THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE- A pair of Senate Democrats Wednesday called on the State Board of Education to investigate delays in the scoring of the state’s FCAT tests.

Following delays and mounting criticism over the performance of the state’s testing company, NCS Pearson, Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach and Nan Rich, D-Weston, called on board chairman T. Willard Fair to conduct a “full and complete investigation” to determine who is to blame for the delay.

Some test scores will not be available until the end of June.
 
Superintendents say the delay will hit their budgets and make it more difficult to place students for the upcoming school year since test scores are often used to match students with appropriate level courses. Districts may have to hire additional staff to accommodate the late scores.

“The Pearson debacle is inexcusable and it is our hope that the Board will take all necessary steps – including an audit and investigation - to determine how it happened, so we can assure this sad episode doesn’t repeat itself,” Gelber and Rich wrote in a letter to Fair.

Pearson, awarded a $250 million contract in 2009 to handle scoring of the statewide assessment test until 2013, could not immediately be reached for comment. Earlier in June, however, the company apologized for the delay, saying it underestimated the challenges involved with aligning software with the state data. The company took full responsibility for the delay.

“Pearson fully understands the importance of timely delivery of testing results and we apologize for this delay,” spokesman Adam Gaber told the News Service earlier this month. “We take responsibility for it; with the benefit of hindsight, we underestimated the challenges involved in aligning technology systems between Pearson, FDOE and the state's schools.”

The FCAT is given to students in grades 3 through 11, with reading and math tested in most grades and science and writing tested in some of them. Passage of the FCAT in high school is required to graduate. Harcourt Assessment, acquired by Pearson in 2007, had provided similar materials related to the FCAT since 2000.

In early June, Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith apologized to parents of public school students while blasting the company for not delivery what it promised during contract negotiations.

“I am both outraged and frustrated by the situation Pearson has caused and I do not intend to allow these inexcusable delays to go unanswered,” Smith said in a statement. “ In addition to demanding that Pearson ensure all future test administrations are absent of the technology issues we have experienced this year, I also intend to impose significant financial penalties as a result of their failure to meet contract deadlines.”

While pointing a finger at Pearson, Gelber and Rich also want to know who was responsible for contract oversight within the Florida Department of Education.

“We believe the Board must conduct a full and complete investigation to determine why the Department failed to hire a company with the core competencies necessary to complete its task and, likewise, failed to oversee the contract adequately,” the pair wrote.