State yet to receive test results for 2,700 Nye students

Thousands of Nye County School District students have yet to receive their scores from standardized tests they took toward the end of the 2016 school year.

A total of 2,755 students haven’t gotten their test scores back from various exams, the school district confirmed last week. That is 2,384 from grades three through eight, and 371 high school juniors.

The state attorney general’s office notified Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) last week of its failure to deliver statewide test score reports in a “timely” manner to the Nevada Department of Education.

“The Superintendent of Public Instruction has informed all state superintendents that the Nevada Department of Education, in partnership with the attorney general’s office, has notified Nevada’s testing vendor (DRC) that they are in breach of contract,” said Dale Norton, Nye County School District superintendent. “The state superintendent’s goal is to accelerate the delivery of student reports.”

In the letter sent to Data Recognition Corp., on Aug. 16, the attorney general’s office said that the firm breached its $51.5 million contract with the state by failing to deliver individual test results for the third through eighth grade English and language arts; math tests, science tests for grades third, fifth and 10th; and the individual student reports for the Nevada Alternative Assessment.

The letter claimed that Data Recognition Corp. “damaged” the education department’s educational mission, stating that the department uses the test results to point out student needs, enhance instruction and to oversee teacher performance.

By failing to deliver the test results by the four dates promised by Data Recognition, July 1, July 14, July 29, and Aug. 1, the education department was unable to provide crucial information to both teachers and parents of students in the state.

The attorney general’s office pointed out four the expected delivery dates in July and August for the scores for the students required to take them.

Data Recognition President and CEO Susan Engeleiter said in an emailed statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the firm had not received the attorney general’s letter as of Aug. 17, but responded to their emailed copy of the letter.

“We respectfully disagree with the complaints in the letter, and will be sending a formal response to the department,” the statement to the Review-Journal read.

The attorney general’s letter stated that the individual student results are expected to be delivered between Sept. 2 and Nov. 10, depending on the exams.

The letter stated that Data Recognition Corp. had 15 days to show that they corrected the alleged breaches of contract to the satisfaction of the education department.

Contact reporter Mick Akers at makers@pvtimes.com. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.