Review: "Widespread problems" in Norfolk schools

NORFOLK

Teachers fear that if they report cheating or other testing irregularities to school administrators, they will be punished.

The city's schools have also failed to consistently train teachers how to properly administer standardized exams, creating testing practices that vary throughout the division.

Those were among findings in a state review of testing practices in Norfolk public schools released on Friday.

"We did find some examples where procedures appeared to be adequate, but we also found widespread problems with some common themes," state Education Department spokesman Charles Pyle said. He said the state had never before had to do a divisionwide review of how Standards of Learning tests were given.

The state review came as part of technical assistance offered by state Superintendent Patricia Wright in January after revelations about testing violations in several Norfolk schools.

Among the state's recommendations was that Norfolk review all testing irregularities that were resolved in-house within the last three years to uncover any student records needing to be corrected. Dreamkeepers Academy, where 16 students were kept out of some SOL tests last year, was given as an example in the report.

Norfolk School Board Chairman Stephen Tonelson asked the state in February to review testing across the division.

"I think it's a major concern," Tonelson said after getting the report. "We need to know what we were not doing well. We are aware now of the things we need to change and how we can change them to minimize the likelihood that this would ever happen again."

The state's team visited Norfolk and interviewed at least 32 school employees from six schools - three elementary, two middle and one high school. The employees included some with testing responsibilities. The division's top testing administrators, Karren Bailey and Anh Thy Nguyen, were also interviewed.

One of the report's observations was a general fear among Norfolk school staff that they'd be retaliated against if they reported testing problems to their principal or testing coordinator. Some staff said they had been admonished about their professionalism and integrity after reporting concerns to Norfolk administrators. Some said they realized they could contact the state to report testing irregularities only after reading their local newspaper's accounts of the testing scandal.

The state team also learned that staff at one school "in advance of their interview, were provided with a set of potential questions that VDOE may ask. Appropriate responses to the potential questions were included as well." VDOE refers to the Virginia Department of Education.

Christine Harris, Norfolk's chief academic officer, said the division has already adopted new rules and guidelines, including mandatory training on administering tests, that could end the problems identified by the state.

She said the training included helping administrators "create a culture where people are comfortable reporting problems."

Harris acknowledged the division recently installed a phone line on which employees can report testing problems confidentially. "We wouldn't have a need for a phone line if 100 percent of our teachers felt comfortable."

Tonelson said the board is "very clear" that a fearful climate is not appropriate for Norfolk schools and will be changed.

The state's team also found that in some schools, testing coordinators responsible for preparing staff for administering SOL tests were ignored by principals. "In all schools, the support or lack of support for the work conducted by (school testing coordinators) originated from the building principal," the reported stated.

Training also varied widely, ranging from thorough presentations for staff on upcoming SOLs to other coordinators who merely distributed the "SOL Examiner's Manual" and told staff to read it before the testing.

While some testing coordinators attended monthly meetings held by Nguyen, who is a senior assessment coordinator, others arrived late, left early or missed the entire session.

The state found that neither Nguyen nor Bailey, the division's top testing officials, has any authority over the coordinators.

"There appears to be no mechanism in place within the division to require cooperation from the principals in ensuring that test procedures are followed within their schools," the report said.

There was also no consistency in how schools dealt with make up tests for students absent on the day of testing. Some offered one or two make up days; others made repeated tries to test those students within the testing period.

The report noted that Norfolk told the state in June about missing test answer sheets at Dreamkeepers Academy - but didn't tell the state until eight months later that the Dreamkeepers incident involved serious irregularities.

The report said the division's leaders must persuade school staff to follow the state's protocol for reporting any alleged testing irregularities.

"Open communication and requests for guidance and input from VDOE, particularly when dealing with egregious, impactful testing irregularities, should be viewed as an opportunity for the school division, rather than an obligation," the report said.

Tonelson and Harris said the division has begun changing its attitude toward testing. Administrators and teachers got refresher training in group "stand-down" sessions, testing training has become mandatory where it formerly was voluntary, and a tally of irregularities will be reported to the board annually.

In responding to the report, the division also committed to more than a dozen actions, such as

expanding online SOL testing, making testing a regular agenda topic at administrator meetings, and sending an annual message to parents and schools about testing expectations and responsibilities.

Pyle said the Education Department will examine those actions and continue to work with Norfolk on testing practices.

Steven G. Vegh, (757) 446-2417, steven.vegh@pilotonline.com