Dive Brief:
- The Montana Office of Public Instruction is offering districts testing waivers because of computer glitches.
- Almost a quarter of the state's 800 public schools are taking the office up on its waiver offer and canceling or limiting testing. However, Billings and Great Falls, the state's two largest districts, are going forth with testing.
- The computer glitches stem from issues with testing company Measured Progress, which also has contracts with Nevada, North Dakota, and Oklahoma. The company says its platform cannot support the sheer number of test takers even though capacity was increased.
Dive Insight:
The Montana situation shows just how many bugs still need to be worked out in taking annual tests online. Aside from the aforementioned capacity issues, in many states, numerous schools still lack the adequate infrastructure to effectively make the transition. This is especially important given the heavily debated amount of emphasis placed on standardized testing in the U.S. overall. If state leaders aren't as understanding as Montana seems to be regarding the issues that still need to be worked out, some schools would just be out of luck.