Schools looking for better tests after error on Stanford 9

ATLANTA - Several Georgia school systems are looking for better ways to measure student performance after a grading glitch on the Stanford Nine, a popular standardized test. <br> <br> Education officials are still trying to find out what caused the glitch and what they can do in the meantime. <br> <br> State school officials say they first noticed the problem in May, when scores varied widely in about one-third of the subject areas. The problem was not with the test itself, but in the way the tests were scored, department spokeswoman Sarah Abbott said. <br> <br> The test is written, administered and graded by Harcourt Educational Measurement. <br> <br> Harcourt checked the tests at the Georgia Department of Education&#39;s request. They had to make sure the 2002 test and the 2001 test were of the same difficulty level so the scores could be accurately compared. <br> <br> Harcourt spokesman Richard Blake said today that he hopes the results will be back soon. <br> <br> The test is used across the state to test students in grades 3, 5 and 8 to measure their performance in math and reading. <br> <br> School administrators use the test to determine whether to place students in advanced or remedial classes. <br> <br> About 400,000 students take the Stanford Nine tests in Georgia. The state paid Harcourt $690,000 for the test.