As many as 336 high school seniors were not allowed to graduate because a private scoring company incorrectly graded the mathematics portion of a state test, officials said Friday. The Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning discovered mistakes in the scoring of six questions earlier this week. The mistakes affected 47,097 tests, all scored by the National Computer Systems. The Basic Standards Test measures skills the students should have learned by eighth grade and are designed to ensure all high school graduates have a minimum competency.
Most students pass the test on their first try.
She said correct score information and an apology from the company would be mailed to all students by Aug. 21. National Computer Systems President David Smith said the errors resulted when the test was formatted. The order of some questions was changed, and the answer key to one test version was corrected to match but not the other, he said. A public graduation ceremony, paid for by NCS, will be held for any students who did not graduate because of the errors, Jax said. The mistake will mean lots of work for schools, said Kate Foate Trewick, chief academic officer for St. Paul Public Schools, where at least 25 students were kept from graduating.