Just the Facts: How Pearson Hires Test Scorers

Some have raised questions about Pearson’s recruitment of test scorers in Texas, including
advertisements in Craigslist. Here are the facts:

Pearson conducts an exhaustive search for the very best people to score student
tests. Pearson works with the same employment resources used by school
systems across the state such as the Austin, Houston and San Antonio
independent school districts to promote career opportunities.
Pearson advertises broadly for qualified test scorers. The extensive search for test
scorers in Texas includes advertisements with 21 different organizations and
publications including the National Council of Teachers of English, the Austin
American-Statesman newspaper and the Texas Workforce Commission.

Here is a list of publications and organizations with which Pearson advertised as part of the search for test scorers:

Texas school districts such as the Austin, Houston and San Antonio independent
school districts, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas Tech University, and
many other organizations also advertise career opportunities on Craigslist.
All test scorers hired by Pearson must have at least a four-year degree and
undergo very rigorous, state-approved training before they are allowed to begin
work. As part of this rigorous training, applicants must complete and pass
practice sets before being eligible to work. The rigorous training program for
scorers was developed with the Texas Education Agency, and TEA must approve
all final training materials.
Of the 4,059 total scorers in Texas, 2911 (71 percent) have at least one year of
teaching experience, 3,385 (83 percent) have at least a writing-related four-year
college degree, and 1,114 (27 percent) have at least a four-year college degree
in English.
Scorers are closely monitored on a daily basis, with each student test carefully
reviewed by two scorers, to ensure that scores are accurate and reliable.
Pearson is a proud part of the Texas economy, with more than 1,800 full time and
2,425 part time employees—many former educators—working at Pearson’s Texas
offices in Austin, Dallas and San Antonio. Pearson also contracted with more than
80 women or minority-owned Texas businesses last year.