The Jackson, Mich., Citizen Patriot had a "nice story" about the state's annual writing exam in mind when it sent a reporter to visit a classroom earlier this week.
That story revealed enough details about the test's contents that thousands of Michigan fifth- and sixth-graders have to take it again, the Detroit Free Press reports.
"In his article, he basically divulged what the fifth and sixth grade prompts were," Michigan DOE spokesman Martin Ackley told the Free Press. "If kids who hadn't taken it yet read the article, then they could practice writing it."
The Jackson paper's editor responded that the reporter was never told not to write about the questions. But if the state was so worried that questions might leak, she told the Free Press, maybe it should shorten the window during which the test is given.
The state is now writing and printing new questions. And teachers are trying to figure out how to motivate their students to take the writing exam again. To read the Free Press account, click here. To see the Jackson Citizen Patriot's coverage, click here. And be glad it happened in Michigan instead of Florida.
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