Pearson , the world's largest education services company, monitored students ' social media accounts during exams (PARCC Common Core Tests), Bob Bruan reports on his website , calling the action "espionage."
PARCC exams are administered in several states, including New Jersey, where a proctor sent a letter calling the practice "somewhat annoying.".
Pearson told the Washington Post that it checked the social media accounts of test takers to make sure no one was cheating, and noted that its goal was to ensure fair testing.
In her letter, Elizabeth Jewett, superintendent of Watchung Hills Regional High School District, confirmed that the Department of Education had informed her that Pearson was monitoring students' accounts during the exams.
He even described one incident. Pearson had contacted the state agency about a student who tweeted a picture of one of the questions during the exam. This complaint led the education department to seek disciplinary action.
The supervisor, after reviewing the claim, concluded that the student had indeed posted a tweet about the exam, but without a picture and after the exam was over. She also added that the student's mother was "extremely concerned about the possibility that her child's tweets were being monitored by the DOE."
Jewett goes on to write that monitoring can heighten parents' concerns about their children's privacy and potentially lead them to prevent their children from participating in the tests.
The education department did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
