N.J. investigating 27 possible security breaches in administration of standardized tests
FRIDAY AUGUST 17, 2012, 12:42 AM
BY LESLIE BRODY
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
At a time when test scores are poised to play a more significant role in evaluating teachers, New Jersey education officials are reviewing reports of 27 security breaches from the administration of state tests this spring.
While that number involves a small share of the roughly 850,000 standardized tests that New Jersey public school students take each year, testing experts say the state Department of Education is right to take the breaches seriously.
John Fremer, president of Caveon Consulting Services, which advises states on preventing cheating, said it would be impossible to have no irregularities, and a couple of dozen incidents is a small number for an entire state. Even so, he said, there is cause for concern.