Test Delay Jolts . . . A) Schools B) Pupils

Panicked school officials in scores of districts statewide are feverishly rescheduling STAR test dates after a computer breakdown and snowstorm delayed the arrival of test booklets.

The glitches could result in frenzied, last-minute changes in hundreds of thousands of students’ daily school schedules.

The Huntington Beach Union High School District, which has waited in vain for the tests to arrive, canceled next week’s testing after months of preparation and sent out 12,000 letters Thursday alerting parents of the schedule changes. New exam dates have not been determined and will depend on when the 6,000 pounds of test materials arrive.

“We were told that we would get our materials [today] at noon. But I won’t believe that until I have it in my hands and can touch it,” said Dorothy Crutcher, director of pupil services for the district, where testing was supposed to begin Monday.

The delivery problems create a mess for schools that have already altered classroom schedules for their original test dates, administrators said. Administrators at some year-round schools worry that they might not test before a portion of their students goes on vacation. Even more, putting off the test for some high schoolers means cutting in on their preparation time for other exams such as the advanced placement and Golden State tests, to begin in May. And because giving the test is a giant organizational task that involves most public-school students, some educators worried that having to reshuffle on short notice could affect the testing and the scores.

“We could see a change in scores through no fault of our own,” said Jeff Bristow, testing expert for Capistrano Unified, where test materials for 35,000 students were supposed to arrive last week but were still in limbo Thursday. The district had originally planned to begin testing March 23. “When you change expected testing times for children, there are potential problems with the testing experience.”

Harcourt Brace Educational Measurement, the Texas-based test publisher, began sending the materials to school districts March 4, according to an inventory report.

An estimated 75 school districts have received their test supplies, said Dave Osberg, the company’s senior program director for the STAR program. The company will double its shipping efforts this weekend to expedite deliveries.

“Districts are hopping mad and I don’t blame them,” Osberg said. “By no means am I attempting to make an excuse. We are at fault and we feel very bad about it.”

Schools are about to begin their second year of testing with the standardized test, given to almost every student in second to 11th grades. But the testing is done in waves, with some schools administering the test earlier than others. The affected schools were all in the first wave of testing.

Officials with Harcourt Brace blamed the shipping delays on a 14-hour computer crash and glitches in their software. Worsening matters, a Monday snowstorm in Iowa, where the test materials are printed and packaged, blocked delivery trucks.

In a letter to some state legislators, California Supt. of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin described the latest problems as a function of poorly written state testing regulations. The law now requires that Harcourt Brace contract with each of the state’s 1,000 school districts. Instead, Eastin said, a single contract with the state would provide closer oversight and a uniform mechanism to prepare and process the testing program.

“The frustrations in school districts throughout the state is at an explosive point,” Eastin said in the letter, citing complaints from two school systems. “If we are moving toward an era of accountability for student achievement, then our measure of achievement and the results for schools and students must also meet the highest professional standards.”

On Thursday, the state board of education reviewed the matter and listened to comments from a Harcourt Brace representative. Board members then voted to hold a full hearing next month to review the impact the delays have had on school districts.

“The [state Department of Education’s] legal unit is looking into what actions can be taken,” said state education spokesman Doug Stone. “We expect a full discussion on this with the board . . . to look at the implications and ramifications of this.”

Late test arrivals this week saved some school districts from making last-minute schedule changes. But irked administrators said the close calls are part of a flawed system.

Officials at Santa Ana Unified said they planned to work on Saturday to avoid any delays in administering the STAR test.

Linda DelGiudice, director of research and evaluation, said she and about six other district employees will meet the Harcourt Brace truck Saturday afternoon when it is scheduled to arrive from Iowa. They will unpack and sort the test materials, which will be picked up by most district principals this weekend.

Most students will take the test from March 15 to April 2, she said. Some students on a year-round schedule will be tested from April 5 to 15.

At Yuba City Unified School District, for instance, a frustrated Derek Link, director of special programs, sent a desperate e-mail and made a round of phone calls to Harcourt Brace and to the state Department of Education last Friday.

“THIS IS URGENT,” Link wrote in capital letters. “I cannot get an answer from anyone about when the materials will actually arrive. THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. Someone needs to get Harcourt Brace and their contractor . . . into gear right now!”

School officials breathed a sigh of relief when the 241 boxes finally materialized on Wednesday, nine days late.

Harbhajan Dheri, a Yuba City resource teacher, said the Department of Education offered no help. “They’re your contractor, you deal with them,” was the message Dheri said the schools heard.

El Monte Union High School District, which had hoped to receive materials beginning March 2, faxed a letter to Harcourt Brace Chief Executive Joanne Lemke on Wednesday, said Linda Roberts, director of research curriculum. Lemke said the company would take care of it, and indeed dozens of boxes arrived Thursday by air freight. As a result, Roberts said, “we will be on track” to start testing Monday at year-round schools.

Not so certain is the Sacramento City Unified School District, which is holding its collective breath that materials will arrive today. If not, the district’s two year-round schools might have to postpone testing, said spokeswoman Maria Lopez.

Times staff writer Liz Seymour contributed to this report.