Xirrus' Common Core Wi-Fi Kit Equips Schools to Handle Impending Online Testing Requirements

THOUSAND OAKS, CA--(Marketwired - Jan 9, 2014) -  Xirrus, the leading provider of high-performance Wi-Fi, today announced the availability of an easy-to-deploy, low-cost wireless-network solution to support Common Core online testing. Surveys indicate that over 70 percent of K-12 schools nationwide are not prepared or have insufficient infrastructure to support Common Core testing in the 2014-2015 academic year. The Xirrus Common Core Wi-Fi kit provides a simple yet highly scalable way to address these concerns, including innovations to deliver predictable application performance and ensure a seamless testing experience. Xirrus also announced a new Common Core Testing Resource Center focused on sharing best practices with school IT organizations implementing Wi-Fi infrastructure for online testing.

"Cajon Valley Union School District has understood the need for and been keenly focused on developing robust wireless infrastructure for several years. The new method of Common Core testing has underscored that need," said Charles Allen, Director of Information Technology Services at Cajon Valley Union School District. "The Xirrus solution was chosen after a year of testing and against other manufacturers. Xirrus' expertise was crucial in implementing the needed upgrades for our infrastructure supporting Common Core testing. They uniquely understand the needs for electronic testing across the student body, and how to achieve maximum network uptime and performance for Common Core testing."

School IT departments are under tremendous pressure to support Common Core in short order. The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) are two multi-state consortiums working to roll out Common Core State Standards (CCSS) testing. Practice field-testing assessments will begin in the spring of 2014 with actual student assessments beginning the 2014-15 academic year.

Xirrus wireless solutions reduce the burden on school IT by requiring less equipment and providing zero-touch AP provisioning, simple cloud-based management, and automatic wireless configuration. The Xirrus solution lowers the total cost of ownership (TCO) of wireless infrastructure for Common Core testing, enabling deployments with up to 75 percent less equipment and extending the value of wireless investments with software- and hardware-upgradeable technology.