From pencils to keyboards: the shift towards online testing

BY ALESSANDRA POLANCO
    As students and teachers fill the classroom once again this fall, chromebooks are opened and pens are put away. It's evident that technology has become a massive tool in education over the past four years, and with a generational shift well on its way, students and teachers alike find new ways to adjust. 
    In North Carolina, tests for students as low as third grade are being administered  online. For high schoolers this now applies to the international AP tests, the SAT, and the ACT. With such drastic changes to a new system of testing students' abilities, the way students learn and teaching styles shift as well. As more aspects of 

PHOTO CREDITS: ALESSANDRA POLANCO
Although AP testing is expected to make a move to screens, Del Dotto finds ways to incorporate both paper and digital learning in her classroom. Students complete essays both through hand and typing.

 the classroom move to the digital landscape, digital tests are at the forefront of everyone's minds. ​
     “Last spring, some adults in Europe opened a box of AP tests…took pictures of the prompts, and sold them to students ahead of the test date. That event spurred the College Board to speed up its transition to more online testing,” Teresa Del Dotto, an English teacher at DSA, explained. 
    From AP exams to classroom testing, the use of technology has advanced within all aspects of learning. Although this is the case, the way students feel about the change is often divisive. 
    “Testing online enables me to visualize the words in my mind in a uniform font, meaning, I’m able to focus on how I sound disregarding how the writing looks itself,” Dylan Ordinario, a junior at DSA, comments. 
    Although digital testing has improved the quickness and ease of testing, some students feel the change has created new strains that alter the testing environment. 
“Having to think about technology like whether your laptop is charged or whether you're near an outlet adds extra layers of concern. Plus, there's always the possibility of glitches, which could make an already stressful time more difficult,” Fernando Morazan, a Senior at DSA, pointed out. 
While digital tests can increase the difficulties faced with computers, having tests administered through screens can often have a positive effect. The switch to online AP exams may allow students a more swift experience. 
“I think moving AP tests online will be a good choice, I think looking at a piece of paper for a long time really gets your energy low and the screen in front of you can kind of keep you awake,” Ordinario expresses. 
    Digital testing has also lowered the issues faced by administrators when grading and transporting paper tests. Such changes have been shown to improve those minor issues that create large dents in testing. 
    “It's possible for a truckload of paper tests to be damaged or lost in transit while en route to the warehouse where they are held until they can be scanned and scored.  There's less risk of lost tests with online testing,” Del Dotto expressed. 
    Even though the idea of online testing seems new, online learning has been in practice since the Covid-19 pandemic. This way of learning has become second nature to many students and teachers.  
    “Students are already comfortable completing assignments on their laptops, and state testing has been online for a while now.  As a result, I don't think it will be too much of a transition,” Del Dotto contributed. 
    Through the positives and negatives of the rising switch to online tests, it's clear that it's creating a lasting impact on how students learn. As more and more tests make the move to students screens, teachers and students alike find new ways to adjust. 
    “I think the shift to online testing is a natural extension of how schools adapted during the pandemic…tech is getting very used in schools now and is used for many other factors,” Morazan concluded.