Provincial officials are still working to try and figure out why Ontario’s brand-new online system for standardized tests crashed Thursday.
Students across the province including the Bay of Quinte Region showed up to school Thursday prepared to take the Grade 10 literacy test however widespread technical issues forced Ontario’s Education Quality and Accountability Office to pull the plug.
Shortly after the test got underway, the agency posted a tweet saying the test was being cancelled due to technical issues and apologized to participating schools and students for the failure.
The voluntary test was meant to serve as a trial of the technical readiness of the EQAO and the schools to support online assessments, and a “risk-free” way for students to take it ahead of the next scheduled assessment in March 2017.
If students passed the online test, it would count, but if they failed or didn’t complete it, they would be considered “first-time eligible” for the test next spring.
The program was open to all 72 school boards, as well as First Nations and private schools.
The glitch affected 100,000 high school students including the six schools within the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board.
ALCDSB Communications officer Jessica Salmon.
Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board posted a statement on its web page stating the EQAO was cancelled shortly before noon yesterday.
Hastings Prince Edward MPP Todd Smith told Quinte News he will be looking for answers when he returns to Queen’s Park next week.
