PASL Scoring Policies

ETS recognizes your right to control the information about you that is stored by ETS. Its policies are designed to safeguard your information from unauthorized disclosure. Your score report is intended only for you and for your designated score recipients. However, background information as noted in the registration system is reported to some states and institutions. To protect your right to control the distribution of your scores, reports will be released only at your specific written request and only to ETS-approved score recipients. Every recipient must be specified by you in the online registration system. ETS will not release your scores at the request of institutions or agencies except:

• For use in research studies that are approved by your state department of education and that preserve your anonymity.
• When information is required under compulsion of legal processes.
• When a state's central regents office or board of governors' requests copies of scores that have been reported to its member institutions.
• When test takers have been informed at test registration that their scores will automatically be released to the state and the test taker’s attending institution.
• When a branch institution requests scores previously sent to its main office or vice versa.

Official score reports for properly designated recipients are sent directly from ETS to ensure the authenticity of the reports. Note that whenever ETS has confirmed that you have submitted an ETS^® Performance Assessment score report directly to an educational institution, agency, or district in satisfaction of one of its requirements, ETS will respond to requests for score verification from that recipient.

Cancellation of scores by ETS

ETS strives to report scores that accurately reflect the performance of every test taker. Accordingly, ETS's standards and procedures for administering tests have two primary goals: 1.) giving test takers equivalent opportunities to demonstrate their abilities, and 2.) preventing any test takers from gaining an unfair advantage over others. To promote these objectives, ETS reserves the right to cancel any score when, in its judgment:

• there is an apparent discrepancy in a test-taker's identification
• the test taker attempts to use the work or ideas of others (including the use of AI tools/software) as their own
• the score is invalid for another reason

Reviews of scores by ETS are confidential. When, for any of the above reasons, ETS cancels a score that has already been reported, it notifies score recipients that the score has been cancelled but does not disclose the reason for cancellation except when authorized to do so by the test taker and in certain group cases.

Test takers whose scores are cancelled will forfeit their registration fees and must pay to take the assessment again at a future administration. No record of score cancellations, or the reason for cancellation, will appear on their future score reports sent to colleges and universities.

Identification discrepancies

When, in the judgment of ETS, there is a discrepancy in a test taker's identification, ETS may decline to score the assessment or may cancel the score and the fee will be forfeited. If scores are cancelled by ETS, the fees will NOT be refunded.

Plagiarism

ETS reserves the right to cancel the scores of test takers at any time when, in its judgment, there is evidence that the submitted response includes:

• text substantially similar to that found in other performance assessment responses and/or training materials, such as, but not limited to, the Library of Examples
• quoting or paraphrasing, without attribution, language that appears in any published or unpublished sources, including sources from the internet and/or sources provided by any third party
• text that is generated by AI tools/software

Such responses do not reflect the independent writing that the assessment seeks to measure.

Essay similarity detection

Each task response in the assessment, whether submitted during the original submission window or during the resubmission window, must be entirely the test taker's work. While we encourage getting support from your educator preparation program (EPP), supervising instructor and cooperating teacher/mentor, each task must be distinctly and solely the test taker's own work. Software is utilized to scan all responses for overlap with previous submissions, with other test takers submissions, and with the Library of Examples, and to identify writing produced by AI. Paragraphs, or even sections of paragraphs, that are substantially similar will be construed as overlap. If such overlap is detected or if suspected use of AI is detected, an investigation by the ETS Office of Testing Integrity (OTI) may be initiated and scores could be voided. If a task response is identified with substantial overlap and is the subject of a review, the following steps will occur:

• Candidates' overall assessment scores will be placed on hold and candidates will be informed before scores are released. Candidates will not know if they passed or failed the assessment.
• The appropriate state agency and/or institution requiring the assessment will be informed of the investigation.
• ETS's OTI will inform candidates that their response is under review and candidates will be provided the opportunity to submit additional materials to ETS's OTI to support their case. The materials must be received by the deadline specified in the communication from OTI. Candidates will have the ability to request that ETS supply the portions of the responses that are in question.
• All materials will be independently reviewed, and an assessment of the case will be provided to ETS's OTI.
• Candidates will receive a letter from ETS's OTI notifying them of the decision after the review has been completed.
• If it is concluded that candidates' scores should be released, the hold on scores will be removed and candidates will be able to view their score report online.
• If it is concluded that there is substantial evidence to support cancellation of candidates' scores, the scores will be voided and all materials from the investigation may be forwarded to the appropriate state agency and/or institution for review and/or action.
• The appropriate state agency and/or institution requiring the assessment will be informed of the cancellation of scores.

Misuse of score report

PASL assessment scores are intended for use in awarding a teacher certification or for program completion. Other use of this assessment and the scores reported is inappropriate. While not inclusive of all possible examples of misuse, one specific example of misuse is:

• Employment Selection or Hiring. ETS believes it is inappropriate for a state, district, school, or other local education agency to differentiate among test takers who have met or exceeded the passing score on the PASL assessment or related assessment for purposes of making a selection or hiring decision. The PASL assessment was designed for use in awarding the teacher candidate a professional certificate. It is not intended for use in rank-ordering candidates or for making decisions that presume a predictive relationship between performance on the PASL assessment and performance on the job.