Many good points made here-one of our major concerns is the much higher cost
that will be incurred by our students-at least in the first few years of
transitioning to an online format (and rarely do costs go down for testing)
and the fact that our students are nervous about test-taking as it is. I
think that being able to choose a p/p or computer option makes sense since
many of our younger students are tech savvy as well as some of our older
students. 

 

Another concern is that with most online tests, once you have answered a
question, you are automatically sent to the next question and not allowed to
go back and check earlier answers, nor can you see the test in full-only the
single question you are in the process of answering. This works against the
GED because sometimes a student's mind will be jogged about an earlier
question by a later question. Also, many students have diagnosed or
undiagnosed learning difficulties/disabilities, so it's important that they
have the freedom of examining the whole test vs. a single question. 

 

We do get all of our students into our computer labs on a regular basis and
of course we want them to be comfortable and knowledgeable about using
computer for fundamental task, but that does not necessarily translate to
taking tests, and most students do not want to take a test looking at a
screen if they grew up with p/p version. 

 

I wonder who exactly this idea benefits the most. If both options are
offered, then I'm all for it, but I foresee a mandatory approach down the
road and shake my head. 

 

Stephanie 

Durango, CO

 

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