HARTLAND, Mich. — A breach of MEAP test security occurred at Creekside Elementary School in the Hartland Consolidated Schools, according to the Livingston Daily Press & Argus.
An anonymous tip from a staff member sparked a Michigan Department of Education investigation, which found that “a staff member was able to recite the exact prompt that appears on the 2011 fourth-grade writing test, even though the administration of the test had not yet occurred,” according to the Livingston Daily. They also learned test materials had been removed from their shrink wrap and were left sorted by grade level in an unsecured room.
“There were irregularities, someone knew the writing prompt and that is not acceptable,” Hartland Superintendent Janet Sifferman told The Livingston Daily. She also told the paper that the district will now store all MEAP materials in its central office. Former Creekside Principle Tracey Sahouri has been reassigned as an assistant principle at Hartland High School.
Students took an alternate form of the MEAP, which was administered by state officials. DoE spokesperson Martin Ackley told the Livingston Daily it was “fortunate that this breach was caught during the testing window. If misadministration is caught after the window, the only recourse for the state is to invalidate the student scores for that test, which is not in the best interests of the students.”
SOURCE:
Livingston Daily Press and Argus, "State: MEAP Security Was Compromised," Dec. 2, 2011
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, “Teaching Requires Testing,” Oct. 8, 2009
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