MISSOURI – Steve Richards, the executive director of Missouri Virtual Academy, has seen a growing number of families turning to a virtual education program since the state authorized virtual learning in 2018.
“Six years ago, we had 88 students when we opened the door and now have almost 4,500 students,” he said.
Richards hopes the state will change a current requirement involving mandatory tests. Richards says MAP tests and end-of-course tests in Missouri must be taken in person, even if students are enrolled in a virtual education program.
“Across the country, there are many states that are allowing virtual testing,” he said.
He adds concerns over cheating can be addressed by monitoring students through computer cameras and utilizing technology that prohibits computer browsers from accessing anything other than the test being given.
Emily Patterson agrees. She taught elementary school at a St. Louis area school district and is now a third-grade teacher with Missouri Virtual Academy. Patterson hopes the state will allow students enrolled in virtual programs to take the mandatory tests virtually.
“We progress monitor them all year long, and then they got to go to an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people,” she said.
When asked about the issue of mandatory tests for students enrolled in a virtual education program, a spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education replied with the following statement:
“As virtual learning opportunities continue to expand across the country, so does the conversation about student assessments taken virtually. The validity of results of assessments completed in a remote environment are heavily dependent on the administration controls in place.
Currently, Missouri has no statutory requirement for remote assessment. Although some states offer, or plan to offer, remote testing for accountability assessments of students in grades 3–12, the associated requirements, structure, and implementation are not standardized. DESE team members involved in state assessments are plugged into these national conversations and will observe these efforts as DESE and policymakers consider what is best for students and educators in our state.”
