In recent years, there has been a trend in moving away from paper testing to an online format. These digital tests offer a more convenient, personalized, and concise option compared to paper tests.
Digital tests, quite obviously, eliminate the need for paper in testing, which is both better for the environment and cheaper for the school. This elimination of paper also makes the test more convenient to take, and allows test results to be reported far quicker.
Companies that are making the switch to digital testing aren’t only changing the medium of the test, but also the overall format. For example, the new digital SAT is an hour shorter than the paper SAT, while giving more time per question, and reducing the number of questions per reading passage. On top of this, students are allowed a calculator for the entire math section, and have access to bookmarking and answer elimination tools that they previously did not have access to.
Even though the use of digital devices has the potential to further economic divides in underserved communities, there are steps that are being taken to address this possibility. The digital ACT is taken on a controlled device, eliminating the need for a personal device, and the digital SAT can be taken on either a personal device or school computer; however, if you don’t have a device, the College Board will provide you with one. Both of these options provide options for underserved individuals to test, decreasing the chance of furthering the digital divide.
These digital tests even provide a chance to elevate students out of poverty. The new format allows students to prepare even better with free online formats such as Khan Academy, which previously would not have matched the format of the test. This reduces the needs of students to get the expensive paper courses of the past to prepare for standardized tests, and allows these poverty stricken students to rise in socioeconomic status through hard work and education.
On top of this, many of these online tests use adaptive questions, which change difficulty based on how well a student is doing. These adaptive tests are less frustrating, and allow more accurate results in a shorter span of time. This greatly reduces the stress felt by students on the test, and improves overall performance.
The switch to digital tests not only presents an opportunity to equalize communities, but provides a less stressful, more effective way of measuring student performance.