SOL season is officially in high gear. Unlike when I was in
grade school (in the same state in which I teach), SOLs are no longer
administered in the paper-pencil format (accept for those students that require
it through accommodations), but instead through the use of computers. With this
new format of testing being in place for the past 5 years, at least, you would
think that all of the kinks would have been worked out. WRONG!! It never fails
that EVERY year there is some type of malfunction with our testing program that
prevents the test from being administered or the testing window to be
delayed/rescheduled. While our higher-ups might see this as a minor fail, for
our students with disabilities this is a major setback.
Many of my students with disabilities suffer from test
anxiety, and when prepping for a test and getting your emotions in check, only
to be thrown a curveball in the form of mal-, or in this case, non-functioning
technology all motivation and focus is lost. How do we rectify this issue? Is
the fault in the technology or in the students? Some say the students but I say
the technology. Even as an adult, when spending a large amount of time prepping
for a presentation or a very important meeting only to be told the audience has
changed or you are required to present on a different topic, even we get
flustered. So why do we think that the same will not happen to our students?
And in some cases at a higher degree?
Is it unfair to present these students, who experience these
struggles, with the option to take their assessments using the traditional
paper-pencil format? Are we so stuck in “technology-driven instruction” that we
neglect the student? If there is a drive for differentiation and meeting the
needs of our students then why is this not considered as a feasible option? Not
just for our students with disabilities but for ALL students?
How do we ensure that technology is functioning properly?
How do we ensure that our students do not, for lack of better words, freak
out?! Can either of these concerns be fully rectified?
Are we not special? Sound off below!
Looking to read up more on the correlation between
technology and test anxiety? Check out “The Effects of Online Formative and Summative Assessment on Test Anxiety and Performance” by Jerrell C. Cassady and
Betty E. Gridley
