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Politics & Government

Berkley Schools Prepare For New Online Assessments

The district is reviewing the Readiness Assessment Tool and evaluating its their technology for the changes taking effect in the 2014-15 school year.

Starting in the 2014-15 school year, .

While the test, called Smarter Balanced, was just detailed Monday by the Michigan Department of Education, the said it’s already on the path to preparing for the transition.

Berkley Schools' self-assessment

 for districts to measure readiness to move forward with an online assessment program, of which an estimated 6 percent of districts have completed so far, according to Joseph Martineau, executive director of the Bureau of Assessment & Accountability for the Michigan Department of Education.

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Mary Beth Fitzpatrick, director of Curriculum, Technology, Assessment and Grants for , said the district has reviewed the Technology Readiness Tool and is preparing for the changes.

The district technology department is in the process of assessing the equipment and evaluating what upgrades might be needed for the online assessment system to be successful, she explained.

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“As part of this process, we are hoping to have more opportunities for students to use technology in the classroom," she said.

Readers react

Unlike the paper and pencil tests students are used to, the new statewide exam will be computer-based, which allows subsequent questions to be generated based on how a student answers the previous one. This means questions get easier for wrong answers and more challenging for correctly answered questions.

Patch readers have weighed in with various viewpoints on the transition and the new test that is weighted by growth rather than proficiency.

  • “I am all for progress, but are we not putting too much emphasis on one test at the expense of educating the child,"  commented. "The only thing I really see is more test creator companies taking more of our tax money. How are the schools going to afford all the technology necessary for this new experiment, not to mention maintaining its infrastructure and supervising the test taking. Stop the this runaway train, please!”
  • Commenter  wrote, “I think this could offer benefits to parents in struggling districts looking at their options. Rather than picking from a handful of schools that have low percentages of students scoring proficient; you could look at the growth data for each school. Remember, moving kids from non-proficient to proficient can take years, but growth would give an early indication of which schools are most effective.”
  •  of Berkley commented: "And why, if I'm a kid, would I worry about getting answers correct? If I'm wrong, the next question will be easier. Our overemphasis on metrics is killing actual 'education.'"
  • Patch reader  wrote, "This is great news! Glad to see standardized testing is finally coming into the 21st century! Now, my son does MAP testing at the beginning and end of the school years. This will be an easier transition for him when we move back to Rochester."

Focus on students

During this process, the Berkley School District will focus on the students and making sure they are ready for the changes.

“We are grateful for a supportive community,” said Jessica Stilger, communications supervisor of Berkley Schools. “(We) are currently very focused on preparing students for the new common core curriculum standards.”

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