After years of inexplicably large gaps between low reading results and sky-high writing scores, the Florida Department of Education admits to overly lenient grading of essays and says it is tightening standards.
The Department of Education continues to press its testing contractor for penalties for late delivery of test scores, adding more than $11 million on Friday to what it says NCS Pearson must pay for damages.
The Florida Department of Education is asking for more than $3 million in damages from contractor NCS Pearson over a delay in reporting the results of the state's standardized exam, the FCAT.
“I fully realize that assessing these damages does not completely make up for the significant inconveniences being felt by students and their families, teachers and school administrators, but it does show very clearly that we are holding Pearson accountable for their failure to uphold the terms of the contract,” state Education Commissioner Eric Smith said in a release Thursday.
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 and its contract with test assessment company NCS Pearson.
But the board’s chairman said Wednesday that the board’s own investigation shows proper procurement procedures were followed, the company has taken responsibility and has gone a long way toward mending fences over delays that jeopardize its $250 million contract with the state.
