Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 7 - Education K-12 › Part 109 - Student Assessment Handbook › Chapter 4 - Testing Irregularities and Consequences › Appendix 7-109-4-F - Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards, Requirements of the Mississippi Statewide Assessment System, Appendix F, Standard 22 › Section 7-109-4-F-V - INVESTIGATION

Current through June 25, 2024
The Office of Student Assessment follows a systematic
					 procedure to ensure that all evidence indicating possible testing
					 irregularities is investigated. Corrective action will be taken when
					 warranted.
A. PROCEDURE FOR
				  INVESTIGATION
Identifying and investigating possible testing
					 irregularities involves a variety of data sources. These include formal testing
					 audits, self-reports of testing irregularities, allegations/complaints related
					 to possible testing irregularities, and results of analyses and reports
					 designed to identify possible irregularities, including the percent of students
					 tested, changes in enrollment, score exceptionalities, erasure report results,
					 and missing documents reports.
The procedure for handling testing irregularities is
					 repeated for each test administration. The Office of Student Assessment will
					 notify the school district in writing when a possible testing irregularity has
					 been identified. Within fifteen working days following a reported potential
					 irregularity/violation and/or receipt of the written notification from the
					 Office of Student Assessment, the district will submit a written report to the
					 Office of Student Assessment. The Office of Student Assessment reserves the
					 right to conduct an independent investigation.
The Office of Student Assessment will evaluate the district
					 report to determine whether the possible testing irregularity has been resolved
					 or the testing irregularity has been verified. If the possible testing
					 irregularity has been resolved, the Office of Student Assessment will notify
					 the district that no further action is required. If a testing irregularity has
					 been verified, the Office of Student Assessment will notify the district
					 superintendent.
In the case of any verified testing irregularity that
					 jeopardized or may have jeopardized the security and integrity of the test(s)
					 or the accuracy of the test results, the Office of Student Assessment will
					 report the irregularity to the Office of Accreditation for appropriate action
					 and follow-up. (See
CONSEQUENCES
.) In the case of improper
					 student behavior supported by a data forensics company and not disproved in the
					 district report, the Office of Student Assessment will respond to the district
					 superintendent with a request on behalf of the State Superintendent of
					 Education that the district superintendent ask for the invalidation of the
					 suspect test scores and prepare for the students with the suspect test scores
					 to participate in the next test administration. If the district refuses to
					 invalidate the suspect scores, the State Superintendent will have the authority
					 to invalidate the scores.
In case of an allegation of an irregularity that prompts a
					 need for an investigation by the Mississippi Department of Education and the
					 investigation provides substantial evidence that an irregularity has occurred;
					 the State Superintendent will have the authority to invalidate suspect scores.
					 The district superintendent will be notified of the invalidated suspect scores
					 and of the need to prepare students with the suspect scores to participate in
					 the next test administration.
B. PROCEDURES FOR PERSONAL MISCONDUCT
				  INVESTIGATION
If an irregularity that represents misconduct or other
					 breaches of test security on the part of district personnel within a school
					 district is identified, the superintendent of the district will be notified of
					 the irregularity. It is the responsibility of the district to conduct an
					 investigation into the allegation and report findings to the Office of Student
					 Assessment. If the Office of Student Assessment concludes that the irregularity
					 was resolved, the district is notified that no further action is
					 necessary.
If the Office of Student Assessment concludes that the
					 irregularity was verified, the district superintendent is notified that the
					 Office of Accreditation is being apprised of the finding.
In case of an allegation of an irregularity or in the case
					 of statistical analyses that prompt a need for an investigation by the
					 Mississippi Department of Education and the investigation provides substantial
					 evidence that an irregularity has occurred, the State Superintendent will have
					 the authority to invalidate suspect test scores. The district superintendent
					 will be notified of the invalidated suspect scores and of the need to prepare
					 students with the suspect scores to participate in the next test
					 administration. The district superintendent will be notified that the Office of
					 Accreditation is being apprised of the findings.
The district attorney may investigate allegations of
					 violations of test security on his own initiative following receipt of
					 allegations, at the request of a school district, or at the request of the
					 Mississippi Department of Education.
After a conviction, the personnel in question will be
					 notified in writing that the evidence of conviction will be presented to the
					 Commission on Educator Licensure and that the Commission is required to take
					 action pursuant to the authority granted in Section
					 37-16-4,
Mississippi Code of 1972
, as amended. In the case of improper
					 student behavior supported by the data forensics company and not disproved in
					 the district report, the district superintendent will be asked to request the
					 invalidation of the suspect test scores and prepare for the students with the
					 suspect test scores to participate in the next test
					 administration.