PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Schools in Miami-Dade and Broward counties have suspended computer-based testing for grades 8-10.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools said in a statement Monday that it is "suspending computer-based testing of students in grades 8-10 until" the state Department of Education can give "assurances of stability" out of respect for parents, teachers and students.
The announcement comes after some students in Miami-Dade and Broward counties were unable to begin the writing test portion of the Florida Standards Assessments on Monday due to technical issues.
Officials with Miami-Dade County Public Schools reported that the online platform was running so slowly for schools that the district postponed testing until Tuesday.
Later in the morning, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said there has not been enough done to test the validity of the testing system and said he had already expressed his concerns to the Florida Department of Education.
"The state between now and tomorrow will not have an answer for those students whose testing were interrupted, for those who have already seen the prompts and the questions," said Carvalho. "These are those that were tested in full today versus those who were not tested at all and will be speaking to some who were. And that is a clear, clear disregard for the integrity, the validity and the liability of a state assessment."
Meanwhile in Broward County, some students who were able to successfully log in to the computer- based test were able to begin the writing portion.
The Broward County Public Schools District released a statement saying that several of its schools were "also experiencing issues with students and test administrators logging into the test platform." The statement went on to say that the tests have been postponed.
Monday marked the start of the new FSA, which debuted statewide for students in grades 4-10.
Schools throughout the state also reported technical issues with the testing system Monday.
"While many students across our state are testing successfully, we have heard from some districts that are experiencing difficulties," said Meghan Collins, director of communications for the Florida Department of Education. "This is a 90-minute test; students have a two-week window, plus a makeup window, to complete the test. Commissioner (Pam) Stewart is looking into any reported issues to determine the cause and will work to immediately resolve it."
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