State senator asks for test-item transparency

Link: State senator asks for test-item transparency

State Sen. Brad Hoylman, who represents part of Manhattan, has written to State Education Commissioner John King to ask King to require Pearson to give parents copies of their children’s state tests.

“I understand that Pearson objects to such disclosure on the grounds that the company wants to reuse questions on future exams,” Hoylman writes. “Surely the State is paying Pearson a sufficient sum for it to hire educators to create new questions for next year.”

Here’s a primer on standardized test design (by a supporter of testing), which explains why test-makers like to keep tests under wraps.