The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
The attorney for embattled Lafayette-Winona Middle School Principal Cassandra Goodwyn said on Friday he's been denied access to evidence.
The lawyer, Reid Ervin, said he was given a copy Thursday of a 73-page inquiry that reviewed whether there were testing problems at the middle school last year. However, copies of three booklets containing about 1,000 pages of evidence investigators used to compile the report were not included. The booklets contain e-mails, student records and transcripts of interviews.
Conducted by a three-person panel including an assistant city attorney, a division administrator and an Old Dominion University scholar, the inquiry maintained that Goodwyn coerced teachers into fabricating work for students in order to win state accreditation, and lied to administrators in an effort to get a teacher fired who reported testing problems to the state.
School leaders have refused to release a copy of the report to The Virginian-Pilot, saying that it contains confidential personnel information. A source close to the School Board allowed the newspaper to see the report earlier this week.
Ervin said Superintendent Stephen C. Jones told him on Wednesday that he would get the booklets. Ervin received an e-mail late Friday saying the city attorney's office had instructed school officials not to release them.
"We were told that it's because the city attorney's office doesn't want to violate the confidentiality of students," Ervin said. "That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard."
Ervin said Goodwyn already knows all the teachers and students. City Attorney Bernard Pishko said this an extraordinary situation.
"Usually, you do not have an investigation where there is a link between disciplinary action and student records," he said. "Usually, it's a conflict with one individual."
Pishko said state law is clear on protecting the privacy of students and others named in the booklets.
"If he thinks we're lame for protecting individuals, then so be it."
Ervin said Goodwyn doesn't know what evidence was used to compile the report. "All she knows is what was in the report in which the evidence is paraphrased," he said. "If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit, and in this case, we don't even have access to the glove.
"They know... they're going to have to give it to us. Her career is at stake."
Ervin said the School Board has asked Goodwyn and others to respond to allegations in the report. No disciplinary hearings have been scheduled, he said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Paul Fraim said he received a request from City Councilman W. Randy Wright to schedule a meeting with the School Board. Fraim said he agrees the council, which appoints the School Board, needs to hear from the board.
"I think we need to give the School Board some time to digest the report," he said. "But the meeting will occur in the near term."
Pilot writer Steven Vegh contributed to this report.
Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com
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sorry, too bad a 100% pass rate of an average grade of 60 is just too much work for teachers, how sad
any given student does not have to pass the SOLs with a grade of 100, the standard is only asking for 100% of students to pass with at least a grade of 60.... is that really asking too much?
Do the people...
who are screaming about getting rid of the SOLs realize that this case isn't even ABOUT the SOLs? The situation occured during collection of work samples for the VGLA, the special-education alternative to the SOL. The SOLs are multiple choice tests, the VGLA requires students and teachers to compile work samples from the entire school year to demonstrate mastery of the grade level objectives. I just feel like people should know what they are talking about before they summarily dismiss an entire school, or district, or even assessment system.
Which came first?
No SOL's...No VGLA.
It's the same concept...
The VGLA is an alternative to the SOL's for students who have disablilities or limited English proficency. The VGLA still tests the students on VA SOL's but does it individually. The bottom line is, the Standards of Learning are still the underlying reason for the VGLA. You have to ask yourself, what would motivate any teacher to assist a student on the SOL or VGLA? Why would they risk their careers to do this, because they're career is already in jeopardy by administrators. So, its lose your job because all the students don't pass or lose your job trying to get a pass rate so you don't get fired. Sounds like a catch 21. Teachers are obviously doing their job if all schools in the district are accredited. Teachers aren't judged by their successes, they are judged by their failures. It's not.."Hey, great job on an 89% pass rate." It's "Why didn't those 11% pass?" Getting "100%" in anything in life is unrealistic. How many of you get 100% from your employees 100% of the time?
Here We Go!!
He said, that she said, that the principal meant to say, that the lawyer says they were denied evidence but a school board member ended up in allowing the Pilot to see the report....
Wow...what a 3 ring circus!
Ought to sell tickets to this fiasco!
I like the term "lamest excuse"...now that was funny coming from a lawyer!
Sure! Keep blaming it all on the SOLs,
... in which students in 98 percent, or 1,826, of the commonwealth's 1,867 schools met or exceeded state objectives on Standards of Learning (SOL) tests and other statewide assessments in the four core academic areas, and that in 117 of the commonwealth's 132 school divisions, all schools were fully accredited in 2008-2009.
The SOLs must be too tough to administer and pass if ONLY 98% of the schools could pass them with NOWHERE NEAR the problems that occurred in NPS.
Sure. Get rid of the SOLs and the statewide standards of comparison and watch the teachers wipe their brows and sigh a collective "WHEW!" Now they can teach whatever they want, however they want, whenever they want. No acountability! Yippee! Happy days are here again!
Then NPS will once again magically morph into an award winning school system. Banners hanging on every school!
Yep. It's all the fault of those danged SOLs ... not the accountable individuals.
Did you have to take SOL's to graduate?
For most subject area SOL's, there are only 50 questions that test material from the whole year. Most teacher's tests are more than 50 questions and semester exam are "at least" 100 questions plus a written part. The SOL's don't measure how much a student has learned through out the year. If they did, why not let the students test out of a class at the beginning of the year? Give them the SOL's at the beginning of school, if they pass it, let them move on..what would be the point in taking the class. They were implemented just to hold something else over the student's head in order to graduate. At the high school level, students need to pass a certain number of SOL's to graduate, so they are held accountable. At the lower grade levels, students aren't held back if they don't pass the SOLs. If a 3rd grader doesn't pass the Math SOL, it doesn't keep them from going on to 4th grade. It's "suggested" they go to summer school, but that's it. The SOL's were implemented to make every teacher teach the same thing the same way on the same day. Con't..
SOL's waste of time and money
Did YOU have to take the SOL's when you were in school? The SOL's at the most have been around for about 12-13 years. I graduated from a local high school in the 80s without having to take them. I know what the SOL's are like..they DON'T test specific knowledge that teachers teach. They are very general and broad. In some instances, the questions have nothing to do with the subject, BUT if you know how to take a test, you can figure out the answer. SOL's are being used by administrator as a measuring tool for teachers. They don't take into account the number of SpEd, 504, IEP and IDGC (I Don't Giva Crap) students that an individual teacher has. All the administrators want are the "numbers in black and white." When pricipals and teachers are told that they expect a certain number of students are to pass in order to keep your job, it looks like they will do what it takes. I expect this comment will get many thumbs down, but I know what goes on. Try talking to teachers that are under the SOL gun, you'll hear similar stories.
Two Words:
Grand Jury.
§ 19.2-191. Functions of a grand jury.
The functions of a grand jury are twofold:
(1) To consider bills of indictment prepared by the attorney for the Commonwealth and to determine whether as to each such bill there is sufficient probable cause to return such indictment "a true bill."
(2) To investigate and report on any condition that involves or tends to promote criminal activity, either in the community or by any governmental authority, agency or official thereof. These functions may be exercised by either a special grand jury or a regular grand jury as hereinafter provided
Ridiculous..
The job of a teacher is to teach. Many teachers put their heart and soul into their lessons. They use their own money to buy materials needed to teach. I won't even get into the amount of time "outside" of school they put in. Bottom line is, teachers teach...it's the student's responsibility to learn. Many kids don't want to have to study, they don't care if they pass or fail, but yet a teacher is held responsible when those students fail the SOL. Forget "critical thinking", many kids don't want to have to use their brain. They want open-book tests, they want to be able to use their notes..why, because they don't want to study and there's no way to make them. So they come in, fail and then the administrator's blame the teachers. Teachers literally have to make every lesson a song and dance routine just to keep the student's attention. Administrators preach "rigor and relevance", but when teachers deliver it to the students, they just put their heads down or tune out the teacher. Get rid of the SOL's and let teachers teach the material, not how to take a test. Just like the students, this will fall on deaf ears.