MFISD waits for TEA word on missing STAAR tests

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

The search continues for almost 300 English II End of Course (EOC) STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) tests, taken primarily by Marble Falls High School sophomores April 1, according to a Marble Falls Independent School District (MFISD) statement May 28.  

“[Pearson] is continuing to work with UPS to locate” the missing tests, said Texas Education Agency (TEA) spokeswoman DeEtta Culbertson, Monday, June 1, adding that TEA is working with Pearson to determine if sufficient answers were marked to allow scoring by hand. “This process will take 1-2 weeks, and the district will be informed of the results of this activity upon completion.”

Pearson is the testing company responsible for designing, distributing, tabulating and reporting STAAR test results.

“Pearson representatives told MFISD officials they were working with the TEA to locate a misplaced box of 298 tests,” said MISD spokesman Bruce Peckover. “The TEA will need to provide MFISD with official direction since this is a state assessment.”

The district followed protocol, Culbertson said. “A missing materials email was sent April 9 to the district because [Pearson] was not in possession of all the district’s materials,” she said. The district provided two tracking numbers for the missing boxes. 

It is rare for testing materials to be misplaced.

Of more than “500 million sheets of secure testing materials involving 1,200 school districts across 12 test administrations,” two incidents of lost materials happened last year, Culbertson said.

If UPS or Pearson are unable to locate the missing answer documents, “students should assume they will need to retest,” she said.

Parents may contact Pearson or the TEA with questions or concerns, Peckover said.