District statement: We never got 2009 report
by Paul Socolar on Jul 09 2011 Posted in Latest news
The School District issed the following statement on Saturday in response to the Notebook's storyon the 2009 state-sponsored study flagging dozens of schools for possible cheating on the PSSA test:
STATEMENT
Unfortunately the District did not receive a copy of the 2009 forensic analysis released by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Information from the erasure analysis would have been very useful in supporting the District’s investigations, although we agree with PDE’s spokesperson, Mr. Eller, that in its current format, it is not user-friendly. Given the resources PDE expended in 2009 to conduct the forensic analysis, as well as those used to conduct the 2011 analysis, it would be helpful if PDE had provided additional guidance on how to use the results of these important and useful analyses.
Below is description of the District’s very robust test monitoring protocol.
Approximately 75% of schools, including charters, are visited during PSSA testing. The visits are unannounced and the specific classroom visited at a school is randomly selected. Test monitors are provided a checklist that lays out “what to look for”, including inappropriate assistance to students while the test is being administered. All school Test Coordinators receive mandated training about six weeks before the test window and the training includes information on the type of assistance that is allowed and what is prohibited. Officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), staff from the Data Recognition Corporation