10 graduate thanks to test errors, but will keep high school diplomas

Published 9:08 pm Wednesday, June 21, 2017

JACKSON (AP) — State education officials say 10 Mississippi high school students were allowed to graduate because of testing errors in their favor, but the state won’t revoke diplomas.

Associate state Superintendent Paula Vanderford said in a Wednesday statement that no students failed to graduate because of scoring errors that worked against them.

The State Board of Education fired Pearson PLC last week after the company told Mississippi officials that it used the wrong table to score U.S. history exams for students on track to graduate. Out of 951 students, mostly seniors, the department says 197 passed. Of those 197, 36 students benefited from scoring errors, but 26 lacked other requirements to graduate.

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Pearson lost a contract worth $24 million over the next six years to provide tests.