Education Week Issue 25 - Technology Counts 2014 - 29

haven't given online assessments,
or where existing assessments are
much less complex than commoncore assessments-which are designed to move beyond simple multiple-choice questions-are more
inclined to run into problems, said
Geoffrey Fletcher, setda's deputy
executive director.

Michigan Moves Forward
One state that has sought to
make strides in preparing for online common-core testing is Michigan, where its experience with
online testing to date has been limited to social studies and science
tests over the past two years, in
additon to other, relatively smallscale online exams.
Over the past four years, the
state has sought to prepare to
implement online assessments on
several fronts. Over the past two
years the legislature has provided
$95 million to support district technology improvements, professional
development, and other strategies.
In addition, state officials have
encouraged districts to take part
in pilot tests of the Smarter Balanced online test and to use techreadiness tools developed by the
state, said Vince Dean, the director
of the state's office of standards and
assessment.
Gradually, Michigan is making
progress, Mr. Dean says: Eighty
percent of the state's districts
meet the "minimum" technologyreadiness standards put forward
by Smarter Balanced, though far
fewer school systems meet the
consortium's "recommended" specification. He notes that even the
recommended standards represent
a lower tech threshold than what
state officials believe is necessary
for Michigan schools to support
good online instruction.
Additionally, there are pockets
of districts across the state that
don't have enough connectivity or
devices they need to deliver tests
reliably. State officials are trying
to help them by offering advice on
how to stagger the assessments
so students aren't inadvertently
logged off during testing windows
because of bandwidth problems.
"We need to put a lot of attention on scheduling," Mr. Dean said.
"If they have too few devices, and
they've got bandwidth limitations,
it means they have to weigh when
to test."
Other states, such as Oregon,
have a long history with online
testing. Yet implementing common-core tests is still likely to pose
significant challenges for some districts, said Doug Kosty, the assistant superintendent for the state
education department's office of assessment and accountability.
One hurdle is that Oregon allows
districts to schedule state tests over
a six-month period, lasting from November through May. The testing
window for the Smarter Balanced
test, Oregon's choice of commoncore exam, is much shorter-between five and 12 weeks, depending
on the grade level tested. Mr. Kosty
also estimates that the Smarter

Balanced test will take one to two
hours longer per student than the
current state tests, depending on
grade level and subject.
Both of those factors are likely to
increase the pressure on districts
to ensure that they have adequate
bandwidth, functioning internal
connections within and among
classrooms, and enough devices to
deliver the new tests, Mr. Kosty said.
Reliable speed and connectivity should not be problems in
the Canby district, though. Over
the past decade, the district has
invested at least $3 million in
improving external and internal

technology and computers, upgrades that it hopes will eventually support a 1-to-1 student-todevice program, said Mr. Morelock,
Canby's technology official. If it
wanted, the district's bandwidth
strength is strong enough that it
could handle each student working on three to five devices at once,
he said.
But other concerns, such as the
shorter Smarter Balanced testing
window, persist. Right now, Canby's plan is to make the most efficient use of its limited number of
test-ready devices-mostly iPads,
along with some laptops and desk-

tops-via a combination of rotating
students through rooms equipped
with computers and taking devices
to other students on mobile carts.
"Before, we could space it out over
time," Mr. Morelock said. "Now, the
window of time is constricted."
The district's technology improvements weren't made specifically with assessments in mind, he
said, but with the broader goal of
improving instruction and student
learning.
Mr. Fletcher, whose organization
has offered written guidance designed to help states and districts
make smart investments in tech-

Nexus 10 ®

nology, said the best approaches
are holistic, not just focused on
online testing.
"The online assessments have
been able to shed a spotlight on the
question of, 'What are the technologies school districts have in place
now?' " Mr. Fletcher said.
While his organization, sedta,
and others recognize that many
school officials are now focusing
on "the technology requirements
for assessment," he said, the goal
should be to "raise the vision and
move it away from 'assessment
only' to think about 'instruction
first.' " n

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Education Week Issue 25 - Technology Counts 2014

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