Fulton County cancels standardized tests for 14,000 students at 61 schools

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Standardized tests taken by about 14,000 Fulton County elementary and middle school students at 61 schools have been cancelled this year because of problems with the online vendor.

The district began giving the Iowa Assessments to third, fifth and eighth grade students on Monday, but schools reported problems with the online testing platform.

A Fulton County Schools spokesman announced Tuesday afternoon that the district has canceled the Iowa test for this year.

The online system failed during the administration of the test, according to the district. The vendor has not been able to provide a timeline for when testing can resume and recommended the district suspend testing for Wednesday, according to a district spokesman.

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All scores from tests taken on Monday are invalid because students were unable to access materials, were interrupted many times and encountered other problems.

The score results cannot be used for determining eligibility in talented and gifted programs or for monitoring the district’s progress in implementing its strategic plan, the district said.

“This decision will not negatively impact your child in any way. Plans are being made to ensure that all student placement decisions using IOWA results will be adjusted as needed,” the district said in a statement.

The Iowa tests aim to measure how much a student knows in various subjects, such as language skills and math.

The tests results can be used to compare students’ performance with a national sample and to improve classroom instruction.

Cox Media Group