TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Channel 9 obtained dozens of emails between state education officials and school administrators that reveal more about problems with the FSA testing.
The emails include many complaints and confusion over problems that surfaced during the first round of the FSA in March.
In one message, the state's chief of assessment wrote, "phones ringing off the hook -- Miami, Orange, Polk. Error messages, slow (or never) loading." Less than 10 minutes later, the chief emailed the testing company, AIR, and told to them "get on this."
"There were an enormous number of problems, technical difficulties," said Linda Kobert, with Orange County schools.
As state officials tried to reassure students and teachers that they were working on the problems, districts across the state canceled testing.
Feedback on the first round of testing was sharp. The St. Lucie County school superintendent wrote that "stress levels are high," and a Marion County school official said that "confidence is waning."
"I felt like they were really diminishing the effect that it had on our students and the frustration that was being felt by the districts," said Kobert.
Orange County's deputy superintendent emailed a day-by-day list of problems, including, "I was unable to verify that anyone from our testing department told your staff that everything was going well."
The Department of Education's chief of staff thanked state employees at the end of the week, saying "you all really are the best."
The FSA is now undergoing an independent review, with results expected in September. The budget recently passed by lawmakers allows the state to seek reimbursement from the testing company for the review.
On Monday, education officials told Channel 9 that the testing company has made changes to improve communication with the districts during the next round of exams.
WFTV
