With two weeks of computerized writing tests in the rearview mirror, Florida’s superintendents are taking a closer look at what went wrong — and what it means.
They’re more concerned than ever that the results will be tainted.
In a draft document circulating through district offices, the Florida Association for District School Superintendents raises six “serious concerns” that it wants state leaders to consider. The issues coincide with some of the validity questions discussed by national experts in the aftermath of students’ widespread problems logging in and finishing the Florida Standards Assessment exam.
Here’s a sample:
Issue 1: Test Administrator and student logins timing out and receiving run-time errors.
Standardized testing requires adherence to testing directions and procedures (American Psychological Association). Standardized tests rely on uniform conditions in order to obtain usable information. Due to the delay with the test populating and the run time errors (being knocked off of sessions) the reliability of the test results have been compromised. Reliability refers to the extent to which an assessment yields the same results on different occasions. All sources of validity evidence should support the intended interpretations and uses of the test scores. Throughout the FSA writing computer based administration errors persisted in multiple ways. These errors resulted in the test results no longer being valid and reliable. The weighting of the writing component relative to the total score based upon the Reading, Language, and Listening component has been compromised.