The State of Tennessee again reported widespread problems with students attempting to take online standardized test administered by Questar, the state's online testing vendor. Yesterday's problems were blamed on a "fiber cable cut" that disrupted internet access. Earlier disruptions were blamed on a "deliberate attack."
It appears Tennessee isn't the only state experiencing mysterious "glitches" with the service...
April 20: 'Unusual activity' delayed testing in South Dakota
Four South Dakota school districts, including Sioux Falls, faced testing delays Tuesday after "unusual activity" in the online assessment system, state officials said. .. The tests were administered through Questar Assessment, Inc., which has provided South Dakota's science assessments since 2014.
April 17: Technical Problem Briefly Interrupts Mississippi State Tests
The Mississippi Department of Education says some schools had problems connecting with the test for about an hour Tuesday morning. The state says the problems eased and online testing resumed by about 10 a.m. .. The department says it has contacted Questar Assessment, part of New Jersey-based Educational Testing Service, and awaits information about the outage's cause and what Questar is doing to prevent future problems.
April 13: Cyber attack to blame for more ELA testing problems (New York)
A cyber attack is to blame for additional issues with electronic English Language Arts testing that specifically impacted students in Central New York on Thursday. Districts statewide experienced delays with ELA assessments on Wednesday due to problems with Questar, the vendor administering the exams.
April 12: Computer problems interfere with New York student testing
An unknown number of students taking the statewide English assessment by computer encountered delays when a security feature in the system “inadvertently activated” and prevented them from logging in, New York education officials said on Thursday. The problem on Wednesday originated with test vendor Questar Assessment Inc., which eventually fixed the issue, Education Department spokeswoman Emily DeSantis said.
May 20, 2017: Testing glitch frustrates students, administrators (Missouri)
The problem originated in a data center operated by Questar, a company hired by the state to administer the end-of-course test. At 8 a.m. on April 25, Questar's computers began to show signs of strain, and tests being taken around the state slowed down. "They were overwhelmed, basically," said Blaine Henningsen, assistant commissioner of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
April 28, 2016: Public-school Tests Glitch Across State (Mississippi)
Twelve thousand Mississippi students spent nearly 20 minutes unable to take their Mississippi Assessment Program tests yesterday morning. Minneapolis, Minns-based Questar Assessment Inc., the assessment vendor responsible for distributing Mississippi's state tests, reported a glitch in its program yesterday. With Questar, students take their end-of-the-year assessments online.
Mississippi Dept. of Education Announces Schools Affected by Questar Assessment Breach
Questar’s preliminary analysis found that an unauthorized user viewed student assessment records between December 31, 2017 and January 1, 2018, from Tupelo Middle School, Tupelo High School and Jefferson Junior High School. The unauthorized viewer gained access to student names, Mississippi student identification numbers, grade levels, teacher names and test results. One student record viewed contained demographic data.
Data breach at testing vendor Questar exposes 52 NY students
A data breach at testing vendor Questar Assessment exposed personal information of about 52 students in five New York schools, state Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said Thursday.
Aug. 31, 2017: Results from 2 Missouri high school tests tossed
Missouri education officials say results from two statewide tests can’t be used to gauge how well school districts are educating high school students. .. Vandeven says the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is holding the test developer Questar accountable.
Topics:
|
|
Discussing:
- Boeing was once known for safety and engineering (7 replies)
- Nearly 40 families being evicted in Maryville, new ownership (3 replies)
- Cost of car ownership on the rise, becoming unsustainable for some drivers (5 replies)
- Beware bad tax advice on the Internet (3 replies)
- Opoid treament across the bridge in SoKno (4 replies)
- Is tap water safe to drink? CDC report highlights deadly waterborne infections (4 replies)
- TN Republicans pushing to allow open carry of assault rifles despite pushback (2 replies)
- As some countries spurn cars, the U.S. continues to embrace highways (1 reply)
- Private equity ownership of hospitals made care riskier for patients, a new study finds (20 replies)
- USPS Knoxville facility (1 reply)
- Springtime is here and Dogwoods are blossoming (2 replies)
- TDOT lists dozens of East Tennessee bridges in ‘poor’ condition (1 reply)
TN Progressive
- EPA Blisters TVA Plans For Replacing Kingston Coal Plant With Gas (RoaneViews)
- Friday Toons (RoaneViews)
- Toon (RoaneViews)
