Test-Question Tweet Spurs a Privacy Debate

By Leslie Brody 

A tweet by a New Jersey high-school student has ignited a debate over privacy and proper ways to ensure test security as new online tests are under way in 11 states and the District of Columbia.

Some parents and anti-testing activists have accused Pearson PLC of spying after the textbook and testing company alerted the New Jersey Department of Education that a student had tweeted a question from the state's 10th-grade English-language test last week.

The American Federation of Teachers union launched a petition Tuesday asking Pearson to stop monitoring students on social media.

The controversy comes amid a nationwide debate on testing and the Common Core educational standards, with some parents and teachers arguing that too much time is spent on testing and test-preparation at the expense of classroom learning.

Officials at the New Jersey education department and Pearson are trying to alleviate parents' concerns, noting that its test-security service checks only public channels--such as Instagram, Twitter and electronic bulletin boards--to see whether anyone is leaking test questions, and then have them deleted.

Pearson officials said Tuesday that tracking public social media has been a practice for years among test vendors as students spent more time online. ETS, which administers the SAT and Advanced Placement tests for the College Board, also checks public sites this way. "It's a common security tool we all use," said Ray Nicosia, executive director of ETS's office of testing integrity.

Pearson said that by using digital monitoring it found 72 security breaches in six states since the debut last month of tests from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC. Pearson, which administers the test for states, says a test-security contractor hunts for potential breaches through a search tool that flags key words used in the test questions.

Don Kilburn, president of Pearson North America, said students and teachers deserve a chance to show what they accomplished in class without some test-takers resorting to cheating. "We're clearly not spying on students," he said.

The company alerts state education agencies about incidents, and local schools have authority to determine if discipline is warranted.

The furor erupted after a New Jersey blogger posted a leaked email last weekend sent by Elizabeth Jewett, superintendent of Watchung Hills Regional High School District, to fellow school leaders noting that a state official alerted her district to a student's tweet of a test question. Ms. Jewett said in the email she found it "a bit disturbing" that Pearson was monitoring social media.

The concern over test breaches comes during the first administration of the PARCC tests, which aim to reflect Common Core standards. Supporters say the tests will give more nuanced information on students, but critics say they are too time consuming and overly difficult.

Some parents have opted out, though New Jersey officials have said participation overall is very strong. Pearson said Tuesday that 4.9 million tests have been taken in the consortium's member states so far. Sections of the tests, for children in grades three through 11, are being given on different days in different districts, adding to potential for leaked test questions.

Frederick Hess, director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute, said the surveillance controversy spread nationwide because of the political sensitivity of Common Core and many educators' opposition to being judged partly by test scores. "But this stuff is only going to have legs if it speaks to the practical concerns of parents" worried about what they perceive as companies monitoring children on social media, Mr. Hess added.

Elisabeth Ginsburg, president of the school board in Glen Ridge, N.J., said if her daughter ever posted a test question online she would discipline her, but that many children still don't realize how far and fast posts can travel electronically.

"We've handed this tool with the extreme power of mass communication to people as young as 10," she said. "It's a cautionary tale."

Write to Leslie Brody at [e-mail]

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