The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
Superintendent Stephen C. Jones on Wednesday announced plans to further examine testing problems at Lafayette-Winona Middle School and check for similar issues in other schools.
After his announcement at a School Board meeting, members expressed frustration at communication lapses and promised to find answers.
"Our heads, as a board, are not in the sand, and we are not apathetic," Kirk Houston Sr. said. " We are working with the superintendent and the entire team to get to the bottom of the issue with regard to the testing irregularities."
A week ago, reports on PilotOnline.com revealed a Virginia Department of Education investigation showing problems with state assessments at Lafayette-Winona. The findings ranged from at least two dozen special education students who weren't tested to assessments with identical answers, including misspellings.
The inquiry was triggered by a teacher's complaint in June that Principal Cassandra D. Goodwyn pressured instructors to inappropriately direct special education students to an alternative assessment that they were more likely to pass than the Standards of Learning exams.
Goodwyn denied the allegation, and state investigators published no conclusion on that allegation.
Although the investigation was conducted in September and the findings published on Oct. 14, board members officially heard from school officials about testing irregularities in a Nov. 9 e-mail about media inquiries. Most board members received copies of the state's report last week. The school division submitted a required corrective action plan to the state on Dec. 4.
As recently as Thursday, school officials said they would complete an investigation into the personnel involved but didn't plan to examine whether the testing problems were widespread.
In the past few days, though, Jones has worked with School Board Chairman Stephen W. Tonelson to devise the course of action described Wednesday.
A three-person panel will review the investigation and examine actions by school division employees. Jones said he hoped the panel's inquiry into Lafayette-Winona would be finished by the end of January.
The panel also will audit random samples of last year's assessments, and the school division has requested that a Washington-based company review relevant procedures.
Leigh Butler, director of teacher education services at Old Dominion University, will head the panel. Other members include Assistant City Attorney Derek Mungo and Dennis Moore of the school division's department of pupil personnel services. Karren Bailey, who heads the division's department in charge of testing and other research, will serve as a liaison between the panel and the division.
"My integrity, as well as that of the school system, has been questioned," Jones said. He added that the school division must assure the public that its educators were following testing rules.
Jones said Wednesday that the state regularly audits a random sampling of about 10 percent of the division's Virginia Grade Level Alternative assessments. Last year, about 466 such assessments were compiled, and the score on one out of the 46 assessments reviewed was changed from passing to failing as a result of the audit, he said.
One parent told board members Wednesday that she believed testing problems extended to other Norfolk schools and that the city's children deserved better.
"They should be getting the best," Victoria Makhlouf said. "They should be getting integrity."
Amy Jeter, (757) 446-2730, amy.jeter@pilotonline.com
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Panel
Dr. Leigh Butler is an outstanding educator. She will do a fine job as the leader of this panel.
It's about the students(continue)
Our students are frustrated because the teachers are frustrated. I hope the first thing Governor-Elect McDonnell will begin to implent Charter Schools in this area. This is a good time now to start implenting something to take the place a school system that is literally not looking out for every student. Maybe selecting kids who are bright and academic but may experiencing challenges in the classrooms but would work better in a classroom smaller than in your normal school but is not caught between having excessive behavioral problems but work with them who are not at-risk kids, nor special ed kids. Some kids in special ed do not need to be in special ed but because there are no other alternatives this is what is selected for that student. Remember students also pick up learned behavior. If you are around negative behavior you will pick up negative behavior. Sometimes the students are teased, bullied and also may have expeirenced some stressful events and there is nothing in place to help that youth. Students can also be embarassed by teachers in front of their peers. Teachers and Administrators want respect. First of all, these teachers should be placed in administrative l
It's not being questioned, it's proven to be lacking
"My integrity, as well as that of the school system, has been questioned," Jones said. "
Dr. Jones, it's not that you are being questioned about your integrity, it's proven over the course of the last few years that you and your administration do not possess that which is needed to run Norfolk's schools. That environment is dangerously starting to filter into the staff and teachers at the schools themselves.
Keep up the pr spin. The can of worms you tried to suppress is now being opened to the sunlight.
School board members, claiming ignorance of the issue will get you only so far. The superintendent is gone. Time so save what is left of your integrity. Glad to see you are doing an independent investigation with outside help. It's also time for an ELECTED school board.
GOODBYE CHEATERS!
what do you mean?
'the superintendent is gone'.....
he is? You know something the rest of us don't? Otherwise, I agree completely with your post. I heard rumbles years ago when Jones was made super of Norfolk schools. Some teachers then were skeptical. Not all - some....others have done a fine job keeping issues quiet.
HIs
'the superintendent is gone'...
Why keep someone with no credibility?
special ed...
"Principal Cassandra D. Goodwyn pressured instructors to inappropriately direct special education students to an alternative assessment that they were more likely to pass than the Standards of Learning exams."
If these kids are EMR, TMR or profoundly disabled the solution is easy - and it's absolutely RIDICULOUS for the SOL to be given to these types of children. EXEMPT THEM IN THEIR IEP. When they leave school they'll get a certificate of attendance rather than a diploma. Big deal. What kind of rocket science jobs are they going to get? And don't attack me - I went through this with my son. I know what I'm talking about.
Need to talk with TEACHERS
They need to talk with teachers and not school administrators. The teachers get pressured by administrators to do bad things, then the administrators deny it and the teachers get punished for it.
I Totally Agree
The school board hires the superintendent, who hires the principals and the principals hire the teachers. The principals tell the teachers what to do so they could look good, even lie. When the scores go up, the whole district looks good. However, when the lid is blown off by a teacher who has a conscience, suddenly the principal has amnesia and fails to remember that they told the teacher to do to fudge the answers. If the superintendent wants to keep his job, he needs to get rid of these incompetent principals who continually fail to educate our children or do they have something on you like the teacher had on the principal? School board, you need to take action against the superintendent if he can't do his job. How long will the children continue to suffer at the hands of these so called educators?
Accurate Assessment
A very accurate assessment of what goes on in Norfolk Public Schools. The administration with it's grandiose super school district ideas, refuses to acknowledge the problems within the district and instead pushes teachers to do the impossible. Then penalizes the teachers when they cannot do it.
My last year as a teacher in NPS I and other teachers were penalized at year end review because our students scored less than 70% on district wide testing. The entire district scores less than 70%, it was documented and I pointed that out but to no avail. I was told that 'we don't judge ourselves by the rest of the district'. When I complained to the administration I was told that the principals have full autonomy. That is a system designed and almost asking teachers to do whatever needs to be done to raise test scores, including cheating.
Alternate testing
A. Another fine example of your tax dollars hard at work, (i.e. testing audits, VDOE investigations, scoring of alternate assessments, etc.)
B. "This may be happening at other Norfolk schools" - let's expand that to VB also.