Standardized testing for Ontario students paused due to technical issues

The organization that administers standardized tests for Ontario students says it has paused testing while it resolves a technical issue.

The Education Quality and Accountability Office says the problem is slowing the system for some users and they are working to resolve it as quickly as possible.

Students in Grades 3 and 6 are supposed to be completing reading, writing and math assessments at this time.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario says some students have reported significant system lags for the digital tests, while others have said they have completed entire sections, only to find the answers didn’t save.

“This is inexcusable given the Ministry of Education had the opportunity to pause EQAO again this year,’ ETFO said in a statement. “These predictable technical issues add unnecessary stress for students and teachers during a time that is already quite challenging.”

The union says it previously called for the testing to be paused this year due to concerns about “deficiencies” in the planning and preparation of the new digital format.

“Like other issues ETFO has raised with them, they proceeded despite sound rationale for a pause,” said the union. “Schools may now need to reschedule and postpone curricular and extracurricular activities to accommodate new assessment dates.”

The Ministry of Education says the EQAO is looking into the situation and the scope of the impact.

Both the New Democrats and the Liberals have promised to end EQAO testing, at least in its current form, if they are elected next month.

The NDP says it would work collaboratively with educators to determine how random sampling could spot early trends and areas for improvement.

The Liberals say they would work with parents, teachers and education experts to develop a new assessment strategy in order to capture and address the pandemic’s impact on learning.

Four years ago, the Progressive Conservatives campaigned on a promise to “fix the current EQAO testing regime,” which PC Leader Doug Ford often tied to criticisms of declining math scores, directed at the previous Liberal government.

The Progressive Conservatives’ unpassed budget, which is serving as their election platform, contained scant references to elementary and secondary education, aside from touting its already-announced Learning Recovery Action Plan.

That $600-million plan aims to help students recover from COVID-19 disruptions and includes expanded access to free tutoring.

The EQAO refused to make anyone available for an interview weeks before the election campaign to talk about what had been fixed within the EQAO system over the past four years, taking into account two years of pandemic disruptions.

A spokeswoman said in a written statement that the tests have been digitized and are now administered online.