Assessment

Test Security

By Andrew Trotter — April 26, 2005 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

New security measures are in place this spring for Washington state’s academic tests, which are given in several stages from April 18 through May 6. The most noticeable of the new rules is a standard testing schedule for all 10th graders.

“For the first time, we implemented a mandatory testing schedule that sets which days and times the sessions are proctored,” said Kim Schmanke, a spokeswoman in the state’s Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction.

The new schedule should eliminate the possibility of a student who’s already been tested from sharing information with a student slated to take the exam later.

The state has had a suggested schedule for the past couple of years, but procedures are being tightened with an eye to 2006, when that year’s 10th graders must pass three of the four sections—reading, writing, mathematics, and science—of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning in order to graduate in 2008.

“As we come closer to the graduation requirement, we’re going to have to make sure that the assessment is given in a fair manner for all children in the state, which is why over the last couple of years, we’ve brought in a new element every year,” Ms. Schmanke said.

Other first-time rules specify that cellphones must be turned off and kept out of sight during all tests, and test proctors must remove or cover any materials in the classroom that may potentially help students.

Violations of the measures could result in the invalidation of student test scores, Ms. Schmanke said.

The measures were developed with input from a technical-advisory panel of about 20 assessment directors from Washington school districts.

Some measures are common to college-admissions tests, such as the standardized time period for test administration and invalidation of scores when a student is caught cheating, the test is disrupted, or the test is improperly administered.

The changes are not, as some news reports have claimed, linked to instances of cheating, Ms. Schmanke said.

But she mentioned a couple of allegations that students, after taking a section of the test, alerted a student at another school who was scheduled to take it on another day.

Some rules are designed to help students cope with the rigorous assessments, such as a ban on giving both reading sections the same day.

“We’re trying to limit test misadministration, so no child is taking the test tired out, or no student is using a pager to text message a question,” Ms. Schmanke said.

Related Tags:

Events

Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Federal Webinar The Trump Budget and Schools: Subscriber Exclusive Quick Hit
EdWeek subscribers, join this 30-minute webinar to find out what the latest federal policy changes mean for K-12 education.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar
End Student Boredom: K-12 Publisher's Guide to 70% Engagement Boost
Calling all K-12 Publishers! Student engagement flatlining? Learn how to boost it by up to 70%.
Content provided by KITABOO

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Assessment Opinion Our Grading System Was Setting Students Up to Fail—Until This Change
Our first reaction to standards-based grading was despair. Then, slowly, things began to change.
Matthew Ebert
5 min read
A student climbs up stairs as letter grades fall around her. In the background a teacher is grading a test.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
Assessment In Case You Missed It: How Schools Are Measuring Student Success
Explore stories about grading practices, what truly reflects student achievement, and more.
5 min read
Grading and assessment SR
Robert Neubecker for Education Week
Assessment Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Standardized Testing & Improving Student Outcomes?
Answer 7 questions about improving standardized testing and student outcomes.
Assessment Fewer Subjects, Students, Data Points: Feds to Scale Back NAEP
Some 4th and 12th grade tests won't proceed as planned, following sweeping cuts to the U.S. Department of Education research arm last month.
5 min read
Evaluate Score, Forecast, Businessman Holding Telescope on Performance Measure
iStock/Getty