Errors on 2012 NYS Math & ELA Tests

A series of errors have been found on the 2012 New York State English Language Arts and Math tests.  There were nearly 30 mistakes.  In most cases, the errors resulted in questions where there was no right answer.  In several instances there were several correct answers.  Twenty of the mistakes were on the translated Math tests.  Three questions on the English version were also inaccurate.  Plus, there were errors on the 8th grade ELA Test.   The NYS Education Commissioner scrapped part of that test.  The state hired a new company to create the tests this year.  The company, Pearson, signed a five year contract with the state worth $32 million.  Another confusing part of the exams this year is that the test included questions that didn't even count in a student's grade.   "Encountering any of these situations is going to unsettle the test taker.  Just saying after the fact that we made a mistake on the questions and it wont count isn't enough to evaluate what effect it had on a student who is taking this test," said Jody Siegel, Executive Director Monroe County School Boards.  This year the state test results are used to determine whether students advance to the next grade, school progress reports and teacher evaluations.  State officials say the mistakes will not hurt a student's grade. They are working with the company to correct the problems for next year.