Search for PARCC leaks raises new questions about test security measures
When New Jersey switched to computerized standardized tests this school year it eliminated concerns about the security of test booklets and whether an erasure mark signified an honest mistake or an attempt to cheat.
But with new tests come new test security issues -- and new controversies.
Because New Jersey adopted the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exams, its students are answering some of the same test questions as some students in 10 other states, and even students in the same state are taking the tests at a different time.
With a national testing window that began in mid-February ending in early April, PARCC questions could hit the internet weeks before a student's test, jeopardizing the integrity of the exam, said Gregory Cizek, a professor of educational measurement and evaluation at the University of North Carolina.
In response, New Jersey has continued many of the same security measures it implemented in the past, including an online monitoring program designed to spot any test questions or references to specific reading passages posted online, according to the state Department of Education.
Though not new or uncommon, according to testing experts, the online patrolling program has sparked more debate over the already polarizing PARCC tests.
The superintendent of Watchung Hills Regional High School called the online monitoring "disturbing" in a letter to other superintendents that was leaked online and went viral on social media. Some likened the program to spying and the national Parent Coalition for Student Privacy said it's a cover-up to protect a "a very, very shoddy product."
"We will never know how bad (PARCC) is unless students talk about it and teachers talk about it," said Leonie Haimson, the coalition's executive director.
Pearson, the international testing company that provides the online platform for PARCC, said in a statement it stands by the security program run by Caveon Test Security, a subcontractor based in Utah. PARCC and the New Jersey Department of Education defended the measure.
"When students circulate test questions online, it's akin to handing out test questions on the steps of the school -- except in this case it can be seen globally," Department of Education spokesman Michael Yaple said.
Protecting the test
Founded by testing industry veterans in 2003, Caveon has led cheating investigations in Atlanta and the District of Columbia and provided test security for graduate school admissions exams and licensure and certification assessments, Vice President Steve Addicott said.
The company offers clients five major services: consulting, data forensics, security investigations, test development and web patrol.
"We are a company that believes in quality testing and the importance of trustworthy test results," Addicott said.
Until recently, most of Caveon's web patrol clients were companies trying to protect Search for PARCC leaks raises new questions about test security measures | NJ.com: