PSSA testing was disrupted today due to a ‘statewide outage’
The standardized tests, which third through eighth graders take annually, didn't go as planned Tuesday due to problems with the online testing system.
Pennsylvania’s standardized testing was disrupted in some schools Tuesday amid problems with the state’s online testing system.
In Garnet Valley, district leaders canceled Tuesday’s testing, citing “a statewide outage of the DRC Insight system” used to administer the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment.
“We learned that this issue is affecting schools across Pennsylvania, and we have been in communication with the state to monitor the situation,” district officials said in a message. “As a result, we decided to cancel today’s testing to avoid further disruption for students.”
The PSSAs are given annually to third through eighth graders. Gov. Josh Shapiro required that by this year, the testing be done online; for some schools, this week marked their first time with online testing.
Erin James, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Education, said that “in some regions of the state” Tuesday morning, “there was a technical issue with the testing platform run by DRC.” The problem “prevented some schools from logging in” to the PSSA testing platform, James said.
The department “worked closely with DRC to swiftly resolve this issue, which was fully resolved within 40 minutes,” James said. “All schools have had access to the platform to continue administering assessments since 9:40 a.m.”
DRC did not immediately return a request for comment.
In an email to school administrators obtained by The Inquirer earlier Tuesday, Megan Clementi, a PDE official, said that “we are aware of the issues with the online testing system and are actively working with DRC to resolve them.”
“We sincerely apologize for the disruption and appreciate your patience as we continue to address this matter,” Clementi said.
At one Philadelphia charter school, the inability to access the testing platform brought frustration — and worries about the larger impact on students who are already underserved.
“These interruptions create unnecessary barriers, increase anxiety, and ultimately disadvantage students who are already navigating systemic challenges,” said the charter’s principal, who asked not to be identified, citing concerns about reprisal.
Knowing it was the first time the test was being administered online, the charter took careful steps to make sure things would go smoothly — even purchasing extra laptops in case there were malfunctions, and making sure they had PDE’s preferred internet browser downloaded.
At first, students were able to access the online testing site fine. Then, as more students across the state logged on, problems started happening. School staff had students log off and attempt to log back in again, to no avail.
The glitches “will not only hinder performance, but also negatively impact our scholars’ confidence,” the principal said. “When the system meant to measure their learning fails them, it sends the wrong message about their abilities.”
Philadelphia School District schools did encounter the tech glitch, spokesperson Monique Braxton said, but test administration proceeded. “Students were able to save their answers, exit the system and return,” Braxton said in a statement.
Garnet Valley told families it would resume testing Wednesday, “pending confirmation that the system is fully operational.” The district will continue testing Thursday “so our students can complete the PSSA in its entirety.”
In Upper Darby, which also canceled testing Tuesday, Superintendent Daniel McGarry said the district bumped the schedule back, beginning the first day of testing Wednesday and running through Friday.
Lower Merion spokesperson Amy Buckman said the district’s IT and Cybersecurity Department “prepared effectively” for the testing.
As a result, “LMSD students experienced minimal disruptions during the authentication process and were able to proceed with their test-taking,” Buckman said.
