Standard Testing Changes
Jessica Menk ‘22 Staff Writer
Standardized testing is a familiar routine in public schools; however, since COVID-19 shut down in-person learning, the way in which schools assess students has drastically changed, including standardized testing. Although many people assume that standardized testing will be canceled, it is currently still planned to be administered, with some alterations.
In regards to state standardized testing, Mr. Timothy Guy, the Coordinator of Assessment for Howard County schools, states, “Right now, as far as things are going, the train is headed into the right direction and we are supposed to be testing in [the] spring. If we are not able to do that, then the state’s going to have to make accommodations, and that could include waivers, and it might also include testing in fall.” When asked about how the tests are going to be administered to students, he replied, “With the state testing, there is no online option. Right now for state testing the only option is for in-person and if the testing happens we will administer it to everyone we can.” Students who are still learning virtually will not be able to receive the state standardized tests, and there is currently no information about what will happen if a student does not participate in the testing.
In terms of AP tests this year, Ms. Patterson, one of Howard High School’s assistant principals, explains, “They will follow the same procedures of social distancing [and] small groups.” Ms. Patterson also described a new second semester course added at Howard, AP Mastery: “We are running ... AP mastery class for students who took AP in the fall and don’t have AP classes in the spring. It will be a collaborative effort by all of our AP teachers to work on study skills and modules of review for students who are willing. They are going to be looking at taking practice exams and things like that so that students who ended their course in January can prepare for an AP exam in May or April.” Mr. Guy also addressed the topic of Advanced Placement (AP) testing. Last year, AP tests were given in the 45 minute format with online assessments taken at home. This year, Mr. Guy says the tests are going to look different: “They are supposed to be full-length exams and there would be in-person options and possibly online options if students are not comfortable coming in or are still in virtual learning.” If both online and in-person options become available for test-takers, there will be different dates and criteria for online versus in-person exams.
People have also been concerned about academic dishonesty during online school and online testing. Mr. Guy is very confident in the testing process and the algorithms that have been created to detect and prevent academic dishonesty, adding, “For the state testing and the AP testing, [there is] a lot of security so there’s no one just sitting at home taking that test by themselves. Last year, when [College Board] did their online version, which was 45 minutes at home, they had a bunch of different things that they don’t even release around how to then make sure people aren’t cheating. In addition to that, the test wasn’t a multiple choice test; it was an open ended test, and in an open ended test it is easier to spot cheating because you see consistency between responses of students. You also see when writing styles change.”
At the time of the interview, juniors were scheduled to take the PSAT, and Mr. Guy said, “[The] PSAT is something that we give. We didn’t give it in October, because the year had really just started and we were just figuring out some of the small things, and so the plan right now is to give that on January 26 to 11th graders who would like to take it for the national merit scholarship program.” Now that the PSAT is cancelled, “students [should] use the alternate pathway to then sign up for the national merit scholar program [and] use an SAT score as a substitution.” Applications for colleges have also been affected by COVID-19 and virtual learning.
Many colleges have changed their applications or provided a space for an explanation for missing scores, but it is still best to check with the college you are applying for to see if their requirements have changed. There is a lot of information still to come regarding state testing, PSAT, SAT and AP testing, but there are a few important takeaways for the moment: Spring testing is still scheduled, and people should be on the lookout for communication to ensure they understand the requirements.
In regards to state standardized testing, Mr. Timothy Guy, the Coordinator of Assessment for Howard County schools, states, “Right now, as far as things are going, the train is headed into the right direction and we are supposed to be testing in [the] spring. If we are not able to do that, then the state’s going to have to make accommodations, and that could include waivers, and it might also include testing in fall.” When asked about how the tests are going to be administered to students, he replied, “With the state testing, there is no online option. Right now for state testing the only option is for in-person and if the testing happens we will administer it to everyone we can.” Students who are still learning virtually will not be able to receive the state standardized tests, and there is currently no information about what will happen if a student does not participate in the testing.
In terms of AP tests this year, Ms. Patterson, one of Howard High School’s assistant principals, explains, “They will follow the same procedures of social distancing [and] small groups.” Ms. Patterson also described a new second semester course added at Howard, AP Mastery: “We are running ... AP mastery class for students who took AP in the fall and don’t have AP classes in the spring. It will be a collaborative effort by all of our AP teachers to work on study skills and modules of review for students who are willing. They are going to be looking at taking practice exams and things like that so that students who ended their course in January can prepare for an AP exam in May or April.” Mr. Guy also addressed the topic of Advanced Placement (AP) testing. Last year, AP tests were given in the 45 minute format with online assessments taken at home. This year, Mr. Guy says the tests are going to look different: “They are supposed to be full-length exams and there would be in-person options and possibly online options if students are not comfortable coming in or are still in virtual learning.” If both online and in-person options become available for test-takers, there will be different dates and criteria for online versus in-person exams.
People have also been concerned about academic dishonesty during online school and online testing. Mr. Guy is very confident in the testing process and the algorithms that have been created to detect and prevent academic dishonesty, adding, “For the state testing and the AP testing, [there is] a lot of security so there’s no one just sitting at home taking that test by themselves. Last year, when [College Board] did their online version, which was 45 minutes at home, they had a bunch of different things that they don’t even release around how to then make sure people aren’t cheating. In addition to that, the test wasn’t a multiple choice test; it was an open ended test, and in an open ended test it is easier to spot cheating because you see consistency between responses of students. You also see when writing styles change.”
At the time of the interview, juniors were scheduled to take the PSAT, and Mr. Guy said, “[The] PSAT is something that we give. We didn’t give it in October, because the year had really just started and we were just figuring out some of the small things, and so the plan right now is to give that on January 26 to 11th graders who would like to take it for the national merit scholarship program.” Now that the PSAT is cancelled, “students [should] use the alternate pathway to then sign up for the national merit scholar program [and] use an SAT score as a substitution.” Applications for colleges have also been affected by COVID-19 and virtual learning.
Many colleges have changed their applications or provided a space for an explanation for missing scores, but it is still best to check with the college you are applying for to see if their requirements have changed. There is a lot of information still to come regarding state testing, PSAT, SAT and AP testing, but there are a few important takeaways for the moment: Spring testing is still scheduled, and people should be on the lookout for communication to ensure they understand the requirements.