A new, innovative way of testing student progress could lead to improvements in providing extra assistance to students.
Third- to eighth-graders from Evanston/Skokie School District 65 recently completed the first of three annual online diagnostic tests. Last year, three district schools piloted the tests, which concentrate on reading and math. After receiving positive feedback, the school board voted in July to implement online testing throughout the district this fall.
The tests are unique not just because they are online but because they are adaptive. Based on how a student answers questions, the test tailors later questions to the child.
“It’s searching for a student’s instructional level, which is right below the frustration level,” said Lora Taira, District 65 research assistant. “If they’re continuing to answer questions correctly, the program adjusts up. If they’re answering incorrectly, it adjusts down.”
The tests are intended to make student assessments more efficient and accurate so teachers have a better understanding of where children actually stand.
“The teachers really want to know if what they’re doing is making a difference,” Taira said.
Results from the online exams are much more specific than standard test results. The online tests provide information about students’ weaknesses and strengths and their aptitude in different aspects of a subject. Based on this information, teachers then can provide additional help to students having trouble with certain areas.
The program originated from a committee formed by Superintendent Hardy Ray Murphy that looked at testing. After researching the different services available, it chose the Ed Performance Series, run by Scantron Corp.
Besides its adaptive nature, much of the test’s appeal lies in how it provides immediate information for teachers, Taira said. As soon as students complete the exams, teachers receive the detailed statistics on students’ performance.
Being able to administer the tests several times a year is another benefit, Taira said. Teachers can monitor student progress throughout the school year from three different tests. In contrast, paper-and-pencil exams are only taken once a year, so progress is measured on a year-to-year basis.
Because of these features, Taira said teachers have been excited about the tests.
“Teachers seem to see (the tests) as having a lot of promise,” said Paul Brinson, the district’s director of research.
Students also are interested in the online assessments, Taira said. Some students could not sit through the paper tests, but they could finish the online tests, she said. The next test is in January and the third at the end of the year.
So far students have not had major problems with the testing, Brinson said. They were exposed to the system before taking the exam and are mostly required to just point and click or type letters. Minor technical issues have been quickly resolved, and most problems are “pretty straightforward to solve,” he said.
Although response has been positive, at this point the tests are only benchmark assessments, Brinson said. From the latest results, the district can decide where and how to move ahead with them, he said.
“In terms of other (diagnostic) tests, we’re going to look at the results of this test and see if it should, can and will replace them,” Brinson said. “There’s a lot of information out there — we have to find out what it all means in the big picture.”
