Blue Books Won't Fix It | Check-In 66

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Blue Books Won't Fix It, Liz explores the shift back toward paper blue books for exams and how international test results challenge the idea that technology is the main driver of declining student achievement. Higher education institutions are increasingly returning to analog blue books for in-person exams to counter generative AI cheating. Meanwhile, recent PISA results demonstrate that high-performing nations maintain top student achievement while operating heavily digitized schools, suggesting classroom technology is not the root cause of recent score drops.

Key Takeaways:

Higher education institutions are returning to analog blue books for in-person exams to prevent AI cheating, leading to steep increases in paper exam booklet sales.

PISA test results show top-performing countries like Singapore and Estonia maintain high achievement while heavily utilizing classroom technology.

The decline in U.S. reading scores post-2022 does not align with the timeline of 1-to-1 device adoption, pointing to other factors such as chronic absenteeism.

Liz’s Two Cents: Returning to analog blue books and banning classroom technology misplaces the blame for academic declines and may hinder long-term academic recovery. Schools must build intentional curricula that protect student thinking rather than simply removing technology under the assumption that it will automatically improve student outcomes.

Articles:

What The PISA Results Really Show Us About Technology And Curriculum

https://tinyurl.com/bdddn8nj

Blue Books Are Back. Is That a Good Thing?

https://tinyurl.com/yc4n4pu7