Summary:
ACT Inc and the College Board have begun to offer digital testing for the SAT and ACT. Digital testing has been in development for some time, however the transition is extremely challenging. Many high schools cannot provide a chrome book to every student and technological malfunctions such as power outages and wifi issues can affect students’ scores and exacerbate testing anxiety. A transition to a different format always results in a score drop, and no students want to be guinea pigs for the new format on an extremely high stakes test. While scores do rebound, studies have shown that scores typically remain low for students who do not use computers every day for schoolwork.
Despite the complications, there are also many advantages to online testing. Eliminating test booklets lessens the risk of cheating, prevents scoring errors, and lowers the overall cost of the test for students. Online testing would make college entrance tests more similar to graduate school tests, as the GRE, MCAT, and GMAT are all in digital format. Many students are already using digital format when preparing for the SAT and ACT through use of KhanAcademy.
Analysis:
I believe that accessibility is the most important issue related to standardized testing. While the College Board preaches inclusivity and recites their “equal opportunity” speech before every test, the fact remains that standardized testing is not standardized. Students with money to buy expensive test prep books or pay for private tutoring have a clear advantage given that both the SAT and ACT are extremely strategic.
I understand that it is impossible to make the test same for every single student, but I am afraid that the shift to online testing would further exacerbate score inequalities. Students without consistent exposure to technology would not be used to the testing layout, and students living in school districts without access to laptops would have to travel to take the online test. Online testing is obviously inevitable, however testing companies need to do more to adjust for the change. Easier access to free online practice, providing aid to schools that do not have enough laptops for every student, and offering more information about the layout of the test would be a good start.
Questions:
- Would you be comfortable taking high stakes standardized tests online? Why or why not?
- Would you prefer online testing or paper testing?
- Do you think that online testing would make standardized testing more or less accessible?
- Do you think that scores will improve with online testing?
10 comments:
It would only be fair for the test to be completely electronic or completely written/on paper. I think that there are clear time advantages to taking a test on a computer, and there are probably some advantages to taking the written test as well; either way, I believe there will be different results depending on whether it is electronic or written. This means that some students will have an edge over others, which would defeat the purpose of a test in the first place, as it wouldn't be giving students an equal playing ground. If they do offer electronic testing, they should require it.
I would be more comfortable in taking a test online as now I do not need to bring anything to the class. But, I prefer paper testing as I could record my thoughts. I think online testing would make it less accessible. I think we might see a little downward shift for a while.
I am not a fan of switching the ACT and SAT to online, at least not currently. I agree that computers need to become more accessible for this change to be more fair, because I definitely think a lack of exposure to laptops could negatively impact students' scores in ways that disproportionately affect kids from lower income districts. However, I think using computers might be a good switch for students with disabilities if it is easier for them than to use paper; according to the College Board website, students with physical disabilities can use computers for essays and scantron sheets with large bubbles that are easier to fill in on the SAT, but if everyone uses a computer, then maybe they won't feel singled out.
Even though using a computer is better for the environment, I would like having a physical copy of my answers because I would feel nervous after moving onto the next page that my answer might have somehow accidentally changed. A good alternative for now might be having the test questions and essay section (with tools to highlight, underline, etc. that are all explained by the proctor before the test) on a laptop in a window that cannot be exited out of to access the internet, and having a paper copy of the scantron and scratch paper.
Personally, I would prefer taking a test online over taking a standardized test on paper, as an online test would ultimately be more efficient and would save resources such as paper. Scores probably wouldn’t be majorly affected by this conversion; preferences for one medium or the other are most likely based on individual circumstances. However, it is true that having students take the tests on computers would be unfair to those who do not have frequent exposure to computers, particularly students from lower-income families. For that reason, converting standardized testing from paper to online might not be the best option right now. Additionally, I agree with Olivia that standardized testing – even as it is currently – lacks equity; those from higher-income families have more resources and are thus more likely to succeed on these tests. However, I can’t think of a clear alternative that would provide total equity across all socioeconomic levels – standardized testing in its current state might be our best option.
I'm very worried by the fact that scores for students who do not use computers as often are projected to remain low. The SAT and ACT already have the major issues where scores are highly correlated to wealth, and I believe that switching to a digital form will further exacerbate that problem. Additionally, as Josh brought up, English teachers try to emphasize in their students the need to annotate for a reason, and annotating is significantly harder online.
Also, scores on the SAT and ACT don't really improve, in regard to a general trend. The scores are calibrated that there is one raw score value that always remains the average, so as to account for varying test difficulty. So yes you can improve raw scores, but you can't improve the scores you actually receive, and trying to improve scores only makes each individual mistake a larger impact on one's score.
I believe that students that come from low income districts won't have an advantage when it comes to online testing, compared to students from wealthier districts. Personally I would not be comfortable taking the test online. I like being able to write down what i'm thinking for math, and/especially when it comes to annotating passages for the writing section. I also think that we might see some low scores for a while when it comes to this new method, but I also feel like colleges will understand this and won't be so hard on us because they would understand we are getting used to a new method.
I agree with Marlene that I would also prefer to use paper because I grew up writing before learning to type so I am more comfortable with paper but that may not be true for future generations. Online testing will only make standardized testing less accessible because not all districts have access to technology. I also doubt whether using technology will reduce cheating because it seems like an opportunity for people to post answers or ask for help online. We learned about the Flynn effect in psychology which states that test scores rise over time but I do not think scores will rise until technology becomes more accessible.
I personally would prefer to keep the test on paper. While it would definitely save paper to take the test online, I find that it is much more difficult to process information on a screen (especially reading material). This is largely due to the fact that one of the most important practices while taking long, boring tests is to constantly engage with the paper by underlining and annotating the text to maintain focus. If I can't do this, it is hard for me to retain my focus, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Moreover, for the math section, I think it would be very difficult to complete the test in the same amount of time if a student wasn't allowed to write directly on the different diagrams and figures.
This isn't even mentioning the endless potential for Wifi lapses, glitches, and other problems related to the accessibility of technology to students as well as their familiarity with the technology. Most students know how to use a pen and paper, but many students would likely struggle to do online testing due to quirks that commonly occur with the technology. Overall, I think that the SAT and ACT should be kept on paper (or at least there should be a paper option available to students for the same price), and I'm glad all these shenanigans are happening after I graduate.
I agree with Daniel and Erin. As of right now, I would prefer just taking the Act and Sat on paper format. I understand that this change will eventually occur whether it is right now or 10 years later, but I personally like actually filling in the bubbles, although I know not many other people do. I honestly don't think that changing the format to online tests will completely get rid of these inequalities between those who are able to prepare and those who aren't because even if the format switches to online, Im sure that the SAT prep companies will just adjust their curriculum and material to fit the changed format. I also agree that technical difficulties could also potentially become a problem in the testing and also changing the formatting may put certain students ahead of others because some students are more comfortable using technology and testing online because their schools implement is more while other would be uncomfortable with online testing.
I agree with the comments above, and there seems to be more cons than pros in this situation. Tech issues is a big problem, but students who don't have access to computers is also another one. This might make students not want to take it or they would have to travel to another district to take the test.
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