Re: Test Giant ETS Fails UK Exam

[Bob Schaeffer <bobschaeffer@earthlink.net>]

Michelle in Nevada (and the NYC tabloids) picked up on what is a huge 
story in the United Kingdom. The failure of the Educational Testing 
Service to mark primary and secondary school exams in an accurate and 
timely manner is a national scandal, which has led to a formal 
investigation by the British Parliament.  FairTest has been quoted in 
many of these stories putting ETS's problems in an international context 
-- see for example The Sunday Times (of London) article labeling the 
situation "shambolic" at

   
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article4364314.ece

As background information for the journalists who are contacted us, 
FairTest compiled a list of ETS test scoring and administration 
highlights (or is it "lowlights"?):

- ETS had to pay prospective teachers more than $11 million U.S. to 
settle a lawsuit about systematic mistakes in scoring its PRAXIS 
licensing exams which gave false failing scores to more than than 4,000 
educators. Here's a link to a summary of that issue:

http://www.fairtest.org/ets-pays-11-1-million-settle-teacher-test-lawsuit

- Also, ETS recently lost the contract to deliver the Graduate 
Management Admissions Test (GMAT) due to repeated administrative and 
scoring mistakes .

http://www.fairtest.org/ets-loses-gmat-contract

- ETS has also encountered significant difficulties in launching new 
international versions of the Test of English as a Foreign Language 
(TOEFL) and Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

http://www.fairtest.org/new-gre-cancellation-reveals-ets-flaws

A cross-cutting pattern is that ETS submits low bids to win new testing 
contracts but then lacks the technical competence to deliver on its 
promises.

Bob Schaeffer, Public Education Director
FairTest: National Center for Fair & Open Testing