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Thousands Of Teacher Candidates Mistakenly Flunked
The Kansas City Channel ^ | July 14, 2004 | AP

Posted on 07/14/2004 9:45:08 PM PDT by TheBattman

Thousands Of Teacher Candidates Mistakenly Flunked

WASHINGTON -- About 4,100 people who passed teacher licensing tests were incorrectly told they failed, delaying or preventing some from getting jobs, the testing company says.

The Educational Testing Service, a private company that administers more than 12 million tests worldwide, is tracking down each person who received a faulty score to apologize and refund the $115 test fee and other expenses.

The company is also notifying the 19 states that use the Praxis exam in question, one that tests teaching and content knowledge for prospective educators of grades seven to 12.

As part of a regular review of scores, ETS found two groups of test-takers were given inappropriately stringent scoring on short-essay answers, said spokesman Tom Ewing.

Panels of current or retired teachers are routinely hired by ETS to grade the tests, he said.

The 4,100 people who received incorrect scores were among 40,000 people who took the test from January 2003 through April 2004, the company said.

A significant number of those who got faulty scores took the test again and passed, Ewing said, but he acknowledged "there are undoubtedly some who were turned away" from teaching jobs because of the error.

Company representatives on Saturday began informing those who, after their tests were scored a second time, received passing grades.

"The general reaction was the teaching candidates were extremely pleased," Ewing said. "A number of them actually shouted for joy. They were equally pleased that they were going to get a refund." A few, he said, wanted further explanation or apology from a manager.

In response to the errors, the company has created an audit committee, reporting directly to the company president, to more closely monitor how grading is done.

ETS has also set up a hotline for those who took the test and have questions. It is (800) 205-2626.

Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: certification; failure; flunk; license; praxis; teacher; test; testing
OK - regardless of your opinion of public schools - this just sucks. I know I personally would be highly upset if I were fresh out of College and lost a job offer because the testing service got it wrong.
1 posted on 07/14/2004 9:45:09 PM PDT by TheBattman
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To: TheBattman
ETS is a pain. I went through an ordeal trying to have old veterinary board scores sent in to a new state for licensing, and due to their incompentence I had to re-file three times (each time for a substantial fee).

I'm surprised that they were tracking down the teachers whom they screwed - their usual attitude is "so what?"

2 posted on 07/14/2004 9:58:45 PM PDT by struwwelpeter
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To: TheBattman

No kidding - and who's going to call their formerly prospective employers to tell them that it was all just a big mistake?


3 posted on 07/14/2004 9:59:22 PM PDT by dandelion
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To: TheBattman
Their answers must have been too conservative.

But it does suck.
4 posted on 07/14/2004 10:01:14 PM PDT by calenel (Peace Through Strength, and when necessary, Peace Through Victory!)
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To: TheBattman

Wait a minute...did you read where these folks received "inappropriately stringent" scores? Doesn't that say that someone must have griped that they didn't pass and that ETS went back and said "oops" But is the oops because the people really are qualified or the scorer wanted people who knew the subject matter and therefore graded hard? Just asking


5 posted on 07/15/2004 4:10:08 AM PDT by jnarcus
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