Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for May 19, 2006 MIXED RESULTS FOR TESTER

Illinois State Board of Education Votes to Cut Testing Contract

By KAREN W. ARENSON

The Illinois State Board of Education voted to cut the state's contract with Harcourt Assessment Inc., the testing company that handles most of the testing required under the No Child Left Behind law and encountered significant problems in delivering tests to Illinois this year. The board said it would seek another vendor to handle the processing, scoring and reporting of tests. But it approved the continued use of Harcourt, one of the biggest testing companies in the United States, for test development and psychometric services. Rick Blake, a Harcourt spokesman, issued a statement apologizing for the problems and saying the company was "gratified" that Illinois would continue to work with the company on test development.