Stanford 9 Publisher Wins New, Larger Contract

SACRAMENTO —  A company that has written California’s statewide school test for the last two years and was plagued with problems this year will get more money for its third effort.

Harcourt Educational Measurement, based in San Antonio will have new duties along with the increase, including trying new writing tests on some fourth- and seventh-graders.

The state Board of Education approved a state contract Tuesday with Harcourt that will give the test publisher $6.53 for each student, for a total of about $27 million.

Harcourt was to be paid $5.21 for each 1999 test, a total of $22 million, but the board withheld $1.1 million, because of the many problems.

Harcourt mistakenly miscounted about 250,000 students as not fluent in English and erred in scores for 190,000 students in year-round schools.

The board voted Tuesday to return a $2.2-million performance bond that Harcourt had posted for the 1999 tests because state officials said the company has otherwise performed satisfactorily.

The basic test is a standardized, national multiple-choice test called the Stanford Achievement Test, 9th Edition, or Stanford 9.

Harcourt will create a reading list parents can use to improve their children’s test scores and will post that list on the Internet by next June.