N.C. Hires Company to Inspect School Test Data

Posted on February 8, 2005 by Caveon No Comments

 
The Charlotte Observer
By Peter Smolowitz, Staff Writer

On Monday, North Carolina signed a $60,000 contract for a 2-year-old company called Caveon to analyze test data and search for red flags. North Carolina and South Carolina are among just three states to hire the Utah-based firm, believed to be the first of its kind. Delaware has also hired the company, and a co-founder said they’re negotiating with about a dozen other states.

Caveon uses a process called Data Forensics to look for unusual patterns: Kids answering hard questions correctly and missing easy ones. An abnormally high pass rate in one class. Tests with several wrong answers erased and replaced with the right ones.

Caveon comes from the Latin word “caveo,” meaning “safeguard.” The company was founded in 2003 by a dozen people who had helped write and design tests, but worried about security as the Internet made it easier for people to publish answers in advance.

Caveon has worked with about 25 companies that offer entrance exams or certification tests. Caveon workers have helped businesses make it tougher for people to steal questions, and they have caught people selling questions on the Web.