Minn. Extends Testing Contract Despite Scoring Mistakes

By Darcia Harris Bowman

Minnesota has added another year to its contract with National Computer Systems Inc. to score the state's standardized tests, despite an error by the company that mistakenly flunked nearly 8,000 students.

This summer, education officials discovered that more than 47,000 students received incorrect scores on the spring round of the state's basic-skills mathematics test, and 7,930 were told they failed when they had actually passed. Among those most seriously affected were 54 seniors wrongly denied diplomas because they received failing scores on the test, which all Minnesota high school students must pass, along with reading and writing components, to graduate.

The error came to light in July when a parent asked to see a copy of the exam his 15-year-old daughter had failed. That request by Martin Swaden of Mendota Heights set in motion an investigation that would consume thousands of hours at the state and local levels and a class action against the company...