South Carolina students to take new timed accountability tests

ROCK HILL, S.C. — New state accountability tests are coming to South Carolina students next month.
 
Third- through eighth-graders will take the ACT Aspire test, while 11th-graders will take the ACT, used for college entrance, and ACT Workkeys, which evaluates career readiness.
 
South Carolina State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman said she is uneasy about the first year of testing.
 
"(In) a new test, student scores usually aren't as strong in the first year, because it's a change for the teachers as well as the students," Spearman said.
 
This will be the first time that students take a timed test. Ray James, the National Education Association director for South Carolina, who also teaches in Kingstree, said it's created a lot of anxiety for students across the state.
 
"At my school we've been timing tests purposely because the kids are not used to the timed test," he said. "We've always said, 'Take your time and do your best.' And now we're saying, 'Hurry up and finish.'"
 
James also said working against a clock singles out a lot of special-needs students who need special accommodations.
 
 "I feel it's unfair to the children, because they have their accommodations because of their disability," he said.
 
"We're working now with the special-ed accommodations, and yes, there will be some accommodations," Spearman said. "They may not be quite as generous as we have been in the past because there were some (accommodations that) South Carolina was allowing that may not be allowed nationally."
 
This means that 11th-graders who need accommodations for the ACT may not be able to use their scores.
 
"The way it's set up now, if they choose to use the extra time, it will not for count for college purposes," James told Channel 9.
 
"Some may not be allowed by the test to be reported to colleges, but at the same time, allow those students those provisions if their parents feel it's necessary," Spearman said.

"We do have concerns about the timed testing. It's new for students and teachers, and it could place students at a disadvantage. We know teachers are doing the best they can to make sure students are prepared," Bernadette Hampton, president of the South Carolina Education Association, said.

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