Some experiences from the first digital national writing test in year 9

In 2022, digital national tests will be introduced in compulsory school, upper secondary school and municipal adult education. The National Agency for Education will then be responsible for a national digital service the schools will use to carry out the tests. Until then, the National Agency for Education is conducting a pilot project at 100 schools around the country to facilitate the introduction.

Digital writing tests compulsory from this academic year

As of this academic year, the writing tests in the national tests in Swedish, Swedish as a second language and English in year 9, in upper secondary school and municipal adult education are carried out digitally. Just as before, the National Agency for Education delivers the test assignments on paper, in sealed packages, to the schools a few days before the test. Students’ texts must be de-identified and printed out to enable an equivalent assessment.

Students can write on either a computer, a Chromebook or an iPad, and their essays must be saved and stored digitally securely to meet the GDPR. The writing surface, i.e. the program or service that the students use as writing tools, must be locked. It means they should neither be able to access the browser nor services and documents that are not part of the test. When aids such as spelling check and dictionaries are allowed, they must be available on the students’ units. As the National Agency for Education’s service is not yet complete, each school organiser ensures that the written tests can be carried out digitally.

SKL, together with the National Agency for Education and the Swedish Edtech Industry, has produced a guide to make it easier for schools to meet the requirements. The school organisers can either use a commercial solution for digital tests or develop their own solution. The guide contains a list of test services that meet the requirements. There are also suggestions on how the requirements can be completed in other ways depending on whether the students use iPads, Chromebooks, Mac or Windows.

Kungsbacka started preparations in late autumn

During the late autumn, the City of Kungsbacka looked more closely at what needed to be done for the municipality’s schools, says Åsa Blide Larsson, unit manager at the Pre-school and primary school administration.

- We started from SKL’s guidance, which is excellent support material. The only problem is that they only give recommendations, so we had to play it by ear. At first, we discussed if we should make our own digital solution, but decided instead to choose a trial service from the list in the guide. The next step was to troubleshoot the networks to check if they had sufficient capacity and to make sure that the students’ laptops and computers were “fit for fight”.

For three months, two of the municipality’s developers spent up to 20% of their working time checking and ensuring that the digital infrastructure would keep pace, says Åsa Blide Larsson.

In Kungsbacka, there are fourteen primary schools with classes in recent years, and the total cohort of pupils in year 9 amounts to just over a thousand pupils. At the beginning of January, a workshop was arranged for all staff who have students who will write the tests, says Cecilia Hasselberg, a developer at the Pre-school and primary school administration in the City of Kungsbacka. Before this occasion, they had created an information page in the municipality’s intranet with information and educational materials.

- The workshop showed that there were small things that needed to be fixed, so we had to spend time-solving various administrative problems. We encouraged the teachers to use the test service and to let the students check out the environment. It took much work, both at the central level and in the schools, to get it done before the test.

Going through the infrastructure and preparing the teachers is not done overnight

The City of Skellefteå also used a test service, says the development manager Maria Hurtig.

- We started the preparations already in December. It is quite a long time in advance, but to go through the infrastructure and to check that everything works are not done overnight. We discovered some shortcomings in the network that could have caused problems, so we are glad that we had sufficient time.

Another important part was, of course, to ensure that the teachers had sufficient knowledge of how the tests were to be carried out and how the test service works. The City of Skellefteå produced educational materials and arranged webinars that went through everything clearly and distinctly. We also created a support system that can provide help and support if problems arise during the test, says Maria Hurtig.

- It is vital to make sure that there are support people in the schools who can help and to have someone who can call for support if the technology breaks down. In our instruction letters, we said that other classes might not use video editing or do anything else that affects the capaCity of the network during the test. We have informed about routines and technical issues regarding the test and the test service on a broad front.

Digital tests are already part of everyday life in Lidingö

Three years ago, the municipality of Lidingö presented a vision of thorough digitalisation of the school, which is now being implemented. They work to create an awareness of the importance of digitalisation among decision-makers, school leaders, teachers and parents. A stable infrastructure with a well-dimensioned network and systems that facilitate teachings, such as single sign-on and G Suite, are other key parts of the puzzle. The investment in Chromebooks, which was implemented gradually in all schools after a pilot study in 2016, is yet another one.

At Torsviks skola, digital tests are already part of everyday life, says principal Sara Carlson.

- We let the students write digitally on the national writing test last year. It has already been possible for a few years, and this facilitates implementation considerably. Both teachers and students are used to writing tests digitally, and they use the same additional service to G Suite as on the national writing test. It is the case throughout the municipality. It means an extra cost, but I still think it’s worth it because it works so well.

