April and May are state testing months for public school students across Louisiana.

For the first time this year, all students in grades five through 12 experienced some form of computer-based testing.

Making the move away from paper was a monumental feat for school districts as they had to upgrade technology and train staff in the new testing format.

Here in St. John the Baptist Parish our technology team proved up to the task, as the only issues we’ve experienced were worked out during the practice time and actual testing has gone smoothly.

The work it took to give thousands of students access to online tests began years ago and will benefit our students long after testing is over.

Two years ago, our district upgraded its wireless infrastructure with the purpose of handling online testing.

More recently, servers at all of our schools were upgraded to be able to handle the testing demands.

New laptop and desktop computers were also purchased, giving even more of our students access to the latest technology.

Prior to state online testing, our district adopted the online Illuminate testing platform.

Teachers and administrators use the online tests for benchmark and formative assessments, which allowed our students to become familiar with taking tests online long before they sat down for their state standardized exams.

Over the past five years, the St. John the Baptist Parish Public School District has been awarded nearly $3 million in federal E-rate grants to upgrade and enhance technology for our students and educators.

We are able to offer 555 wireless access points throughout the school district and more than 500 interactive whiteboards for students and teachers to use in our classrooms.

Behind these are 74 servers at our central office and another 57 on our school campuses.

Designated computer labs, in addition to the computers used in classrooms, allow our students to become familiar with the technology they will need.

In a school district with about 6,000 students and 900 employees, we’ve got 4,400 computers available for their use – not a bad ratio at all.

So much of what students are expected to do today – inside and outside the classroom – and what they will be expected to do in their futures depends on their grasp of technology.

Our schools integrate that technology as a normal part of their learning every day so that they are prepared, not just for standardized testing, but to be successful in today’s online world.

Jennifer Boquet is the communications specialist for St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools. Email her at jboquet@stjohn.k12.la.us.