13 schools bear further investigation for cheating; 325 teachers recalled
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia School District by the Philadelphia Inquirer's Kristen Graham.
13 schools bear further investigation for cheating; 325 teachers recalled
Kristen Graham
4:10 p.m.
Officials from the Philadelphia School District's accountability office said today that they had "many concerns" about the data analysis used by the state to flag 28 district schools for possible 2009 PSSA cheating. Still, they said, the district will cooperate with the state and hopes for more complete information. Among the data it wants before coming to any conclusions are forensic analyses of the 2010 and 2011 PSSAs.
Of the 28 schools the district was directed to analyze, 13 schools bear further investigation because they have big jumps in test scores and flags for erasures on exams. The district declined to name the schools, and said it hopes the state helps conduct those investigations when the time comes. The rest of the schools do not merit further investigation, officials said.
Fran Newburg, the district's Deputy Chief of Accountability and Educational Technology, said the district "takes very seriously these allegations" but stressed that most principals and teachers are honest and do good work. Newburg encouraged any staffer with information about cheating to come forward to the district or the state with specifics. In many cases, "I think what we have is very vague allegations against schools," said Daniel Piotrowski, Executive Director of Accountability and Assessment.
Newburg also said that even if the 13 schools are taken out of the picture, the district would still have nine straight years of test score gains.
In other news, the district recently said that it is recalling 325 teachers who were laid off in June. It has 1,335 teaching positions to fill for the upcoming school year. "Over the next couple of weeks, additional teachers may be invited to return to positions in the school district," spokeswoman Elizabeth Childs said in a release. "This process follows the collective bargaining agreement providing teachers with the most seniority within a subject area priority in the re-hiring."
EARLIER:
The Philadelphia School District has called a 2 p.m. press conference to discuss its response to a state report that flagged 28 schools for possible irregularities on the 2009 PSSAs. The district was given 30 days to investigate and respond to the report.
Presenting will be Francis Newburg, Deputy Chief of Accountability and Educational Technology, Daniel Piotrowski, Executive Director of Accountability and Assessment, and Leroy Nunery, the district’s deputy superintendent. Superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman is not scheduled to attend. I’ll bring you more as it happens. Follow me on Twitter @newskag, or check back here for my live Tweets.
- I would hate to be in your shoes. You're grabbing for straws at the edge of a cliff, and the straws are getting thinner by the day.
— DonQ - For bad school districts such as Philly, a Superintendent should get no more than a two year contract with annual options to extend based on "real" performance. Surely there are qualified people to fill the role of Superintendent of PSD.— BobSG
- These two people in the picture are the dumbest people working for the school.
I saw them on TV say oh there no problem a month ago now a different story. Pleeesee
— poogie - Well I would hope that if cheating cannot be proven that the children and teachers who worked hard get the credit they deserve plus an apology from these people.— balove1977
- I think they should fire every other administrator just for spite.— BobSG
- Are you naturally ignorant or do you have to practice? — mindstorms
Comment removed.- After reading scores of articles re Dr Ackerman I ran into this one today:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/dc/schools/acker082498.htm
which reveals - among other things - that Dr Ackerman's second husband is a White Jewish man. The article's from the Washington Post, 1998 so far I can't tell if she's still with the guy?— He Visto Todo - And this is important because? — mindstorms
- Comment removed.
- @MikeP: Some of the score leaps are not only improbable, they are impossible. Roosevelt is just such one. How do we know for certain? While the students went from 20-something percentiles in reading and math to almost 80 percentiles, they did NOT improve their grade levels over that same time. The Atlanta cheating scandal has exactly the same pattern. Students who were referred for special ed services, failing every core subject, still managed to be proficient on the state tests. Honest teachers were deeply confused to see "proficient" students unable to read, write or do basic math in their classes. That's how cheating works Mike. Another piece of proof will be the evidence of large score drops next year when test security improves. It's already happened in D.C., another city that drank the Kool-aid. All this "reform" and that district shows near stagnant scores 3 years into the process. (HTML deleted)— nikki1231
- @MikeP: Some of the score leaps are not only improbable, they are impossible. Roosevelt is just such one. How do we know for certain? While the students went from 20-something percentiles in reading and math to almost 80 percentiles, they did NOT improve their grade levels over that same time.
The Atlanta cheating scandal has exactly the same pattern. Students who were referred for special ed services, failing every core subject, still managed to be proficient on the state tests. Honest teachers were deeply confused to see "proficient" students unable to read, write or do basic math in their classes.
That's how cheating works Mike. Another piece of proof will be the evidence of large score drops next year when test security improves. It's already happened in D.C., another city that drank the Kool-aid. All this "reform" and that district shows near stagnant scores 3 years into the process.— nikki1231 - Hahahahahahaha!!! Cheating??? Nah! Can't be. Everybody who works in the SDP knows who cheats!! Some dumb schools suddenly raises its' score 60% ?? More fraud, just like the Queen and her lousy, lying minions. Don't worry. They'll be up there dancing and celebrating with the cheaters and their empty examples of success at the convocation this week.— cgraham
- Comment removed.
- Well, best thing they can do is play dumb. Gee, it's just too difficult to track down people in the system who enabled this or the students who conspired, even innocently or as pawns, in this scandal. I'd like to hear the questions asked to SDP personnel by these "Accountability Folks" rather than take their word for it. In an environment of lying, punishment for those who are honest, and brutality and firing visited upon others, it's hard to see these people as unbiased. Their jobs are on the line now, so being as vague as they can, the issue remains clouded. They need a "Whistle blower" to come forward? The bigwigs in the system are undoubtedly threatening and/or intimidating any possible witness to these PSSA alterations. The State has to come in and run roughshod over these Accountability enablers under SDP control and take the investigation away from them. The fox in the henhouse style of management just won't work here...They stressed that "most teachers and principals are honest". I agree..But what about the percentage who are not or are acting on dictates from the upper echelon? "I vas only following orders"..remember the Nuremberg trials?— oblekr
During the school year, you’ll frequently find her hosting live chats about the district on Philly.com. Please do pass along the scoop about what’s going on at your Philadelphia public school; Kristen welcomes tips, story ideas and witty banter at kgraham@phillynews.com or 215-854-5146.
You can also follow Kristen on Twitter here.
