Delay sought for teacher test-scoring ban

State school chiefs are moving toward banning teachers from scoring their students' state tests -- but not this school year.

Instead, state education officials are recommending that the ban take effect in 2012-13, when most test answers would be scored electronically at centralized locations. Teachers would continue proctoring tests. State Education Commissioner John B. King says the ban aims to ensure "the integrity of our state assessment system."

The state's Board of Regents, which sets educational policy, is scheduled to vote on the proposal Monday.

During a phone conference Friday, reporters repeatedly asked state authorities why they were recommending a delay. Their response: Imposing a ban this spring would cause further scheduling disruptions for local school administrators, already upset because testing for grades 3-8 will begin the day after many students return from spring break.

Many educators on Long Island criticize the proposed ban as unnecessary and insulting to teachers. William Johnson, superintendent of Rockville Centre schools and former president of a state administrators council, describes the plan as "overkill."

The ban on teacher scoring is part of a broader push for tighter test security, in the wake of test-fraud scandals in Atlanta, Philadelphia and some districts in this state, including on the Island.

The plan submitted to the Regents includes limited security steps that would take effect with this spring's testing. Those would include electronic analysis of erasures to determine if that results in suspicious numbers of correct answers. Education officials would seek $2.1 million from state lawmakers to pay for the measures, on top of $10 million for development and administration of the tests.

Last year, lawmakers provided $7 million of the $15 million requested for testing, resulting in the elimination of foreign language exams and other tests.