Urban District: Round Rock, Texas
1:1
Computer-to-Student Ratio
4,568
Digital Testers
55
Schools
50,953
Students in District
PSAT 8/9
Test Administered Digitally
4
Years Testing Digitally
The Assistant Principal of Deer Park Middle School talks about the benefits of digital testing for proctors.
Michelle Swain, the Director of Gifted and Advanced Academic Services discusses students' comfort level with digital testing.
Pam Scarborough, the district's Assistant Director of Assessment and Accountability says she can't imagine going back to paper and pencil testing.
Rural District: Fluvanna County, Virginia
1:1
Computer-to-Student Ratio
600
Digital Testers
1
School
3,588
Students in District
PSAT 8/9
Test Administered Digitally
5
Years Testing Digitally
Good for Students—and the Environment
Why are your schools a good fit for digital testing?
Our school was a good candidate for taking this test online because we already do so much testing and classroom activities online. We have the technology in our building and great technology staff that support us.
What went well?
Setup of the tests, organization, and implementation of the test went well. Afterward, the work is minimal—much better than sorting, counting, and mailing back paper materials. Go green. Let's save paper.
How did students respond?
Students were comfortable with the test because they take State End of Course tests online, they have textbooks online, and they take classroom quizzes and tests online.
Be sure to hold a preadministration session so that teachers and students can be familiar with the format of the testing software. This will save time on testing day.
—Angie Blevins, Testing Coordinator, Fluvanna County Public Schools, on advice she'd give districts switching to digital.
Suburban District: Tulare, California
1:1
Computer-to-Student Ratio
1,384
Digital Testers
8
Schools
5,622
Students in District
PSAT 8/9
Test Administered Digitally
3
Years Testing Digitally
A Natural for Students—and a Time Saver for Schools
Why are your schools a good fit for digital testing?
We're a 1:1 school, so all of our students have a Chromebook. We were familiar with the system, so that was a huge plus, and then just the amount of work—it's a lot easier just to administer the test online versus having a place to store [materials] … we don't have a lot of space to store the books and answer sheets, so this made that easy.
How did students respond?
It's almost second nature to them right now. We use a lot of online assessments—most of our subject matters have online assessments—so they're very familiar with it, and if anything, I honestly think they like it better than the paper and pencil version.
What advice would you give a district considering a switch to digital testing?
I think that if you have the technology, you should do it. It's great. It saves a lot of time and it saves a lot of work on the part of the teams administering it. The kids are used to online assessments so I would highly recommend that you do it.