Since the advent of No Child Left Behind, the US has been in a testing mania, believing that the data from tests not only accurately reflects what a student knows but also the efficacy of the student’s teachers. That is why the information in this report is so critical, as it shines the light of day upon those assumptions.
Pearson is the premier test writing/grading company in America and a publisher of textbooks. It handles the testing programs for thousands of districts and dozens of states. And, in this report, we see that there’s been a long litany of problems with their services. Not only are the test results, at best, only accurate about 75% of the time; and, not only do test results tell us nothing about how or why a student learned a particular concept, but now we see the real face of test services competence or lack thereof.
PEARSON’S HISTORY OF TESTING PROBLEMS
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compiled by Bob Schaeffer, Public Education Director
FairTest: National Center for Fair & Open Testing
Find out what's happening in Woodinvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Update August 14, 2013
1998
California – test score delivery delayed 1999-2000
Arizona – 12,000 tests misgraded due to flawed answer key 2000
Florida – test score delivery delayed resulting in $4 million fine 2000
Minnesota – misgraded 45,739 graduation tests leads to lawsuit with $11 million settlement – judge found "years of quality control problems" and a "culture emphasizing
profitability and cost cutting.
http://www.news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200211/25_pugmiret_testsettle/
FairTest consulted with plaintiffs’ attorneys)
2000
Washington– 204,000 writing WASL exams rescored
2002
Florida -- dozens of school districts received no state grades for their 2002 scores because of a “programming error” at the DOE. One Montessori school never received scores because NCS Pearson claimed not to have received the tests.
2005
Michigan -- scores delayed and fines levied per contract
Virginia -- computerized test misgraded – five students awarded $5,000 scholarships http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_8014/is_20051015/ai_n41291590/
2005-2006
SAT college admissions test – 4400 tests wrongly scored; $3 million settlement after lawsuit (note FairTest was an expert witness for plaintiffs)
2008
South Carolina --“Scoring Error Delays School Report Cards” The State, November 14, 2008
more to follow