Leaked Questions At San Jose Schools Delay Standardized Test Results
SAN JOSE (KCBS) - Results of statewide standardized testing for California school children have been delayed because cell phone pictures of test questions were posted online by students at several schools, including two in San Jose, state officials said.
Thirty-six questions from Standardized Testing and Reporting exams were clearly legible in the 442 images state education officials discovered online, although most were simply pictures of closed test booklets, the California Department of Education announced Wednesday.
KCBS' Holly Quan Reports:
Teachers proctoring the exams have a tough time preventing students from sneaking in cell phones or using them surreptitiously, said KCBS technology analyst Larry Magid.
"The problem is that phones are very small. People have them in their pocket and it's very easy to pull one out, take a picture, put it away. It's a good possibility you'd get away with it," he said.
The leaked test questions, many of them posted on Facebook, do not appear to have affected overall test results, although state officials have yet to determine whether test results would be nullified at individual schools connected to the breach.
The pictures have been traced back to 12 schools around the state, officials said, including Castillero Middle School and San Jose High School in the San Jose Unified School District. North Monterey County High School was also identified as a school involved in the security breach.
State officials have postponed the release of both the STAR test results and scores on the Academic Performance Index. The STAR numbers are now expected at the end of August, and the Academic Performance Index is expected in mid-October.
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