Re: Birmingham, AL: 2nd article on cheating

[Anne Nonniemouse <ShopMathEdu@AOL.COM>]

Dear Fiar Test e-mail list folks:
I thought this second article would be of interest to you.
This article quotes the Superintendent as saying that he did not know about
this.
The article sent to you earlier today quoted his subordinate who said that an
investigation had already taken place and that "nothing was out of the
ordinary."  Any investigation would have to  have been approved by the
Superintendent.
So......go figure.........
We had hoped that the school officials would not respond in this manner, and
that they would attempt to redeem themselves and stop this testing/pushout
madness once and for all.  But they have decided to entrench themselves in
their illogic and lies and this will prolong the fight so that the students
will not get the intense remediation classes which they need.
So goes the old adage, "When the elephants fight, only the grass gets
trampled."
Wish us luck.
Let us know what you think of these articles.

The following article comes from the city's second newspaper, Birmingham Post
Herald.  We have two major lie machines in this city.

=====================
Cheating charges to be examined
Brown says he had 'no idea' of accusations
By CINDY FISHER
BIRMINGHAM POST-HERALD
When scores for the Stanford Achievement Test were released last year, many
Birmingham schools celebrated huge improvements.
But allegations by Birmingham parents and teachers suggest some celebrations
may not be deserved.

At the start of Tuesday's Board of Education meeting, board member Virginia
Volker asked school officials to investigate allegations that some schools
suspended low-performing students in the spring before the Stanfords to post
higher scores and avoid state takeover. After the suspension, students are
being allowed to come back to school in the fall, she said.

Volker's efforts to get a letter she prepared on the issue onto the agenda
failed when two board members voted against it, abruptly ending the meeting.

But Volker, in an interview after the meeting, said she knows of 40 students
at one school and more than 100 students at another who were suspended from
school in the spring for reasons that included "lack of interest." Those
students were targeted because of poor attendance and low grades, she said.

Superintendent Johnny Brown said he has not heard the allegations. He said he
was surprised by the accusations.

"I have no idea where it came from or why," Brown said.

Brown put Mallory Coats, the area director of high schools, in charge of
checking into the claims. Volker asked Brown to report to the board in the
July 18 meeting.

Coats said he plans to investigate Volker's concerns today. Volker's
statement was "just an allegation," he said. "There's nothing to it."

Coats said he already had investigated similar allegations about Woodlawn
High School but "didn't find anything."

Volker said she learned students were told they could return in the fall, but
will receive no tutoring in between. Volker did not name the schools that she
heard had suspended students.

"I have talked to parents and to the students," Volker said. "We can't let
these students fall through the cracks."

Teachers have heard the allegations, said Mike Means, a marketing teacher at
Parker High School, who was interviewed at home after the meeting. He said
the allegation is that administrators are not only suspending students, but
are also telling the low-performing students to stay home on testing days.

Means said he is not aware of Parker High School resorting to that measure,
but he has heard that other Birmingham high schools have.

Means said a state education official told him that if a student is not
present during Stanford testing, the absence does not count against the
school's scores.

"I've heard it so much from schools," Means said. "Not everyone has to take
the test. It's just whoever shows up."

Volker initially was stopped from discussing her concerns about the
accusations in Tuesday's meeting after two of the four members present would
not approve the agenda that included her comments. Volker and Mary Moore
voted in favor of the agenda, but Annie Davis and Rev. Larry Coleman voted
against it. Rev. Darryl Lee was not present.

In past school board meetings, board president Coleman has ended meetings
before comments can be made, which some claim is done to avoid hearing
unfavorable comments.

The Birmingham Education Association has received at least one call from a
teacher who was concerned that not all her students were present to take the
Stanford test, said BEA representative Melissa Richardson.

"In Maryland, if students didn't go to school during testing, people went to
their houses and got them because it would not make the scores accurate,"
Richardson said.

If schools are suspending students prior to tests, it sets a poor example,
Means said.

"If it goes on, it's cheating," Means said. "That says to the student that
it's OK to do it."

When this year's Stanford scores are released on June 22, Means said it will
be hard to tell if the schools that made a huge increase in scores did it
fairly. He predicted many schools will jump to academic clear status with
improved scores.

Last year, 54 Birmingham schools made the academic clear list, based on
accountability standards set for schools using Stanford test scores. That was
13 more schools on the academic clear list than in 1998.

Three high schools, including Parker High, were listed as academic alert 2
last year and are in danger of state takeover if scores do not improve. In
1998, there were eight schools on alert 2.

It's not pleasant being on alert 2, Means said. A lot of pressure is put on
schools and administrators to improve scores, and it could be tempting to
cheat, he said.

But each time the staff would mention the rumor about cheating at other
schools, Parker High Principal Raymond Reddick would emphatically tell the
staff they will not cheat, Means said.

"If we get better scores, it's from gosh darn hard work," Means said.

Post-Herald reporter Sara Foss contributed to this story.

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