Section 25.755  Cancellation of Scores; Voiding of Scores

a)         A person shall have the right to cancel his/her test scores.  A cancellation request must be submitted in writing and received by the State Superintendent of Education within seven calendar days after the date of the test. However, a person's right to cancel his or her scores shall be superseded by the right of the State Superintendent of Education to void scores when subsection (b) or (c) applies.

b)         A person's scores will be voided by the State Superintendent due to violation by the person of any of the conditions of testing enumerated in Section 25.750(g) and (k).

c)         The State Superintendent will also void any affected test score in situations such as, but not limited to, the following:

1)         any person taking the test violates any of the rules of test participation or terms, conditions, or policies stated in the current ILTS registration bulletin and website, having the purpose or effect of:

A)        giving any person taking the test an unfair advantage over other examinees;

B)        affecting, either positively or negatively, the performance of any person taking the test; or

C)        representing the performance of the named registered examinee by the performance of another person;

2)         there is any testing irregularity that calls into question:

A)        the accuracy of the test scores as measures of the actual performances of the examinees; or

B)        the validity of the test scores as measures of the performances of the examinees in light of the conditions and circumstances under which the test was administered.

d)         The State Superintendent shall notify the person of the action taken within six weeks after the test date. If any person's test materials reveal irregularities that warrant further investigation, the State Superintendent shall forward those materials, including the person's thumbprint, fingerprint, or palm print, as applicable, to the appropriate law enforcement authority and shall notify the affected person within ten days after taking that action.  The State Superintendent may require the person to provide a thumbprint or alternate print, if applicable, to the appropriate law enforcement authority for comparison with that provided on the personalized answer document and may void the test score earned by a person who refuses to do so.

e)         No refund will be given to any person whose score is cancelled or voided.

f)         If a score is cancelled or voided for any reason, it will not be reported or entered on any records.  Cancellation of an individual's score shall not limit his or her right to retake the test.  Voiding of an individual's score shall not limit his or her right to retake the test unless subsection (g) applies.

g)         In some instances, scores are voided for reasons that render individuals ineligible for licensure in Illinois.  When an individual is found to have violated a condition of testing with the intent of falsifying his or her identity or unfairly affecting his or her performance in the current or a future test administration, the violation shall be taken as evidence that the individual is not of good character as required by Section 21B-15 of the School Code [105 ILCS 5].  

1)         In addition to voiding of the person's score on the test at which the violation occurred, any other score achieved by the person during the same test administration shall be voided, and the individual shall be ineligible for any future licensure testing in Illinois.

2)         A person who is subject to this subsection (g) shall be ineligible to receive any educator license in Illinois.

3)         If a person who is the subject to this subsection (g) already holds an Illinois license, the State Superintendent may initiate the suspension or revocation of that license as provided in Section 21B-75 of the School Code.

4)         For violations of subsection (g)(1) or (g)(2) occurring on or after March 1, 2017, a person subject to this subsection (g) may appeal those prohibitions to the State Superintendent in writing. The person will be required to submit supplemental documentation for review as set forth in Section 25.480 and shall be subject to the credibility hearing process in that Section. A review conducted for this purpose shall make conclusions whether the person shall be allowed to participate in future licensure testing in Illinois and whether the person shall be eligible to receive an educator license in Illinois.

h)         In the instances described in subsection (g), records of the individuals' test responses may be maintained by the testing contractor and by the State Board of Education for further investigation.  In all other cases when scores are cancelled or voided, examinees' answer documents, including electronic media, will be destroyed and will be irretrievable.

(Source:  Amended at 41 Ill. Reg. 8813, effective June 28, 2017)