Tennessee lawmakers fuming over new assessment test problems

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee’s student assessment test has had more problems and state lawmakers are fuming.

State education officials announced on Tuesday that there appears to have been a deliberate attack of the computer system of the company that administers the online test. Education officials have stressed that no student data was compromised.

It is the latest issue with the TNReady test, which has been plagued with problems for the last few years, and one state lawmaker has vowed to make changes in the law before the General Assembly adjourns for the year.

Republican Rep. William Lamberth of Cottontown said he filed an amendment that would require the tests to be taken on paper. He said another amendment would make sure any of this year’s test scores would not count against teachers.

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Politicians of both parties are sounding off.  Here are 2 statements we got today.

NASHVILLE—Tennessee House Democrats today blasted the statewide school assessment testing system known as TN Ready, saying the system hasn’t worked correctly in the four-years it’s been in existence.  “Every year we experience failure after failure and problem after problem,” State Representative Antonio Parkinson (Memphis) said today.  “We are supposed to use these tests to assess the progress our schools are making, our school districts are making, our students are making and our teachers are making.  It’s time to start making assessments about the progress our Department of Education is making.”  The on-line tests experienced connectivity problems yesterday across the state, followed by apparently different connection problems today. Education officials said on Twitter that today’s issues may have been attributable to a cyber “attack”.  Two years ago, the assessment tests had to be cancelled in some grades due to a massive platform failure.  Other grades had to take paper-and-pencil tests.  That caused the platform vendor to be fired and replaced with a new vendor.  After a phase-in period last year, the full set of on-line tests was supposed to be administered this year, and then this occurred.  Rep. Bo Mitchell (Nashville) said it’s “disappointing that our TN Department of Education has failed our kids and teachers again.  It’s time to place the Education Department on the priority department list for takeover.”

Rep. Diane Black considering race

Nashville, Tenn. — Today, Diane Black released the following statement in response to another day of TNReady testing failure across the state this morning:

“For years the state has chosen to force sweeping education reform and more standardized tests into our classrooms and time and time again, the state has failed to keep up their end of the bargain,” Black said. “This week’s delays are not the fault of the educator or the students, but they are the ones who suffer from the missed class time as they sit and wait for the state to get its act together. Tennessee teachers are some of the hardest working in the nation, and I am disappointed the state continues to waste their time.”