Pencils Down: The Shift to Online & Computer-Based Testing

ARLINGTON, Va. - Nov. 5, 2015 - PRLog -- According to a new research brief released today by EdTech Strategies, LLC, the 2015-16 school year will mark the first time that the majority of state mandated summative testing in U.S. elementary and middle schools will be administered via technology and not in a paper and pencil format. In fact, only 15 percent of all end-of-year state tests will not offer an online administration option.

"With many advantages over traditional approaches, the shift to online testing from paper-and-pencil based formats has been well underway in the U.S. for over a decade," said EdTech Strategies, LLC president, Douglas A. Levin. "The 2015-16 school year, however, marks the tipping point in technology's adoption for assessment in public elementary and middle schools nationwide."

The research brief, Pencils Down: The Shift to Online & Computer-Based Testing - U.S. K-8 Market (2015-16 School Year), includes select information on the plans for state mandated summative testing in grades K-8 in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia for the current school year. It reveals that while older students are slightly more likely to have the option to test online, large numbers of 3rd graders (aged 8 and 9 years old) are already testing online successfully.

The brief also includes new data and information on: which states are online testing leaders and which are laggards; the top test vendors (as measured by the number of general assessments they will deliver to students this school year); and, top issues for states, test vendors, technology leaders, and policymakers to watch closely and address to ensure both a smooth and equitable test administration this spring.

The brief is available for download free of charge on the EdTech Strategies, LLC website at: http://www.edtechstrategies.com/research-and-writing/usk-8-testing/

About EdTech Strategies, LLC

EdTech Strategies, LLC, is a boutique consultancy focused on providing strategic research and counsel on issues at the intersection of K-12 education, public policy, technology, and innovation. Clients include non-profit research and advocacy organizations, cultural institutions, associations, education and technology companies, and philanthropy and government leaders. For more information, please visit www.edtechstrategies.com.