The entire process should be digital

Torsvik’s school is one of the National Agency for Education’s 100 test schools. As part of that work, a self-assessment of digital literacy and digital use has recently been carried out. There is thus a clear picture of the current situation and what needs to be done. The National Agency for Education has also informed about the technical requirements and other conditions that apply during the test period, says Sara Carlson.

- All teachers and students use their Chromebooks in teaching, so we felt confident that there would be no problems during the writing test in year 9. We were right. Everything rolled on as it should, and the test service worked with no issues.

It is probably more comfortable and gives fewer problems to write national exams digitally than to do it on paper, says Sara Carlson.

- We avoid all the hassle with pencil sharpeners, erasers and other things that can create anxiety in the classroom. But of course, there is a lot to be secured. Everyone must be in place by 09:00 when the test starts, there must be order in the classroom, and the technology must work. We have an IT technician at the school who can give help quickly if needed, but we are used to working digitally and do not worry about it. We are probably more worried that the sample will be spread in advance. Unfortunately, this happens almost every time nowadays. The only way to prevent this is to make the entire process of national exams completely digital.

The test service is the weakest link

Kungsbacka and several other municipalities that use the same test service conducted a test ten days before the written test in Swedish in March. The test turned out well, and everything felt safe, but despite that, the service crashed when the test was completed. Minor chaos arose when students could not complete and submit their texts as planned. Most things were resolved, and in principle, all students could submit digitally. Kungsbacka, therefore, continued with the service.

At the national writing test in English in April, it worked almost perfectly, but there are still some challenges, says Cecilia Hasselberg.

- A little hassle somewhere is enough to create problems. Many schools in Kungsbacka use iPads. These students were more affected by the technical difficulties in March than those who have a laptop. The digital competence among teachers and students varies quite a lot, which complicates the situation when technical problems arise.

In Skellefteå, almost 800 students wrote the national writing test in March, and it went well, says Maria Hurtig.

- I think the primary reason everything went so well was that we had made careful preparations. The only thing we had no control over was the test service. Therefore, we contacted them early to make sure we had the latest version of the software and that everything was as it should be. The company took its task seriously and shared tips and tricks that made it easier. A good dialogue with the supplier is an essential part of the preparatory work that must not be forgotten.

The City of Kungsbacka continues the preparation work

In Kungsbacka, there is, of course, some disappointment with the problems in March. Many are also happy that most things worked out, and that everything was carefully planned, Åsa Blide Larsson points out.

- We have followed up what happened and analysed what we need to do further on. An important conclusion is that we need to speed up a previously planned shift to laptops for students in the later years of primary school.

Of course, it is never acceptable when students are negatively affected, adds Cecilia Hasselberg. You can almost feel the atmosphere in the schools when we have a national test. If these kinds of problem occurs, it creates much anxiety, especially among students with special needs.

- The whole situation when there is an error flashing, the writing surface turns white, and the students worry about whether the text has been deleted and may continue to write by hand, is of course unacceptable. I am confident that everything will work out but it turned out to be a much worse start than we had expected.

The National Agency for Education should provide more precise guidelines

When digital national tests become mandatory, it puts pressure on the organisation and the employees, says Maria Hurtig.

- There will be a completely different level of requirements when all teachers of Swedish and English in year nine must do this. But I think it worked well. We sent out a questionnaire after the test in March, and then we got an excellent grade: 6.36 on a seven-point scale. The teachers felt well prepared, the network worked, and we could solve the problems that arose. I do not think we could have done it better than we did.

However, it is problematic that the National Agency for Education cannot provide more precise guidelines on what the principals need to do, adds Maria Hurtig.

- When the National Agency for Education sets technical requirements, it must be possible to provide clear guidance on what to do when it goes awry. We had conversations with the National Agency for Education about how we should handle technical problems and what a Plan B could look like. But they could only give general and somewhat vague advice. We need better information on what to do if the technology crashes. Otherwise, the test will not be equivalent for all students.

Cecilia Hasselberg agrees that this is a problem that must be taken seriously. When all school organisers have to get their own solution, it is highly remarkable that the National Agency for Education can not give precise answers to what should be done if everything does not go as expected, she says.

- We need concrete advice on what is okay to do. Someone should also look at how the various testing services worked nationally. What did it look like in the spring of 2019 when the first digital writing tests were written? What worked and what did not? How come? We must learn from experience so we do not make the same mistakes again.