Distict transitioning to eAssessments for students
Is your school ready? Attend Sept. 1 kick-off meeting
As HISD continues its districtwide digital transformation, more and more campuses are transitioning from paper to online student assessments, including Northside High School. During the 2015-2016 school year, Northside administered all available student formative and summative assessments digitally. Principal Julissa Alcantar-Martinez says in order to successfully transition to eAssessments, there must be a cultural shift at your school, not only among staff but among students as well.
“The possibility of all online student testing is one that we must prepare for districtwide,” said Alcantar-Martinez. “We are proud to say 95 percent of our kids came prepared with their laptops and ready to participate.”
Alcantar-Martinez and other school leaders who were part of the inaugural year of the district’s eAssessment initiative, have committed to mentor other schools and share best practices during Year Two of the project. All campuses interested in learning more about effectively implementing online student assessments are invited to attend a Year Two kick-off meeting hosted by the HISD Student Assessment department from 2- 4 p.m. Sept. 1, at Northside High School.
The goal of the HISD eAssessment initiative is to support schools in the implementation and use of digital formative assessments, which can yield immediate student data, as well as ensure that all campuses are prepared for state-mandated online assessments. Those assessments include TELPAS, TAKS, STAAR A and L, GT, and TLA.
During Year One of the project, elementary, middle, and high school campuses at all levels of readiness were able to explore and experiment what online students assessment could look like on their campus in a low-stakes environment. Schools received customized support from the HISD Student Assessment department, including a priority helpdesk line.
Champion campuses that embraced eAssessments in 2015-2016 (in addition to Northside) were the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, the High School for Law and Justice, Liberty High School, Garden Oaks Elementary, and Briarmeadow Charter School. HSPVA has been consistently administering all available summative assessments for the past five years.
For more information, or to join the eAssessment project for the 2016-2017 school year, contact Diana Bidulescu at RBidules@HoustonISD.org.
