Keyboarding & Online Testing

In our district, anxiety over CMAS and PARCC online testing has been steadily rising as the testing window approaches. Concerns over student tech skills hampering performance have continued to grow as teachers have increased the use of technology in their classrooms and realized that students' tech prowess may not be up to par.

Back in March, I blogged about our department's work around determining the tech skills students will need to be successful on the CMAS & PARCC. Since then, an increasing number of teachers and principals have taken an especially hard look at their students' keyboarding abilities and realized that typing speed (or lack there of) may sabotage their kids' ability to show what they know on the state tests. 

As a result, our department has created keyboarding guidelines for students in our district. In the past, we suggested tools teachers could use to help kids improve their typing skills, but we did not provide goals. After much research on the topic, we created the presentation below to help our students, teachers, and principals set appropriate keyboarding expectations. (We are especially grateful to Leigh Zeitz, whose expertise in the area of keyboarding instruction and research helped us immensely.)


Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 22, 2014 at 3:24 PM

    Since research shows that children with slow fine motor skills also keyboard very slowly, how do you help them adapt? Extra time?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anna OttoJanuary 14, 2015 at 2:23 PM

      Excellent question. I wonder if that would qualify as cause for an extra time accommodation, per PARCC rules... Seems like it should!

      Delete
  2. UnknownJanuary 14, 2015 at 10:29 AM

    What is your thoughts on pushing the students to use the "proper" fingers when keyboarding?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anna OttoJanuary 14, 2015 at 2:22 PM

      Students should definitely be using proper finger technique as much as possible.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousJuly 2, 2016 at 4:18 AM

    As someone who has wrestled with keyboarding instruction over the years I applaud your efforts here. You hit the nail on the head in terms of the root of the problem. Keyboarding proficiency can't happen if it's only done once per week during a "computer class". It's been a while since this post was made. I'm curious how this initiative has progressed and where/how time was made for keyboarding on a daily basis.

    ReplyDelete
  4. lauraSeptember 15, 2018 at 1:46 PM

    Does anyone use Dance Mat typing with students. I do in the Media Center. Kids really like it.

    ReplyDelete

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