- Glad to see a substantial candidate running against Chuck fLIEschman (RoaneViews)
- It's voting time again. Let's get out the vote. (BlountViews)
- Winter at the Big Rocks (Whitescreek Journal)
- Maryville Daily Times Home Delivery changing again (BlountViews)
- Amazon facility in Rockford finally opens (BlountViews)
- Share your ideas for the Blount County Comprehensive Plan 2023 (BlountViews)
- Secrets from My Radio Days (Joe Powell)
- Fall 2022 (Whitescreek Journal)
- Mmmm, A Fresh Hot Cup of Joe (Joe Powell)
TN Politics
- Senate education chair: Voucher agreement needed by week’s end for passage (TN Lookout)
- John Cole’s Tennessee: Reading, writing, ‘rithmetic and reloading (TN Lookout)
- Budget clears House, Senate panels, but voucher bill on hold (TN Lookout)
- Republican lawmakers make vocal push against Chattanooga VW plant union effort (TN Lookout)
- Duck River among the ‘most endangered’ in the nation (TN Lookout)
- Editor’s notebook: Arming as many Tennesseans as possible while mistreating mothers. (TN Lookout)
Knox TN Today
- Rickea Jackson lands in Los Angeles (Knox TN Today)
- Library studies information integrity (Knox TN Today)
- Linda Sullivan stretches our imagination (Knox TN Today)
- TCAP testing in progress: Take care (Knox TN Today)
- Trumpore and Barrier receive full ROTC scholarships (Knox TN Today)
- Dailey three score big at Chalk Walk (Knox TN Today)
- HVA has nine future teachers (Knox TN Today)
- Maggie chooses Ozark over Knoxville (Knox TN Today)
- SDHS Musical Theatre to present Mamma Mia (Knox TN Today)
- A ‘Worthy’ woman from Corryton (Knox TN Today)
- Kronick’s Chronicles: Group homes evolved from fear to success (Knox TN Today)
- Dwarf crested irises form carpet of blue (Knox TN Today)
Local TV News
- Some students at a Knoxville elementary school to retake part of TCAP exam (WATE)
- Knoxville Police: Man shot by officer at Fountain City gas station dies (WATE)
- Inside the high-stakes world of Knox County E911 dispatchers (WATE)
- 'An inspiration' Knoxville woman kicks off 100th birthday with a workout (WATE)
- Splash pads opening around Knox County for 2024 season (WATE)
- Mixed-income housing at McClung Warehouse sites could help ease Knoxville housing crunch (WATE)
- Knoxville man must serve 26 years in prison for child sex crimes (WBIR)
- Downtown Knoxville festival featuring cuisine and performances returns on April 20 (WBIR)
- 'I want to go to college': Renounce Denounce graduates first class from its gang intervention program (WBIR)
- Service & Sacrifice: H-bomb Eyewitness (WBIR)
- Lenoir City man uses personal tragedy to help others (WBIR)
- Looking back: Blount County man one of several East Tennesseans on death row (WBIR)
News Sentinel
State News
- Chattanooga high schools excited by addition of girls' flag football - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Vols linebacker Jeremiah Telander continues rapid rise in program - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Wes Moore steps down as Chattanooga Christian basketball coach - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Chattanooga's nine best high school baseball fields ranked - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
Wire Reports
- Columbia University’s President, Nemat Shafik, to Testify in Congress - The New York Times (US News)
- Dow Jones Futures: Nvidia, Chips Lead Stock Market Sell-Off; Taiwan Semiconductor Earnings Due - Investor's Business Daily (Business)
- Micron wins $6.1 billion CHIPS grant for Central NY and Idaho projects, Schumer says - syracuse.com (Business)
- Trump hush money prosecutors seek to ask about fraud, E. Jean Carroll - Reuters (US News)
- Senate rejects impeachment articles against Mayorkas, ending trial against Cabinet secretary - The Associated Press (US News)
- 'Smiling his ass off': How Trump used the New York bodega visit to return to form - POLITICO (US News)
- Biden calls for tripling tariffs on Chinese metals - NBC News (US News)
- Tornado Watches issued for parts of central Ohio, other parts of the state - ABC6OnYourSide.com (US News)
- Union vote underway at Volkswagen's only US plant - Fox Business (Business)
- Alaska Airlines grounded after FAA advisory - MyNorthwest (Business)
- Airline executives predict a record summer and even more demand for first class - CNBC (Business)
- Tesla asks shareholders to reinstate Elon Musk's $56 billion pay package - The Associated Press (Business)
- Tesla Layoffs: Buffalo, NY Factory Loses 14% Workforce - Bloomberg (Business)
- Will the ‘cancel culture’ crowd speak up about the silencing of Asna Tabassum? Don’t hold your breath - The Guardian US (US News)
- US man, 81, charged with murdering Uber driver after both targeted in scam - BBC.com (US News)
Local Media
Lost Medicaid Funding
Search and Archives
TN Progressive
Nearby:
- Blount Dems
- Herston TN Family Law
- Inside of Knoxville
- Instapundit
- Jack Lail
- Jim Stovall
- Knox Dems
- MoxCarm Blue Streak
- Outdoor Knoxville
- Pittman Properties
- Reality Me
- Stop Alcoa Parkway
Beyond:
- Nashville Scene
- Nashville Post
- Smart City Memphis
- TN Dems
- TN Journal
- TN Lookout
- Bob Stepno
- Facing South
It would appear online
It would appear online standardized testing is not ready for prime time.