Internal report refutes PSSA testing irregularities by Connellsville schools
CONNELLSVILLE — An internal investigation has concluded that allegations of erasing answers or cheating levied against certain Connellsville Area School District (CASD) students and staff, are unfounded, according to a report issued by the superintendent.
“The CASD was inaccurately singled out in a recent report that flagged state schools for irregularities in (state) standardized test scores,” said Dr. Tammy Stern, district superintendent.
In July, a report commissioned by the state Department of Education in 2009, flagged 35 school districts for purported irregularities in the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) test. The mandated state test is to measure writing, math, science and reading achievement of students in grades 3 through 8 and 11.
The report was completed by Data Recognition Corp. (DRC) of Minnesota. The firm was asked to study the 2008-09 exams using data forensics analysis to identify any patterns in erasures from wrong-to-right answers and the probability of student achievement change from one year to the next, according to Timothy Eller, PDE press secretary.
“The 2009 report was commissioned by the PDE, but sat on a shelf and did not come to light until (mid-July),” said Eller in an earlier interview.
An independent news service released the report. Afterwards, education Secretary Ron Tomalis ordered its review and a follow-up with the school districts.
In addition to Connellsville, other local school districts flagged in the DRC report included Uniontown Area, Belle Vernon and the Connellsville Area Career and Technical Center and PA Cyber.
The bulk of the listed school districts were in the Philadelphia area.
Stern, meanwhile, said that a copy of DRC supporting files was forwarded to her office so that an investigation could be undertaken.
Of the 23 flagged items, 22 were due to Pennsylvania Information Management System (PIMS) coding errors in the student demographic information that is tied to subgroups, said Stern.
“For example, (the report indicated that) we went from having 42 white students in third grade at South Side (Elementary School) to having only 4 white students the following year,” she said. “Grade 5 at South Side had zero American Indian/American Natives in 2008, but had 34 (listed in the subgroup) in 2009.”
Stern tied the errors to the district’s change in computerized student management system during the 2008-09 timeframe.
“The data in our student management system was uploaded to the PIMS without prior inspection,” she said.
The other data error, said Stern, was tied to test scores for two separate grade 4 groups at Bullskin Township Elementary School.
Stern concluded that the report compared a 2008 subgroup that had consistently scored below the district mean scaled score with a 2009 grade 4 cohort that had always scored above the district score.
Stern noted that the 2008 subgroup did achieve the district score in 2009.
“Although the grade levels were the same, similar performances of two different cohorts would not necessarily be likely,” she said. “It is very difficult to compare two different groups of students.
“If the report had shown a large increase in the 2009 performances of the 2008 cohort, one may have a valid reason to question such gains.”
Dr. P.J. Carte, district director and chairman of the personnel and review committee, said that Stern’s investigation conclusively supports what was known by the board and administration that the cheating allegations were false.
“An examination and careful analysis of the report clearly showed that the cited district schools did not have a problem with answers being erased,” said Carte. “Our students and teachers did not engage in any type of cheating.
“There were no testing irregularities.”
Carte said that new safeguards have been implemented to assure the test data is accurately transmitted.
The board, along with the administration, principals, and staff are working diligently to improve the curriculum in order to better educate the district students, said Carte.
“Through curriculum changes, the addition of new programs, the purchase of new resources, collaborative meetings and many other avenues, we are constantly working to help improve the education being offered to our students,” he said.