State to check erasures for standardized test cheating

Gazette:  In wake of Baltimore scandals, technology will bring scrutiny to all schools

From now on, when Maryland students take the state’s standardized tests in the spring, it won’t be just their answers that are tallied — their eraser marks will be, too.
The Maryland Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved a $75,292 contract modification to have NCS Pearson, Inc., perform an annual in-depth analysis of pencil erasure marks on all third- through eighth-grade test booklets in the state to root out possible cheating by teachers, students or administrators.