Mississippi Likely To Choose Minnesota Firm For Testing Contract
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi's State Board of Education is poised to award a statewide testing contract to Questar Assessment, a Minnesota-based group.
The education department on Wednesday published its recommendation that the board choose Questar, disclosing no price or other details. The choice will be discussed at a board work session Thursday and could be voted on Friday.
The department refused to disclose what other companies bid, but Pearson PLC confirmed it submitted a proposal. Pearson has written Mississippi's tests for years and authored the multistate test that Mississippi students are taking this year. Steering away from Pearson could ease political pressure the board has faced over testing issues. Some local superintendents pushed for the state to adopt tests written by the ACT organization, but the Iowa-based testing group declined to bid.
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