BENTON COUNTY ó First-grade students across the state have been retaking standardized tests they took last spring as kindergartners.
The problem was created when the test publisher, Pearson, inadvertently sent an estimated 100 schools in the state the actual kindergarten test when they were supposed to receive a practice exam, said Julie Thompson, spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Education.
The mistake was discovered at several schools when teachers and students taking the actual exam realized they had previously seen the test. The schools across the state had been given the option to purchase the practice exam to help prepare students, and not all the schools chose that option.
When the mistake was discovered, state school officials debated whether or not to require all first-grade students this year to take the test again, even if they didnít see the actual test as a practice exam. It was decided that, to be fair, all students should be tested again. So all the previous test results were deemed invalid.
The new tests are not the exact same test the students were given last year, but they are similar in style and content, Thompson said.
The reaction from local school officials has been one of frustration, but understanding.
ì Any human endeavor is subject to mistakes, some small and some not so small, î said Dr. Randy Barrett, superintendent for the Gentry School District. ì While it cost some extra man hours at our end of the process, the sun has still rose each morning. Weíll wait until we achieve perfection at Gentry Public Schools before we become too critical of others when they make an honest mistake. î
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