State Scratches Scores of Mann Students

Correction: An original version of this story wrongly indicated the students whose test forms were altered would be disciplined. The story has been updated to reflect the correct information. 

The state's board of education has invalidated the standardized test scores of nearly two dozen students whose test papers or testing procedures were altered by faculty.

According to a news release issued by on Friday, the Illinois State Board of Education ruled that 22 students will receive Not Available (NA) grades instead of test scores for the Illinois Standards Achievement Test issued to students back in March.

District 97 officials said "irregularities" on those test forms included staff members who reviewed test booklets and answer documents for stray marks, staffers erasing stray marks and students getting extra time to complete the tests.

Earlier:

According to Wednesday Journal, the "district did not publicly disclose the names of the Mann staff that tampered with the tests, but it's believed to be [departing principal Nimisha] Kumar and one of her staff."

Kumar resigned after the controversial incident was made public. Her replacement, Sam LeDeaux,

As for the students, they won't be disciplined by the district or subject to investigation by the ISBE.

In the news release, district officials said "although these students will not receive an ISAT score this year, we do not anticipate that this will have any impact on their placement in middle school or high school because other assessments, including MAP test data, and factors such as grades will be used to help make those determinations. In addition, the suppression of these scores will not affect Mann's overall score/performance on the test."

Here's a statement from Supt. Al Roberts:

I appreciate the respectful and professional manner in which ISBE conducted this investigation; and applaud the strong support the members of the Mann community exhibited for their school throughout this challenging time. Moving forward, we will take additional steps to ensure that all future tests, assessments and standards are administered in accordance with the Illinois School Code, are carried out with fidelity and serve the best interest of our students. However, we cannot and will not dwell on the mistakes that were made. Instead, we will focus our attention on the future, and continue to celebrate the hard work, accomplishments and passion for education that define the legacy of this outstanding school.