Standardized testing problems widespread in these New Orleans-area schools, report finds
Public schools in Orleans and Jefferson parishes saw widespread irregularities with standardized testing last year, and many schools were forced to void the results of high-stakes exams for reasons ranging from administrative errors to cheating.
An annual Louisiana Department of Education report found that in the 2018-19 school year, 134 tests were voided at 38 of NOLA Public Schools' 78 charter schools, or nearly half of the charters authorized by the district.
In Jefferson Parish, 218 tests were voided at 27 of the district's 84 schools, or nearly a third of all elementary and high schools.
Statewide, 80% of school systems, both small and large, had at least one test voided. In total, 1,497 exams at 299 schools were voided, according to the report.
The numbers don't surprise David Berliner, a professor of educational leadership at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College of Arizona State University.
Berliner said testing problems are likely to persist as long as states put such great emphasis on standardized test scores. In Louisiana, as elsewhere, the tests dictate a large part of the state's annual performance scores and corresponding letter grades for schools.
In New Orleans, charter schools can be shut down if enough students fail the standardized tests and the institution gets a failing grade.
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