NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WMOT) -- Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen got a grilling Wednesday from state legislators over the troubled new student academic testing system called TNReady.
Initially scheduled to roll out this past school year, the computer based TNReady system crashed on the first day of statewide testing. McQueen eventually canceled the $108 million contract for the vendor chosen to develop the tests. That left schools across Tennessee scrambling to find another way to administer state mandated tests. McQueen eventually canceled testing altogether for the year.
The Tennessean reports McQueen testified Wednesday before lawmakers about efforts to get TNReady on track for a re-launch this coming school year. She outlined an aggressive timeline for hiring a new vendor to develop the revised system.
Legislators expressed concerns about making the same mistake twice. Rep. Tim Wirgau of Buchanan asked McQueen “Did we move too fast making this transition,” and “…are we trying to move to fast again.”
McQueen responded to lawmaker concerns by saying the new version of TNReady won’t be rolled out all at once, but phased in slowly. She also says potential vendors are being screened much more carefully.