Commissioner Hespe said the guides are just one step the department is taking to get more information about the testing program into the public domain. In response to concerns raised by members of the education community, the department will provide practice versions of the ESPA and GEPA to schools in the coming months so teachers and students can gain a better understanding of what the tests are like. We will get ESPA and GEPA practice tests in language arts literacy to the schools in early to mid-January. Practice tests in mathematics and science will soon follow. The department will also add a section to its website that will contain the practice tests and demonstrate the holistic method used to tabulate the results.
All scorers employed by the firm have college degrees and undergo special training.
Two scorers review the answers to open-ended questions. If there is a significant divergence of opinion between the two, a third scorer is consulted. In the meantime, the department will continue to examine the tests to determine if they can be improved and shortened.