D.C. school officials wary of test security
WASHINGTON — As public school students in the nation's capital began a new round of standardized testing this week, school board officials here Wednesday worried that a security seal on test booklets might not be enough to ensure that no one tampers with the answer sheets.
By Alex Wong, Getty Images
The concerns come in the wake of a USA TODAY investigation that found high rates of erasures — from wrong answers to right ones — on standardized tests in the D.C. public school system during the previous three years. In some cases, the rate was so statistically rare that experts say it could indicate cheating.
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The former head of D.C. Public Schools, Michelle Rhee, has said she does not believe there was widespread cheating in the district during her tenure. But Rhee, now a national figure for education reform, has said she favors a new investigation into the anomalies USA TODAY identified.
On Wednesday, board members questioned why student answer sheets are sealed by a principal or school test coordinator — rather than by the teacher immediately following