Rumors on Social Networking Site Could Affect Testing Results

##AUTHORSPLIT##<--->

False rumors spread on a social networking Web site could affect the outcome of performance testing in a school district, according to coverage in The Gateway News, a newspaper in Portage County, Ohio. The rumors started after a fight took place at Streetsboro Middle School, involving six students. That same night, postings on the unnamed social networking site said a gang from a nearby town had entered the school that day with chains and had injured teachers. Because of the rumors, about 100 students didn't go to school on the first day in which they were to begin achievement tests.

The absences were further compounded when the district didn't receive a sufficient number of read-aloud tests, which were used by special education students, from the Ohio Department of Education.

The result, according to the account by reporter Miles Jung-Kilbreath, was that the students who needed the most time for the test--special education--received the least amount.

The principal of the middle school sent out a recorded message to parents, explaining that the gang fight rumors were false, which generated a number of calls to the district. The district also increased the number of police officers visible during student dismissal at the end of the day. No further incidents have occurred, according to the newspaper.

Get daily news from THE Journal's RSS News Feed


About the author: Dian Schaffhauser is a writer who covers technology and business for a number of publications. Contact her at [email protected].

Proposals for articles and tips for news stories, as well as questions and comments about this publication, should be submitted to David Nagel, executive editor, at [email protected].

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Stylized illustration of an AI microchip connected to a laptop, server rack, and monitor with a chart

    HPE and Nvidia Expand AI Infrastructure Partnership

    Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Nvidia have announced an expanded partnership to accelerate enterprise artificial intelligence adoption through new modular infrastructure and turnkey AI platform offerings.

  • shield with an AI microchip emblem hovering above stacks of gold coins

    Report: AI Security Spend Surges While Traditional Security Budgets Shrink

    A new report from global cybersecurity company Thales reveals that while enterprises are pouring resources into AI-specific protections, only 8% are encrypting the majority of their sensitive cloud data — leaving critical assets exposed even as AI-driven threats escalate and traditional security budgets shrink.

  • digital learning resources including a document, video tutorial, quiz checklist, pie chart, and AI cloud icon

    Quizizz Rebrands as Wayground, Announces New AI Features

    Learning platform Quizizz has become Wayground, in a rebranding meant to reflect "the platform's evolution from a quiz tool into a more versatile supplemental learning platform that's supported by AI," according to a news announcement.

  • teen studying with smartphone and laptop

    OpenAI Developing Teen Version of ChatGPT with Parental Controls

    OpenAI has announced it is developing a separate version of ChatGPT for teenagers and will use an age-prediction system to steer users under 18 away from the standard product, as U.S. lawmakers and regulators intensify scrutiny of chatbot risks to minors.