< p>ATLANTA (AP) — The federal government has no standards to protect the integrity of the achievement tests it requires in tens of thousands of public schools, and test security among the states is so inconsistent that Americans can't be sure those all-important test scores are legitimate.

That's according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution report (bit.ly/R2smn3). The newspaper surveyed 50 state education departments and reported many states do not use basic test security measures designed to prevent cheating.

The newspaper also found nearly half the states make almost no attempt to screen test results for irregularities.

The newspaper says that while the the No Child Left Behind Act made standardized tests the cornerstone of national education policy, it offered little direction on test security.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan told the newspaper that test security is the purview of state and local officials.