Digital Advances Reshaping K-12 Testing
March 10, 2014
- Assessment Adaptive Tech., Secure Browsers Aim to Curb Student CheatingAs schools put the technology in place for online assessments, they are looking carefully at how to use new technologies to prevent cheating.Classroom Technology Testing Embedded in Digital Games Yields Key DataThe feedback provides deeper insight into how students solve problems, allowing educators to identify their strengths and weaknesses more quickly, experts say.Classroom Technology Q&A: Designing Game-Based Assessments That Engage StudentsArthur C. Graesser, a University of Memphis professor of experimental and cognitive psychology, says "you have to be very subtle in smuggling in serious content."Standards & Accountability Evaluating Schools' Tech. Readiness for Common-Core TestingState and district officials acknowledge that they face many unknowns about their technological readiness for new online assessments for the standards.Ed-Tech Policy Movement Grows to Assess Students' Digital LiteracyAssessments should use digital tools not just to gauge core academic expertise, many educators say, but also to measure abstract abilities aligned with the technology skills needed for success in the workplace.Personalized Learning 'Learning Menus' Empower Students to Tailor CurriculumThe "curriculum playlist" concept centers around the idea that content should be unbundled so that users can reassemble it according to their preferences.Assessment Digital Simulations Emphasize Problem SolvingSimulations designed to make students communicate and work with others to solve problems are receiving new attention in K-12 testing, despite questions about cost, reliability, and validity.School & District Management Districts Tackle Technology GapsThe gap between districts that appear to be well prepared to put digital instruction and assessment in place and those that aren't is significant.Assessment Essay-Grading Software Seen as Time-Saving ToolTeachers are eager for new tools to help students develop into better writers, but critics question the ability of the software to critique writing.Special Education Digital Assessments Evolve for Students With AutismAssistive technologies for students with autism have progressed with the help of iPads, tablets, and apps that assess learning, social skills, and communication, according to experts.Special Education Assistive Tech for Testing Merges Into MainstreamThe growing use of computer-based assessments is opening the door for all students to tap into accommodations once reserved primarily for students with disabilities.Assessment Digital Advances, Common Core Fuel New Testing ApproachesOnline assessments鈥攆or high-stakes tests and classroom exams鈥攁re the undeniable wave of the future and a key tool for customizing instruction, experts say.Classroom Technology Testing Digital Tools to Improve Formative AssessmentsSummit High School in Oregon is experimenting with a mix of new technologies to build teacher-student feedback loops that help personalize instruction.