Wilkinson County is among five school districts where state education officials have invalidated test scores following an investigation into irregularities, which will result in the high school not receiving a letter grade this year and a possible loss of accreditation.
Mississippi Department of Education officials said Thursday that irregularities were found among 934 spring 2023 state test results in 12 schools, including Wilkinson County High School, where answers on English II, Algebra I and U.S. History tests raised suspicion.
MDE officials said they conduct a statistical analysis of test scores every year as part of a search for testing irregularities. If any are found, it results in an investigation and possible invalidation of scores.
“Most tests were invalidated because of an extremely high level of similar responses and/or instances of wrong-to-right answer changes,” MDE officials said in a news release. “The probability of the detected irregularities occurring under normal testing conditions is 1 in 1 quintillion, or 1 billion multiplied by 1 billion. The systemic scope of the irregularities indicates violations of test security.”
MDE officials contacted superintendents in the five school districts about the irregularities on Aug. 15 and gave them 15 days to investigate the problems and produce a report.
These district-led investigations will be followed up by a state-led probe. The districts will be required to pay for the costs of the state investigation.
District-led investigations in Canton and Jackson found 57 educators, administrators and staff broke test security rules, resulting in disciplinary action, including reporting the individuals to the MDE Office of Educator Misconduct.
“School personnel who violate test security rules face further disciplinary action against their educator license, which may include suspension or revocation, and possible criminal charges,” the MDE reported.
Wilkinson County was among the school districts whose district-led investigations did not report any specific school personnel who allegedly compromised test security.
High school students whose test results were invalidated must retake those tests this school year, since the scores are required for graduation.
Elementary students in schools with invalidated English Language Arts assessments will be provided reading intervention.
State education officials said the scale of irregularities among the affected schools ranged from 8% to 95% of tests.
“Schools with invalidated test scores in 10% or more of their assessments included in the Mississippi Statewide Accountability System will not receive a letter grade for the 2022-23 school year and will have their accreditation status downgraded or withdrawn,” state education officials said in the news release.
State education officials will release district grades based in large part on 2022-23 statewide testing on Sept. 28.
Instead of a traditional grade, the schools where widespread irregularities were found will be listed as having “test data invalidated.”
The other schools include four in the Jackson School District and one each in Canton, Greenville and Hollandale, along with Wilkinson County High School.
Of the 578,515 tests administered in Mississippi in the spring of 2023, the 934 invalidated tests represent a mere two-tenths of 1% of total tests administered.
