NYS State Mandates More Tests and Computer Purchases

New York State is taking its testing mandates one step further: now in addition to requiring the district to administer additional tests at many grade levels, they are requiring the school districts to purchase computers and improve wireless access to accommodate simultaneous test-taking for up to 1,000 students at a time.

The new directives, issued by Ken Wagner of the NYS Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Educational Technology, were sent out to superintendents in January, 2013 to "give guidance on the purchase of the technology devices, infrastructure, and broadband connectivity that support personalized learning, the implementation of the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS), and computer-based testing (CBT).

The memo explains that the state will soon release the next generation of tests and these assessments will be designed for "computer-based" administration." In order to accommodate their new program, the district has been ordered to purchase enough computers to "administer a computer based assessment simultaneously to all students in a single tested grade within an elementary, middle, or high school grade span (i.e., Grades 3-5 or 6-8 or 9-12). Districts like Scarsdale should have sufficient devices to test several grade simultaneously. Currently Scarsdale, like many surrounding districts, does not have enough devices to test several grades at one time, but the district is reviewing its hardware purchasing plans based on the NYSED memo. Of course, the actual purchase of hardware will depend on the school budget.

The devices must have the capability to support security requirements during testing, and be able to go into "lock down" mode so that students cannot access the internet or send emails while they are taking exams.

The goal is to purchase the mobile devices in time to be ready for the testing plan during the 2014-15 school year – just eighteen months from now.

According to Jerry Crisci, Director of Technology for the Scarsdale Schools, the state will not provide the district any funding for the new devices. The federal government has also weighed in on new learning methodologies and Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education has called for the transition from textbooks to digital content, saying, "Over the next few years, textbooks should be obsolete." Duncan has set the 2017 as a goal for replacing textbooks with digital devices. Scarsdale does not have specific plans for replacing textbooks, but the District is looking at options as their technology plan evolves. However, at a time of tight budgets and a state-imposed 2% tax cap, it will be interesting to see how cash-strapped school districts will come up with funds to purchase laptops for the entire student body.

In Scarsdale, the goal is to have every middle school and high school student equipped with a laptop by 2017. That means that the district could have to purchase 2,800 laptops, specially equipped to meet the state's testing requirements. Though no purchase decisions have been made, the district would need to purchase computers with security features for testing and buy equipment that can be serviced and updated by the school.

Hypothetically, at a cost of $1,000 each, the equipment alone could cost $2,800,000 – and that does not include funds for tech support and replacement of lost or broken equipment. According to Crisci, Scarsdale is planning a significant increase in the number of mobile devices to be purchased in the coming years.

In response to increased mandated state testing and a new state requirements for a teacher evaluation system that partially judges teachers on the results of their students standardized test results, the Scarsdale Board of Education drafted and passed a statement on their values at the BOE Meeting on January 23, 2013. The statement, titled, Scarsdale Values Educational Excellence and Standards of Excellence,  comments on the reliance of test results as measures of educational success, saying:

Current national and state policies feature "one-size-fits-all" reforms that do not recognize local needs and undermine local strengths. In assessing students' growth, teachers should consider both test results and other evidence of student learning. Statistics should inform human judgment rather than prevail over it.

Research raises serious concerns about high-stakes testing. Such testing can be unduly costly in terms of student and staff time, energy and money. It can lead to an over-emphasis on imperfect measures whose results have limited meaning. It invites misjudgment of student and teacher performance and causes distortion in curriculum. These consequences lead to flawed educational decisions, and they degrade the quality of learning.

What do you think? Should the state be permitted to mandate more tests for Scarsdale students and should the district be required to evaluate teachers based on the test results of their students? On the mandated move to purchase laptops for all students, would you be willing to pay for your child's computer or do you think it's up to the district to fund the new technology?

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