What's going on with the science scores in Rhode Island?

New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island all use the same standardized test for their NCLB reporting, the NECAP*. In the reporting on this past spring's results, it appears that something odd is going on with the science scores in Rhode Island:

Tim Ryan, executive director of the Rhode Island Association of Superintendents, said Monday that in some districts, the science scores changed so much it led educators to believe that a mistake in scoring had occurred.

“In certain areas, 50 percent of the students (tested) didn’t get a single question right,” Ryan said.  ”There were drops (in test scores) in a number of districts.”

Half of the kids getting not a single answer right? Yup, somebody messed up, and no, it wasn't the kids.
Rhode Island is postponing release of the scores until they can figure out something of what happened beyond the obvious, which is that a whole bunch of kids spent a whole bunch of time on a test that cost a whole lot of money and shows nothing of what they learned.

*Yes, it is pronounced "kneecap."Insert your own joke here.