HOUSTON – Thousands of students' STAAR test scores were found in a UPS shipment processing facility after they went missing on May 27, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Answer sheets for 2,370 fifth- and eighth-graders in the Houston Independent School District were lost as UPS was taking them to the testing company in Austin. A district spokesperson tells KPRC 2 that UPS reported the answer sheets disappeared after the box they were in somehow tore.
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"My understanding is that UPS somehow attempted to gather up what they could and re-tape the box and send it in," said Gene Acuna, of the Texas Education Agency.
The TEA said Wednesday that about 68 tests still have to be accounted for. The agency said it is unclear how this development will affect students' promotion to the next grade level.
The TEA released a statement Wednesday that read, in part: "On Tuesday, HISD was notified by the Texas Education Agency that the majority of missing answer sheets from the STAAR reading re-test had been found ... The state also informed HISD that a small number of answer sheets from six elementary schools still are missing.
"We are thankful so many answer sheets were found, as they provide valuable data on student academic achievement. Campus-based Grade Placement Committees will use this data as they continue to make decisions that are in the best interests of our students and their academic needs."
The missing test scores involved a total of 57 elementary and middle schools.
Of students affected, nearly 1,000 had failed to meet standards to be promoted and would have had to retake the test anyway. The STAAR retesting date is June 23.