Dr. Linda Cash, director of the Bradley County Schools, said school officials were "very saddened" by the move to pen and paper on taking the TNReady testing after a crash of the online system.
She said, "Bradley County Schools would like to thank all of our students and teachers for the hard work you have been doing to prepare for TNReady. However, we are very saddened to hear the news that TNReady is being changed from an online venue to the traditional paper and pencil testing.
"We understand that this must have been a very difficult decision for Commissioner McQueen to make at this point in time and we commend her for deciding to abandon the much-anticipated online testing that was proving to be problematic.
"Whether the test is given online or on paper, TNReady is designed to measure our students’ critical thinking and problem solving skills, providing schools, teachers, and parents with valuable information as to college and career readiness.
"Our students had practiced and were prepared and these experiences allowed us to put more time and resources into meeting certain writing standards that pertained to utilizing technology. As we prepared for the online assessment we were also able to fortify our technology infrastructure and secure more devices which will help us move towards 1:1 devices.
"More information will be sent out to parents with adjusted timelines for testing dates very soon. Bradley County Schools will continue to move forward and prepare our students to be both college and career ready, regardless of the testing format.
"In closing, we would like to thank our students, teachers, parents, administrators, board members and community for their patience and support during this monumental transition."