Oklahoma standardized tests come back with errors

Errors have been found in final standardized test results sent this month to schools statewide and now Oklahoma schools Superintendent Janet Barresi wants a review of the contract with a testing company.

According to the Associated Press, the errors by Pearson Education Inc. were discovered after many districts received what was called the final data.

“There were a significant number of mistakes made by Pearson in the areas of student categories and even missing test questions in student test booklets,” Guthrie Superintendent Terry Simpson said.

“They also did not meet many of the mandated timelines.”

The test results are used by schools to develop classroom instruction plans and help determine if schools are making the required progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

So were the test scores inaccurate for Guthrie students, or other students around the state?

“There is simply no way for us to know,” Simpson said. “We get the student scores back from the testing company, but we do not have the test questions or student score sheets to compare the results and check for errors.”Simpson concluded by saying, “the district is not allowed to keep those documents.”

The data can lead to schools being placed on a list of poor-performers while reading scores determines if a senior graduates high school and if students can receive a driver’s license.