As the state legislative session unusually drags on into the winter, WCRIS testified in front of the Assembly Education Committee regarding proposed Assembly Bill 652. The bill proposes a virtual option for the state’s Forward Exam if certain testing policies are in place. This would be helpful for virtual choice schools.
WCRIS is always supportive of giving schools freedom to operate as they choose and testified “for information only,” raising important questions that lawmakers hadn’t addressed in the proposal. Read our testimony here.
Beyond WCRIS’ concerns of virtual testing ethics and environment, the DPI did raise concerns about the logistics of the contract the state has with the company that owns the Forward Exam. WCRIS also noted this in our testimony.
According to the DPI, the current state contract does not allow for the test to be administered virtually. This is a major hurdle that the Legislature will need to address.
There’s a long road ahead for the bill, and WCRIS will continue to monitor the bill and other activities of the Legislature into the new year.
