From the Rowboat to the Cruise Liner: What Testing Coordinators Need From Their Systems and Support Partners

I earned a degree in finance and began my career in banking, working my way from head teller to new accounts manager. Then the bank went through cutbacks, and because I was the newest person in my department, I was let go.

At the time, I had already been thinking about becoming a teacher, but I did not know how I would complete an alternative certification program while working full time. Now, I had the time to do it.

I began substitute teaching in several local districts. When one district unexpectedly needed a math teacher in the middle of the year, they asked whether I wanted the position. Math had always been my passion, so I said yes.

That opportunity began a 13-year career in public education. I served as a teacher, coach, campus testing coordinator, district testing coordinator, student services coordinator, and director of PEIMS. Every role taught me the importance of systems.

The Pressure Behind Testing Coordination

From the outside, testing can look like one day on the calendar. Students enter a room, sit down, and complete an assessment.

Behind that moment are rosters, accommodations, room assignments, staff coverage, materials, documentation, and last-minute changes. Coordinators have to make sure each student receives the right test, language, and supports.

And testing coordination is rarely someone’s only job.

The responsibility is often added to counseling, administration, student services, or another full-time position. Coordinators complete a high-stakes job, then return to the work they were originally hired to do.

An inefficient process affects more than paperwork. It takes counselors away from students and keeps educators at school for hours completing work that could be handled more efficiently.

Why Consistency Matters

Before my district implemented TestHound, our eight campuses used different forms and methods to document testing information. Everyone submitted what the district coordinator needed, but in their own way. The information might have been there, but finding it quickly was another matter.

When I became district testing coordinator, I was also responsible for student services, 504 training, and several other duties. I could not spend my time searching through differently formatted documents every time I needed an answer. I needed the data where it was supposed to be so I could locate it quickly.

Consistency is vital in testing because everyone is trained to follow the same state requirements. There should not be guesswork about expectations from one campus or administration to the next.

Accommodations are one of the clearest examples. A coordinator cannot rely on someone saying, “I think this student gets this.” The documentation from special education and 504 teams has to be accurate, accessible, and followed.

A consistent system helps prevent irregularities, reduces back-and-forth communication, and gives staff confidence that the process will be handled correctly.

From Separate Campuses to One Team

When my district applied TestHound, it did more than organize our information. It changed how our campus coordinators worked together and strengthened our district culture.

Some coordinators embraced TestHound immediately. Others were less comfortable working on a computer, so the people who felt confident began helping them.

They called one another with questions, and coordinators who understood a process trained the others. It brought them together as a unit.

Before, it could feel like, “This is my campus, and this is how I do it.” Afterward, it became one team of campus testing coordinators helping one another succeed.

I remember one elementary coordinator who was also an incredible counselor. Counseling was where she shined, but testing paperwork was not her strength. She would write everything by hand and stay at school for hours trying to finish it.

Once other coordinators showed her what she could print and complete through TestHound, testing stopped feeling like such a burden for her. She gained time back for the role she truly loved.

That is what a strong system should do. It should not only improve a process. It should make the work feel doable for the people responsible for it.

Knowing When a Process Has Been Outgrown

Manual systems can feel organized when people have used them for years, and many coordinators become incredibly skilled at making spreadsheets work.

But every change creates more work. If a student moves rooms, someone has to remove that student from one place, add them somewhere else, and verify that every related document still matches. Multiply that by hundreds or thousands of students, and the workload becomes enormous.

A district has outgrown its process when staff spend more time maintaining the system than using the information it provides. It has outgrown the process when critical knowledge lives in one person’s head, when people stay late completing repetitive tasks, or when one change requires several documents to be rebuilt.

Those problems often become normalized. Educators assume the stress and extra hours are simply part of testing season.

They should not be.

When coordinators want to advocate for a better system, I would tell them to begin with two things:  

• Prevent irregularities by creating a consistent process that follows state requirements and protects student accommodations.
• Give staff time back so counselors, administrators, and other educators can return to the work they were hired to do.

Listen to the People in the User Seats

When district leaders evaluate a new system, features and demonstrations are important. But the people who will use the product every day need to be part of the conversation.

Administrators may see something and think, “This would be perfect.” But they are not always sitting in the user’s seat. A campus coordinator may immediately recognize that the system does not complete the task the district needs most.

I have been guilty of thinking something looked great, then taking it back to campus and hearing, “But it does not do this, and this is what we really need.”

Before choosing a new system, district leaders should ask end users:

• What part of the current process takes the most time?
• Where are mistakes or communication breakdowns most likely to happen?
• Which tasks does the new system need to complete?
• What training and support will staff need to use it confidently?

Including them also creates buy-in. People are more likely to trust and use a new system when they know their experience helped shape the decision.

What a Support Partner Provides

Even the best technology cannot implement itself.

Districts need training that clearly explains what the product can do, along with documentation people can return to later. Some users learn through written directions. Others need a video, live training, or someone to tell them exactly where to click.

There are no stupid questions, especially during testing season.

A strong support partner should answer questions promptly with information that is relevant and useful. Sometimes a coordinator needs technical guidance. Other times, they need reassurance that they are going to make it.

That human connection matters. A support request may look like a technical issue, but behind it is often a coordinator with an entire campus depending on them.

A Partner Who Stays Ahead

The expectations placed on schools continue to grow. States require districts to track more information, and the requirements keep changing.

Indiana is a good example. New diploma types and graduation requirements mean counselors must track standards, college and career readiness measures, and different assessment options. That is a lot to manage without a system built to assist them.

I have heard Indiana users say, “We’re not worried because we know you guys have it taken care of.” They trust that Education Advanced will stay on top of the changes and update the system accordingly.

The same is true when testing rules, accommodations, or required forms change. District staff need to know their system and support team will change with them.

Districts do not just need a product. They need a partner they can trust.  

From the Rowboat to the Cruise Liner

I once compared my time at my district before TestHound to a rowboat in the middle of the ocean. TestHound was the cruise liner that came to pick me up.

What changed most was not only the process. It was how the people doing the work felt.

They had more time. They felt like the task was manageable. They could trust that it would be handled correctly, with fewer errors, and then return to the jobs they were hired to do.

I have heard counselors say, “I did not go to school to be a testing coordinator.”

They became counselors to work with students and help them succeed. A strong system helps them complete testing responsibilities and get back to what they love.

Your Circle Matters

If I could leave educators and leaders with one lesson, it would be this: your circle matters.

Include your team in decisions. Listen to the people you supervise and the people doing the work every day. Teachers and campus staff are intelligent. They understand their needs, and they often see problems before anyone else does.

When I stepped into testing leadership, I did not begin by changing everything. I first learned why people did what they did.

Processes usually exist for a reason. You do not have to reinvent the wheel, but you can improve it.

Strong systems matter, but so do the people around them. When leaders listen to their teams, choose the right tools, and work with partners who understand the pressure, the work becomes more consistent, more manageable, and more connected to its real purpose.

It gives educators time to get back to students.