Errors, Failures, and Risks

Chapter 8 

Errors, Failures, and Risks 

8.1.3 System Failures 

Read the case, then answer the questions below. 

Destroying careers and summer vacations1 

1 Jacques Steinberg and Diana B. Henriques, “When a Test Fails the Schools, Careers and Reputations Suffer,” New York Times, May 21, 2001, pp. A1, A10–A11. 

2 Andrea Robinson, “Firm: State Told Felon Voter List May Cause Errors,” Miami Herald, Feb. 17, 2001. 

CTB/McGraw-Hill develops and scores standardized tests for schools. Millions of students take its tests each year. An error in CTB’s software caused it to report test results incorrectly – substantially lower than the correct scores – in several states. In New York City, school principals and superintendents lost their jobs because their schools appeared to be doing a poor job of teaching students to read. Educators endured personal and professional disgrace. One man said he applied for 30 other superintendent jobs in the state but did not get one. Parents were upset. Nearly 9000 students had to attend summer school because of the incorrect scores. Eventually, CTB corrected the error. New York City’s reading scores had actually risen five percentage points. 

Why was the problem not detected sooner, soon enough to avoid firings and summer school? School testing officials in several states were skeptical of the scores showing sudden, unexpected drops. They questioned CTB, but CTB told them nothing was wrong. They said CTB did not tell them that other states experienced similar problems and also complained. When CTB discovered the software error, the company did not inform the schools for many weeks, even though the president of CTB met with school officials about the problem during those weeks. 

What lessons can we learn from this case? Software errors happen of course. People usually notice significant mistakes, and they did here. But the company did not take seriously enough the questions about the accuracy of the results and was reluctant to admit the possibility – and later the certainty – of errors. It is this behavior that must change. The damage from an error can be small if the error is found and corrected quickly. 

CTB recommended that school districts not use scores on its standardized tests as the sole factor in deciding which students should attend summer school. But New York City did so. In a case with a similar lesson, Florida state officials relied on computer-generated lists of possible felons to prevent some people from voting, even though the database company supplying the lists said the state should do additional verification.2 

Relying solely on one factor or on data from one database is temptingly easy. It is a temptation that people responsible for critical decisions in many situations should resist.

 Questions: 

Consider the standardized-test score reporting error described above. Suppose the test company had reported scores to the schools as significantly higher, rather than lower, than the correct scores. Do you think the schools would have questioned the scores? Do you think anyone would have discovered the error? If so, how? Give a few examples of situations where you think people would not report computer errors. For each example, give your reason (e.g., optimism, ignorance, gullibility, dishonesty, others).