FCAT testing company also has problems in Minnesota

Several sources reported that the troubled testing company, which had several problems with Florida's FCAT, incorrectly scored the state-mandated science tests given to fifth- and eighth-grade students Minnesota.  Pearson, who facilitates these assessments, confirmed the issue and was working to resolve it, according to correspondence between the testing company and the Minnesota Department of Education.

The news comes a week after the Florida Department of Education hired two independent auditors to review this year's FCAT scores after finding widespread irregularities in the data.

Details to come.

Florida Postpones School Grades Until Audits Are Completed

Several media sources reported that after 36 school districts raised concerns about the FCAT results, the Florida Department of Education late Wednesday said it had hired two independent contractors to examine the results.

Most questions centered on learning gains, or the amount of progress an individual student makes from year to year. School administrators from many counties said they saw the learning gains tumble for both fourth- and fifth-graders -- a statistical improbability.

One group will study the learning gains made by the lowest 25 percent of elementary school students over the past three years, while the other group will review the design and scoring of the exams at the elementary-school level during the past four years.

The last time there was an issue with the FCAT and its validity was in 2006 which involved an issue with grade 3 scores.

We will keep you posted as we learn more information.

5 school districts question FCAT results

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Five of the state's largest school districts are questioning the latest results of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

Superintendents of Broward, Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, Duval and Leon county schools sent a letter Monday to State Education Commissioner Eric Smith. They want the state to delay calculating annual school grades based on the test scores and for a committee of experts to review the data.

Smith said last month that test results were delayed this year because of problems in matching databases, not the quality of scoring. He said he was confident the scores were accurate.

No central Florida county was included in the letter, but Seminole County spokesman Regina Klaers says the district saw "some anomalies."