Q & A: Taking Student Testing Online

September 7, 2004

Testing students in Kentucky still requires a number 2 pencil and a lot of time between test taking and test results. Kentucky Education Commissioner Gene Wilhoit is working on a plan to help, by moving student testing online. The idea is to dramatically speed up the time it takes for teachers to get feedback and make adjustments to curriculum. The plan calls for a pilot program to be conducted before any full implementation gets underway. Techlines spoke to Lisa Gross, spokesperson for the Kentucky Department of Education,
to find out how online student testing would work:

Techlines
What is the testing process like today?

Lisa Gross
Today, we still test our students using pencil and paper and ship the results off to have them compiled. The process takes months, usually giving us the results in October each year.

Techlines
What is the timeline for implementing a pilot for online testing?

Lisa Gross
We will begin piloting specific testing at the high school level sometime during this school year, probably in 2005. The pilot would continue through the 2005-06 school year, and middle and elementary schools will be included.

Techlines
How would that work? Would you have to create a mobile computer lab for students to use in stages?

Lisa Gross
Since the Commonwealth of Kentucky has provided all schools in Kentucky with Internet access, the test items could be posted on a secure site and accessed through computers at the school. Schools could set up a testing area in the library, for example, that would be monitored by teachers.

One of the key questions is whether or not schools' technology is of a sufficient level to handle the volume of test items and the interactive requirements of online assessments. We would work very closely with the pilot schools to ensure that they have enough server space and that the workstations used for the assessments are as up-to-date as possible.

Techlines
If the pilot is a success, how do you envision rolling this out statewide?

Lisa Gross
School district personnel will need training in the administration of the online tests, particularly in the areas of security and scoring. A protocol will be developed to serve as a guide for school districts when administering the tests, and KDE will likely develop some training for district assessment coordinators and technology personnel. The training will include timelines and guidance for the online portion of the test.

If the test questions are available on a secure Web site, the actual roll-out will be relatively simple. But, security will be a prime concern, since our assessment and accountability system is a "high stakes" program -- schools are judged on their performance on the tests.

Techlines
Would you have to purchase software to make the online testing happen?

Lisa Gross
We are looking at developing a program to deliver the tests with help from our testing contractor and from our technology staff. Since Kentucky's test is unique to the state, an off-the-shelf program would likely have to be modified, and the resources to do that might be better used to develop our own, CATS-specific delivery program.

We will be working closely with eCollege, an organization with a history of online assessment and experience with Kentucky's requirements. Currently, eCollege delivers Kentucky Virtual High School programs and online assessments for our students with disabilities.

Techlines
How would having testing data faster make things better?

Lisa Gross:
If schools and districts have the results from the tests in their hands earlier, they can work to make changes in their delivery of instruction more quickly than they can now. For instance, if a school sees that its mathematics scores are weak, it can provide additional help to students who might need it, training for math teachers and targeting of areas that might help lift achievement levels.

With the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, states must provide assessment data to their school systems in a timely manner -- preferably, before the beginning of the school year. Online assessments and the resulting near-immediate scoring would help us meet that mandate.

We already have online assessments for students with disabilities or limited English proficiency who meet specific criteria, including that they use text or screen readers. Students who qualify take the same test as their peers, but online. About 40% of our students with disabilities require readers when they are taking the tests, but not all of those students participate in online testing.

Visit the Department of Education online at: http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Default.htm

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