI has unveiled a new "Deep Research" feature that enhances ChatGPT with the capabilities of a "research analyst" that automates time-consuming research by retrieving, analyzing, and synthesizing online information.

  • glowing digital brain made of blue circuitry hovers above multiple stylized clouds of interconnected network nodes against a dark, futuristic background

    Report: 85% of Organizations Are Leveraging AI

    Eighty-five percent of organizations today are utilizing some form of AI, according to the latest State of AI in the Cloud 2025 report from Wiz. While AI's role in innovation and disruption continues to expand, security vulnerabilities and governance challenges remain pressing concerns.

  • blue and green lines intersecting and merging in an abstract pattern against a light gray background with a subtle grid design

    Gartner on Data Integration Market: Cloud Giants Down, AI Up

    "By 2027, AI assistants and AI-enhanced workflows incorporated into data integration tools will reduce manual intervention by 60 percent and enable self-service data management," according to Gartner.