Mo. House backs cheating analysis for tests

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri lawmakers want to require state education officials to check for cheating on standardized tests.

An amendment added Tuesday to legislation would direct the state Board of Education to contract for an analysis of student achievement tests. The analysis would look for signs of tampering or unusual changes in results at particular schools.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported last month that the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education received more than 100 reports of standardized testing irregularities in 2010 and 2011. But the department does not currently pay for a statistical analysis of test scores that could weed out problems.

The House amendment was attached to a bill requiring state employees to wait two years before taking jobs with contractors over which they held a decision-making position.