Brian Wilson

bwilson@dnj.com

MURFREESBORO — A technology failure from a state vendor halted standardized testing across Tennessee on the first day that TNReady, the state's new online exam program, was set to be administered on a widespread basis.

The state's testing platform "experienced major outages across the state" Monday morning because of network issues with Measurement Inc., who is contracted to administer the standardized exams, according to a memo Education Commissioner Candice McQueen sent to schools directors across the state.

As a result, school districts will now take the paper version for Part I and Part II of TNReady, McQueen told school superintendents in an email Monday afternoon.

The state Department of Education will delay and extend the testing window for part of the exam. The department will share the revised testing window with districts by the end of day Thursday.

McQueen in her email to school officials said she was “incredibly disappointed” with the failure . She said the state and Measurement Inc., had conducted numerous tests.

“Unfortunately, issues have continued to arise with the online platform,” McQueen wrote. “The new nature of the issue this morning has highlighted the uncertainly around the stability of Measurement Inc.’s testing platform, MIST. Despite the many improvements the department has helped to make to the system in recent months and based on the events of this morning, we are not confident in the system’s ability to perform consistently.”

Department of Education spokeswoman Ashley Ball said in a statement that the test itself remains designed to provide valuable information — even if taken on paper.

“TNReady, regardless of it is given online or on paper, is designed to assess true student understanding and problem-solving abilities, not just basic memorization skills,” Ball said in a statement. “Based on MIST’s performance today, we believe the transition to a paper and pencil will allow all students to show what they know — providing schools, teachers, and parents with valuable information about our students' college and career readiness. "

As the online system began to fail Monday morning and into the afternoon, some school districts did not feel confident enough to resume testing on Tuesday morning.

When students, teachers and proctors were ready to start on Monday morning, students could not sign in or access the testing network, said Tammi Shaffer, a special education teacher at David Youree Elementary School in Smyrna.

"We had the kids in there ready to go, and it just didn't work," Shaffer said.

Monday was the first day that the TNReady standardized tests were to be given on a large scale in Tennessee. The system for reading/language arts and math exams was planned to replace the paper-and-pencil tests administered in the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program.

The testing window, which is being extended, for the first part of the exam started Monday and would have run through March 4. The second part of the exam will be administered in April and May.

Scores waiver requested

Worries about the readiness of the program had come from teachers, administrators and union leaders in the weeks leading up to the TNReady exams.

Tennessee Education Association President Barbara Gray called for a one-year waiver in using test scores in teacher evaluations because of the challenges with the new assessment.

"It is unacceptable to have this kind of statewide failure when the state has tied so many high-stakes decisions to the results of this assessment," Gray said in a statement. "Our students and teachers have enough stress and anxiety around these assessments without adding additional worries about technical issues."

State feels it's prepared for any TNReady 'hiccups'

In Wilson County, school officials chose to not factor this year's test scores into student grades, said Donna Wright, the county's schools director.

"The data from TNReady will provide diagnostic measures which we can use to make any necessary changes to ensure teachers and students are prepared to master the skills needed to be successful," Wright said.

School systems have the freedom to choose how student test data affect employment decisions like promotion and retention, according to state law.

Nakia Towns, assistant commissioner for data and research for the state Department of Education, told a Tennessean reporter last week that the state was prepared for technical hiccups if they arose.

Before the exams started, she said a handful of districts requested to take the exams with paper and pencils.

"We've told districts that if something were to happen, whether it be weather-related or technology-related, we will make sure to work with districts for scheduling, getting materials if we need paper materials, or if we need to adjust some timelines so they can complete the assessment online," Towns said.

"We've got a four-week window that's planned. We think that districts have their plans together, but we absolutely have contingency plans in place."

Troubles start early

School districts across the region reported a variety of responses to the testing system when the state's announcement was made on Monday.

While some schools and whole counties reported that testing had gone on without issues, others reported glitches. All school districts were asked to not give additional tests even if no glitches had been reported.

Chris Causey, supervisor of accountability with Robertson County Schools, said he was at Crestview Elementary School in Springfield when the errors began occurring at 8:25 a.m.

“The students would receive a server error message while taking the tests,” Causey said. “The tests have an automatic save ability, so we don’t feel any information will be lost from the student’s individual test.”

Students at about 30 Metro Nashville Public Schools were scheduled to take the exam on Monday, according to Joe Bass, the district's spokesman.

Rutherford, Sumner and Wilson schools halted their exams shortly after the state's announcement. In Rutherford County, no school had all of its students fully complete the exams, said James Evans, community relations coordinator, in a statement sent to parents.

Evans emphasized in an interview that no technological issues were caused by the county's computer or network systems.

"Our network and new computers worked as they were intended," he said. "We are eagerly awaiting an update from the state about when and how we should move forward."

Williamson County Schools had already postponed TNReady until Wednesday testing out of concerns about the system. The Lebanon Special School District was also not scheduled to hold the exams on Monday.

Despite the frustration with the circumstances, teachers are prepared to continue teaching until the testing issues are resolved, said Shaffer, the Smyrna teacher.

"We're going to keep rolling and teaching just like we normally have," Shaffer said.

Gannett Tennessee reporters Cheri Reeves, Melanie Balakit, Jason Gonzales and Andy Humbles contributed to this report.

Reach Brian Wilson at 615-278-5165. Follow him on Twitter @brianwilson17.

Williamson County Schools to delay TNReady start