New test taxes Rio Rancho school resources
Computer, space needs are significant
The Rio Rancho school district is using some creative methods to ensure they have enough room and computers for its students to take the new statewide online test in March.
The plan seems “discombobulated” according to one school board member but it is the “least disruptive way to do this” according to one of the organizers.
Students in grades three through eleven will take the online Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers to test their knowledge in math and English. The test replaces the paper and pencil Standards Based Assessment the state has traditionally required to test student proficiency.
For about a year now, Rio Rancho Public Schools staff has said finding a way to electronically test all students would be a challenge but on Monday, they laid out a plan for the school board. It includes changing class schedules, minor construction and, in some cases, displacing teachers from their classroom for a few weeks. Students will take the test in two phases and the state has designated March 2 to 27 and April 13 to May 8 as the testing windows.
Richard VonAncken, principal of Rio Rancho High, said his school and V. Sue Cleveland will shift to a block schedule during the testing windows. That means classes will go from just more than 50 minutes to almost two hours. He said this allows teachers to administer the exam during a single class period because each test unit is 60 or 90 minutes. Students will alternate odd and even numbered class periods each day. The shift also means that Wednesdays on March 4, 11 and 18 students at the two high schools will be released at 2:30 p.m. instead of the typical 1:40 p.m.
“Is this going to totally screw up instructional time,” asked board vice president Don Schlichte. “This just seems so discombobulated.”
VonAncken said that the schools had considered several options.
“We have trained teachers on various strategies they can use to teach with the extra time,” he said. “This is the least disruptive way to do this.”
At Mountain View Middle School, the district is turning an unused space into a computer lab but construction has not started yet. Board member Catherine Cullen expressed concern, saying construction projects
were unpredictable. Karen Boulanger, director of education technology, said she was confident the project would be completed in time for the testing.
The district also is putting in walls in some schools and extra outlets to create testing spaces. Another solution was having third- and fourth- grade students take a written version of the test this year to reduce the number of devices the district needs.
Despite the preparations, Happy Miller, who oversees accountability and data analysis in the district, said space remains an issue. A few schools, including Lincoln, will move teachers out of their classrooms and use the space for testing. Classes will be held in other places at the school like libraries. Schools will use both laptop and desktop computers.
Miller said in the future the district also will need to purchase more devices and continue finding solutions.
“We will eventually get to where we have systems in place and it becomes routine,” she said. “But we are not there yet.”