Integrated system for electronic tracking and control of documents

A method for a test processor to track and control a plurality of secure test documents for administration to a test-taker population of individual test-takers, the method comprising:

• receiving, using on-line communication, test-taker information for each of the individual test-takers to provide precode data, wherein the precode data includes information specific to each of the individual test-takers and information specific to groupings of test-takers within the test-taker population;
• providing secure document data for the plurality of secure test documents, including assigning a unique identifier to each of the secure test documents to be distributed to the test-taking centers and completed by the plurality of individual test-takers at the test-taking centers, wherein the secure test documents are uniquely-identified secure test documents;
• associating the precode data with the secure document data for the uniquely-identified test documents;
• distributing the uniquely-identified secure test documents from the test processor to test-taking centers for administration of the uniquely-identified secure test documents to the plurality of individual test-takers;
• receiving, at the test processor, the uniquely-identified secure test documents that have been administered to the test-taker population from the test-taking centers and returned to the test processor;
• accounting for the uniquely-identified secure test documents to determine whether the secure test documents distributed from the test processor are received at the test processor, including verifying the uniquely-identified secure test documents received at the test processor using the secure document data and the precode data to provide verification results accounting for the uniquely-identified secure test documents distributed to the test-taking centers;
• reporting the verification results for unaccounted secure test documents to an entity using the precode data for the unaccounted secure test documents, wherein the verification results include appropriate precode data to assist the entity with resolving discrepancies between the uniquely-identified secure test documents that were distributed to the test-taking centers and the uniquely-identified secure test documents returned to the test processor;
• processing the received plurality of test documents, at the test processor, to determine test results;
• and
• reporting the test results using at least some information in the precode data, wherein receiving the uniquely-identified secure test documents that have been administered to the test-taker population from the test-taking centers and returned to the test processor includes:
• receiving one or more boxes that contain the plurality of secure test documents;
• processing the one or more received boxes, wherein processing the one or more received boxes includes verifying that the one or more received boxes correspond to one or more shipped boxes sent from the test-taking center, including:
• receiving shipping data regarding the one or more shipped boxes sent from the test-taking center;
• updating a database with the shipping data;
• identifying a unique identifier for each of the one or more received boxes;
• validating the one or more received boxes against the shipping data in the database;
• and
• updating the database to indicate whether the one or more shipped boxes sent from the test-taking center have been received at the test processing center;
• and
• processing the plurality of secure test documents contained within the one or more received boxes, including:
• identifying a security data record and a precode data record on each of the plurality of secure test documents contained in the one or more received boxes;
• and
• creating one or more scanned images for each of the plurality of secure test documents such that the one or more scanned images are processed.