A new study finds that more states are using online state assessments already, or plan to be doing so in the near future. The study also found that state education leaders are really interested in open-source platforms for state accountability testing.
Researchers for the study interviewed officials in educational assessment and technology offices in 27 states, as well as “opinion leaders” from the public and private sector. They found that 23 of the 27 states were already conducting state assessments online, or will soon be doing so. Educators cited easier logistics, quicker data turnaround, and the option of more customizable reporting among their reasons for using online assessments or being interested in doing so.
Among the ongoing challenges they cited of online testing were infrastructure problems such as inadequate bandwidth, too little district-level technology expertise, and difficulty on more complex items such as constructed-response questions.
The study was conducted by Grunwald Associates LLC and Education Development Center Inc., with funding from the Educational Testing Service.
For more on online assessments, see our recent Technology Counts report. (Click on “Ed-Tech-Stats.”)