Proficiency tests of some Western students missing

Friday, May 13, 2005 | 10:58 a.m.

Seniors at Western High School may have to re-take the state proficiency exam next week after 150 answer sheets appear to have been lost, district officials said.

"It's very upsetting, we know this is a difficult time for the kids already," said Sue Daellenbach, director of testing for the Clark County School District.

Western's answer sheets, which included those of the entire sophomore class as well as non-proficient juniors, were mailed to Measured Progress, a New Hampshire-based educational services company which has the contract to develop and score the Nevada State High School Proficiency Exam.

"We put the answer sheets in the required envelopes and the box went out with UPS," said Western Principal Pearl Morgan. "We did everything we were supposed to at our end."

Measured Progress officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Daellenbach said the package is being traced through its tracking number and does not appear to have ever reached the Measured Progress office in Dover, N.H.

Daellenbach said she was "hopeful" that UPS or the testing company would be able to locate the missing answer sheets.

If the package turns up the answer sheets will be graded, Daellenbach said.

If there are seniors who passed in April but retake the test next week and fail, they will allowed to count their earlier scores, Daellenbach said.

State education officials said they are investigating scattered reports from several other school districts of materials sent to Measured Progress last month that were apparently not received.

The exact number of potentially missing answer sheets was not immediately known.