The state Department of Education will conduct field studies of an online version of the Hawai'i State Assessment at every school, with plans to replace the paper and pencil test in 2011.

Once the online version of the assessment is fully rolled out in the 2010-11 school year, officials say the testing window will increase from two weeks to nearly eight months, and teachers will be able to administer the test up to three times per student.

The assessment is the state's measurement under No Child Left Behind. Only the best of the three scores will count toward a school's annual NCLB status, known commonly as "adequate yearly progress."

Modeled after the online Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, superintendent Patricia Hamamoto said administering the Hawai'i assessment by computer will allow teachers to get immediate feedback on how their students are understanding math, reading and science standards. It will also allow teachers to see where students might need more help.

"What makes the Oregon model very attractive to us is that the students get three opportunities to take the test. The test window would open in October or November and end at the beginning of May," Hamamoto said.

"Because the results would simultaneously be coming back, teachers will see immediately if a student does or doesn't know the standards. And what they need to ensure is that in teaching they address their students' gaps."

Hamamoto said she envisions the three test-taking opportunities for students as "formative assessments," that allow teachers to measure progress at any given time. She also likened it to college entrance exams such as the College Board SAT, which allows students to retake the test to get a better score.

Administering the Hawai'i assessment online also will mean a cost savings for the state over time, Hamamoto said.

Currently the state spends some $10.1 million a year to develop and administer the HSA to some 92,000 students. By the 2012-13 school year, the state DOE estimates that the cost will drop to about $6 million.

FIELD STUDIES FIRST

Education officials yesterday told state Board of Education members that they plan to extend the state's contract with American Institutes for Research, the testing company that develops the Hawai'i assessment each year, with the intention of the contractors helping the state move its testing system online.

Kara Tanimura, director of the DOE's systems accountability office, said she expects the field test of the online version will be conducted from February to May 2010. But the field test will only be used to work out the kinks in the system and make sure schools have the technology to appropriately administer the test. It will not count toward a school's AYP.

Students will still need to take a paper-pencil examination this school year, which will count toward a school's AYP.

In the 2010-11 school year, the online version will entirely replace the paper booklet, Tanimura said.

SCORING ERRORS

Several board members expressed concern about extending that contract, pointing out previous problems the state has had with American Institutes for Research, including scoring errors.

Scoring errors on the Hawai'i State Assessment were announced in October 2007, when officials discovered some 1,682 questionable testing booklets. American Institutes for Research and the test scanning company MetriTech Inc., accepted the blame for the errors.

Donna Ikeda said she was concerned that the cost of administering the test online still appears to be high. She also expressed concerns about AIR's track record.

"I recall some very heavy lobbying taking place last year by AIR of board members to continue this contract. And that bothers me considerably. ... We're supposed to be moving to a different system that is ultimately less costly to the state, and that doesn't seem to be happening," she said.