TestHound Success Story: Replacing a Sticky Note Model of Testing with Streamlined Sophistication

The Challenge

In 2010, Kuhrt moved from testing coordinator at a district of 4,000 students to coordinator of student assessment for a district of over 10,000 students. Serving a larger student body meant a larger workload and a need for more efficient processes. "I needed someone to help me figure it out, so I picked up the phone and started calling the larger districts to find out how to organize all the testing information," she said.  

When Kuhrt learned about a pilot program for a test enablement tool called TestHound from colleague Christina Trotter, she reached out to Education Advanced founder and CEO Dr. Eli Crow. "He came to talk with me about TestHound and got me plugged into that beta program," said Kuhrt. "I’ve been a TestHound customer ever since."

In 2015, Kuhrt joined Wichita Falls ISD as Director of Assessment, overseeing the student testing experience for over 14,000 students across 24 campuses. When Kuhrt discovered that the Wichita Falls assessment team was using a spreadsheet and sticky note model of testing, she knew just what to do. "I knew if we didn’t have the right tools, we would never be successful," Kuhrt recalled. "So, I asked the district to find the money for TestHound."

"I knew if we didn’t have the right tools, we would never be successful. So, I asked the district to find the money for TestHound."

The Solution

TestHound empowered Kuhrt and her team to accurately and efficiently plan and coordinate every aspect of the student testing experience – without sticky notes. "I’m a sticky note person, I’ve got them everywhere," she said. "But that model doesn’t work when it comes to coordinating student assessments. TestHound puts all of our data into a user-friendly framework so we don’t lose track of critical student information."

"TestHound puts all of our data into a user-friendly framework so we don’t lose track of critical student information."

With TestHound, Kuhrt has a bird’s eye view of the big picture on test days, but also has the power to zoom into every specific detail of testing. "At any point in time, I know exactly where my 14,000 students are on the day of testing," she said. "I can login to TestHound and tell you what class they’re in, who their test administrator is, and even what test booklet they have. There's no way I could have done that any other way."  

Kuhrt also says TestHound is for more than just testing and is being used by Wichita Falls ISD staff year-round. TestHound’s integration with the district’s student information system provided registrars with a user-friendly dashboard for new student enrollment checks. Thanks to TestHound’s Auto Pilot feature, which automatically feeds information from the district’s Special Education and English Language Learner programs, the special education department can track student accommodations and prepare reports with ease. Secondary testing coordinators use TestHound for administering everything from the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) to the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

The Results

Kuhrt said she could not imagine coordinating student assessments without the efficient, modern testing experience TestHound provides. "I would take another job before I would do this job without TestHound," she said. "It would be like going backwards – like having an iPhone and then going back to a rotary phone."  

"I would take another job before I would do this job without TestHound. It would be like going backwards – like having an iPhone and then going back to a rotary phone."  

Kuhrt also realizes that TestHound is more than just a program for student assessment – it’s a program for student success. "In order for us to be successful, our students must be successful," she said. "TestHound gives us everything we need to support our students right at our fingertips."

The Product

TestHound is a comprehensive K-12 testing software and the only test enablement solution that integrates data from disparate systems into a single platform for efficient assessment coordination. During the 2019 school year, more than 325 districts used TestHound to schedule 3.5 million students for 225 state-mandated assessments and processed roughly 7.3 million student accommodations across various special programs. By utilizing the efficiencies provided through the platform, tasks that could take several days to accomplish using alternative methods can be done within a matter of hours. TestHound empowers overextended school staff to efficiently and accurately coordinate K-12 assessments, allowing them to spend their valuable time on other priorities.