Online tests and the digital divide: Will poor children be left behind?
Within three years, most states will start doing standardized testing online. The Hechinger Report has been examining potential benefits and problemsthat may arise when schools shift to testing on computers. One of the biggest concerns—even among advocates for online exams—is that the new tests could further disadvantage poor children who already struggle to keep up with their more affluent peers in school.“Lots of kids are really comfortable with technology, but there’s a cross-section of kids that don’t have a lot of access,” said Douglas Levin, director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association, which is helping states get ready for the switch from paper and pencil. “There is a fear that for kids who do not have