Department of Education scraps online test after crashes

This is the first year that students have taken the assessment test online. MIST is the platform used for TNReady testing.

The commissioner wrote, “These outages were caused because the network utilized by Measurement Inc. experience failure”.

“We are urgently working with Measurement Inc.to identify the causes and correct the problem”.

Maury County Assistant Director of Schools Scott Gaines said that the new system will eventually allow small groups of students to take the test while regular classes continue for the rest of the school.

We thank districts, schools, and teachers for their commitment and perseverance to move our students to a 21st century learning environment.

But after Monday’s fiasco and concerned about more disruptions, state officials didn’t even attempt to salvage TNReady’s online exam for the second part of the testing window, scheduled for April 18 through May 13.

“We will have to reschedule and come up with a new game plan”, Spaulding said. Not only that, but the school systems around the state, including Rutherford County and Murfreesboro City, have spent considerable dollars to ensure technology was in place for the testing.

“Here’s what we believe should happen: Schools should be confident that they can administer the tests on any day or days within the testing window that work best for their students and teachers”, the letter said.

TEA has long had concerns about this transition to a statewide online assessment.

For many Tennessee school systems including Maury County, the digital TNReady assessments are replacing traditional pen-and-paper Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program exams with accessibility features including on-screen instructions and a pop-up glossary and thesaurus.

Shelby County Schools, and other districts across the state, were told to discontinue testing for the day.

It is unacceptable to have this kind of statewide failure when the state has tied so many high-stakes decisions to the results of this assessment. The union is reiterating its call for this year’s scores to not be held against teachers, who are now judged – in part – on test results. “Any time you change to a new format, to a new test, the first year is never smooth”.

UPDATE, Monday 6:15 p.m.: A representative from TN Dept. of Education released this statement in an email saying they will not use online testing and will be using paper and pencil for the 2015-2016 school year. Measurement Incorporated is now scheduling the printing and shipping of the paper tests, and the department will share the revised testing window with districts by Thursday of this week.