The first Common Core tests in Nevada were administered at the end of the last school year, and everyone involved agrees: it was a disaster.
Technical difficulties with the testing company, Measured Progress, resulted in about two-thirds of Nevada’s students not being able to complete the tests.
This year, Nevada has hired a new testing service, CTB/McGraw-Hill.
KNPR's State of Nevada talked with Steve Canavero, a Deputy Superintendent for the Department of Education, about the new service.
Canavero says the issue was lack of bandwidth. Nevada had plenty of bandwidth for all students to take the tests, but when the signal got to Measured Progress, the bandwidth narrowed, causing software to freeze.
This year, Nevada has hired a new testing service, CTB/McGraw-Hill.
The Department of Education has filed a lawsuit against Measured Progress. Canavero would not specify how much the suit is asking for, but indicated that attempts to come to terms with the testing company failed, and that any money from the suit would go primarily to Clark County, which was most affected by the bandwidth issues.
Canavero also said that he doesn’t expect the federal government to penalize Nevada for not being able to administer the test. Federal law states that 95 percent of a state’s students must take standardized tests to be eligible for federal education funds. Many schools tried four to six times to take the test, yet only a third of Nevada’s schools – mostly in Northern Nevada – were able to complete the tests.
Steve Canavero, deputy superintendent, Department of Education.
