Mandate puts ISTEP online

Indiana students may soon be able to forget about hand cramps and filling in Scantron bubbles correctly during ISTEP-Plus testing.

A mandate issued by the Indiana Department of Education requires students in the highest grade level of schools serving grades three to eight to take the ISTEP-Plus on the computer.

The DOE hopes to prepare schools for the future of standardized testing, when they believe all tests will be administered online.

Doug Waltz, principal of Summit Elementary School, said his students are prepared to take the test online this spring.

“The kids have taken the NWEA online in the past so they have experience with computerized testing,” Waltz said. “I don’t think we’ll have a hard time because we don’t need to teach computer skills at the same time we’re assessing the students.”

High schools in the Monroe County Community School Corporation have already opted out of the ISTEP-Plus in favor of a computerized assessment.

Since spring 2008, local high schools have used end-of-course computerized Core 40 assessments to meet the state’s requirements for determining if the school reached adequate yearly progress goals.

Students are currently required to complete Core 40 assessments for Biology, Algebra I, Algebra II, English 10 and English 11.

Bloomington High School South Assistant Principal Christina Adduci said the computerized testing has helped teachers cater to their students’ specific learning needs.

“We get test results back a lot faster and can then apply those results to teaching plans,” Adduci said.
 
Adduci said the end-of-course assessments are a better measure of students’ knowledge because the content will still be fresh.

“Instead of an intensive testing environment such as ISTEP where you take day-long tests, the Core 40 allows students the opportunity to be tested on a content area’s material as they complete the courses,” she said.

Seth Pizzo, computer coordinator for BHSS, said the technology has been reliable, and he has only found very few technical issues with the software.

Pizzo said his only concern with computerized testing is the number of computer labs that are available to the school.

“We don’t want to give end-of-course assessments three weeks before the semester ends,” Pizzo said. “But as scheduling issues come up, we might have to do that. Not every student can get into a lab on the last day of the semester.”

Waltz said Summit has plenty of computer labs for students to take the test without tying up instructional resources.

“We’re just testing the sixth grade this year, so our schedule is such that we have some extra lab time for teachers,” Waltz said. “Plus there are computers in all the classrooms and computers in the library.”

While Waltz said he is concerned about some technical issues and glitches in the testing software, he said students will benefit from the online test.

“The kids see the pencil and paper version as a high-stakes test and put tremendous pressure on themselves,” Waltz said. “But kids are so far ahead of us in the area of technology they will just relax and go for it. They’ll be at ease going into it online.”