A judge has ordered New Mexico officials to review the process the state used to award a contract for a new standardized test to be given high school students starting next spring.
A multistate consortium in early May awarded a contract to Pearson, an international education company, to create an online test aligned with the Common Core Standards.
The Washington D.C.-based American Institute for Research protested, saying the bid process unfairly benefited Pearson because it previously worked with the consortium, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.
State officials say the contract process was open and fair, but District Court Judge Sarah Singleton this week ordered the state to review the institute's protest.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the contract is on hold pending the review.
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