News Summary
Students in New York faced disruptions during the computer-based English Language Arts (ELA) testing due to technical glitches impacting many school districts. Approximately 10% of schools experienced issues that caused assessments to be postponed. The New York State Education Department is investigating the problem, which was attributed to a malfunction in the testing platform. To ease the situation, the testing window has been extended by a week, allowing schools until May 23 to complete the assessments. Educators express concerns about the rising testing anxiety among students amid these challenges.
Testing Troubles: New York Students Face Glitches
ALBANY, NEW YORK – A week full of promise for students across New York has unexpectedly turned into a series of challenges. School districts have been facing significant technical glitches with the computer-based English Language Arts (ELA) testing, leaving many schools unable to complete assessments as planned on Tuesday and Wednesday.
What Happened?
The hiccup in the system has affected roughly 10% of the state’s schools. On Tuesday, students across various districts eagerly prepared for their tests, only to discover that their computerized assessments were halted due to a malfunction in the testing systems. Unfortunately, this was not just a one-day ordeal; similar disruptions were reported the very next day. As a result, some school districts, like Albany City School District, quickly announced that they would hit pause on testing until after the upcoming Spring Break.
In light of the interruptions, the Queensbury School District made sure to keep families in the loop by sending out notifications about the testing setbacks. It’s clear that many educators are feeling the heat from this situation—expressing frustration over how delays only serve to ramp up students’ testing anxiety.
What’s Being Done?
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is currently looking into these technical glitches, which stem from a testing platform provided by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA). In a recent statement, NYSED referred to the disruptions as a “slowdown” affecting the Grades 3-8 Computer-Based Testing System, labeling the situation “unacceptable” and clearly placing the blame on NWEA.
In an effort to mend the situation, NYSED has indicated that corrective actions are underway, assuring that the testing systems are now functioning at full capacity. As a response to the delay, the state has even extended the testing window by an additional week. Schools now have until May 23 to administer these important tests.
Who’s Affected?
For those schools that managed to successfully log into the testing system on April 9, there’s been some flexibility. They could choose either to pause or complete tests later in the day when the system stabilized. This follows two full days of frustrating interruptions that began with reports on April 8.
It’s important to note that while the intent behind moving to a computer-based testing format was to streamline operations, cut costs, and provide quicker results, this year’s issues have affected many more students than in previous years. For instance, in 2019, system delays impacted around 195,000 students, but this year it seems the number is exponentially larger due to the broader switch to electronic testing.
A Look Back at Testing Trends
The State has also seen an ongoing opt-out movement among parents, questioning the high-pressure environment created by standardized tests. This movement has led some parents to excuse their children from participating in these assessments, further complicating the situation this year.
As New York grapples with these technical snafus, students and educators alike hope that solutions are found quickly. For now, they’re left to navigate both the technological issues and the challenges that come with standardized testing anxiety. It’s a lot to manage, but everyone remains hopeful that the sun will shine brightly on testing soon.
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Additional Resources
- CBS6 Albany
- Wikipedia: Standardized Testing
- 13WHAM
- Google Search: English Language Arts testing New York
- Poughkeepsie Journal
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Education
- Newsday
- Google News: New York standardized tests 2024
