Better Measures? Virtual Schooling and State Assessments Under Organic Testing Conditions
12 Pages Posted: 11 Mar 2023
Date Written: March 7, 2023
Abstract
Among the least noted COVID-19 pandemic related education disruptions were accommodations allowing k-12 students to participate remotely in mandatory state assessments. For students in fulltime virtual schools, testing at home represents continuity with their prior learning and testing environments. Here, using data from an educational management organization (EMO) running virtual schools in 21 states, we compare results from students tested at home (n=524) with those tested at facilities (n=1,443). Tests taken remotely better correlate with other measures of academic performance than do tests taken at designated facilities, indicating they better capture academic progress. Analyses investigating whether home testing enables cheating are inconclusive. Finally, home testing is associated with improved measured math and English performance by approximately 0.2 standard deviations. We conclude with limitations and suggestions for future research.
Keywords: Virtual learning, virtual charter schools, evaluation and measurement
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