MPS looks into claims staff helped on tests

Palmer Elementary School's principal and two teachers won't be at their jobs Monday, as Milwaukee Public Schools officials investigate allegations that staff at the school gave students answers to standardized tests.

An anonymous tipster claimed that staff gave students answers to questions on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination and TerraNova test, both taken in November. The tipster also said staff photocopied test booklets and allowed students to practice the tests at school and at home.

On Friday, MPS officials questioned the principal and staff at the school, located at 1900 N. 1st St., in the Brewers Hill neighborhood.

Later, at a hastily scheduled Friday evening news conference, Superintendent William Andrekopoulos said that substitutes would be filling in for the two teachers and principal Deborah Bent on Monday.

He declined to name the teachers, or comment on possible discipline, stressing that the investigation is still ongoing.

Although MPS administrators would not speculate on possible motives, the allegations come at a time when pressure is building on schools to perform well on standardized tests - both in Milwaukee and nationwide. President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires schools to show measurable improvement on test scores or face an escalating list of sanctions.

For the past two years, for instance, families have been able to request transfers from schools on a list of those "identified for improvement" because of low test scores.

"The students were the ones that were cheated" if all the allegations turn out to be true, Andrekopoulos said Friday. He added that MPS officials are in the process of contacting parents at Palmer.

He said evidence suggests the students would not have been at fault for the cheating.

Based on the allegations, it appears Palmer staff "had students memorize the sequence of answers" on a multiple-choice section, Andrekopoulos added.

Monthlong investigation
The tip came into the state's Department of Public Instruction about a month ago. MPS officials have been investigating - with the assistance of state officials - since then, said Deborah Lindsey, the director of research and assessment for the district. They questioned staff at the school for the first time Friday.

Andrekopoulos said Bent's reaction to the allegations was "one of surprise." Bent did not return calls to her home seeking comment Friday evening.

The Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination is a statewide test given to fourth-, eighth- and 10th-graders. The TerraNova is a test used by MPS. Both are designed by the publishing company CTB/McGraw-Hill.

After the tip, MPS officials asked CTB/McGraw-Hill to compare Palmer's November testing results with those of previous years. Although officials would not say Friday exactly how much the school's scores had improved, they said the change was eye-catching to analysts at CTB/McGraw-Hill - and possibly invalid.

The allegations involved students in the third, fourth and fifth grades, said Andrekopoulos. Lindsey added that two classes at each grade level were alleged to be involved.

Critics of the No Child Left Behind Act have warned that schools may feel pressure to cheat to avoid being classified as failing under the law.

In the last couple of years, several schools nationwide have had cheating scandals involving teachers.

Massachusetts is investigating whether cheating is the reason for Chandler Elementary Community School's sharply improved performance on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test.

In Tacoma, Wash., standardized test results for 13 children at Geiger Elementary School were tossed out in December because of concerns that teachers gave the special education students too much assistance on the test. In that case, officials said it appeared the infractions were inadvertent.

Caldwell Elementary School in Memphis, Tenn., was dogged by accusations last spring that its leaders excluded some students to improve results on state achievement tests - something the former principal has denied.

Low scores at Palmer
Palmer has suffered from low test scores. In 2000, only 23% of third-graders at the school were in the top two brackets on a standardized reading test and 32% drew the lowest ranking of "minimal." By comparison, 4% of students statewide were rated "minimal" that year.

Palmer's principal has been in the news before. In May 2002, Bent was cited as a principal who received low rankings from her teaching staff. In 1995, she was featured in an article about a large increase in reading scores at Granville Elementary School, where she was principal at the time. The scores had gone up 33.1 percentage points from the previous year, according to the article.

"You just never know," Bent told a reporter at the time. "Basically, we're just doing our job, working hard to make a difference in the lives of our children."

Nahal Toosi and Jamaal Abdul-Alim of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

"On Friday, MPS officials questioned the principal and staff at the school, located at 1900 N. 1st St., in the Brewers Hill neighborhood."

Y'know one would have to be familiar with the metro-Milwaukee landscape to know what that address means; &, since *most* people don't have a clue?
The critical & salient facts behind the motive(s) are conspicuously omitted -- again -- from the story.

Do the morons who're writing for the rag Milwaukee Urinal -- listed at the bottom of this joke -- realize the tactics they employ when writing these kinds stories are every bit as bad as crap these "teachers" pulled when they "helped" these kids to cheat!?

Both are rip-offs.

...& both are rip-off *artists*.

While recent development trends in the Riverwest & Riverwalk areas tend to paint a pretty facade on a small portion of the area, the Brewers Hill neighborhood remains one of the most statistically poor neighborhoods in Milwaukee's inner city. Save for the last few years, the percentage of persons in this neighborhood living below the federal poverty line has steadily increased (at double digit levels) since the late sixties. The declining number of employed residents living in the Brewers Hill neighborhood likewise has steadily increased. Population trends since the 1970s have reflected essentially a demographic “hollowing-out” of Brewers Hill, with population reductions of of over 50% since the seventies.

Yet Brewers Hill residents continue to be some of the most staunchly vocal opponents to commercial and residential development in the area. Common Council meetings routinely become SRO when the subject of Riverwest redevelopment proposals hits the docket.

Nevertheless, you are quite correct in pointing out the PC sleight of hand employed by the authors of this article. Bottom line, one of the poorest performing schools in the MPS system is using its own students to the detriment of them in an underhanded attempt to save the faculty's own bacon.

One wonders how many schools in the MPS regime are doing the same thing . . .

From the article.....

Palmer Elementary School's principal and two teachers won't be at their jobs Monday, as Milwaukee Public Schools officials investigate allegations that staff at the school gave students answers to standardized tests.

...

"The students were the ones that were cheated" if all the allegations turn out to be true, Andrekopoulos said Friday. He added that MPS officials are in the process of contacting parents at Palmer.

He said evidence suggests the students would not have been at fault for the cheating.

Based on the allegations, it appears Palmer staff "had students memorize the sequence of answers" on a multiple-choice section, Andrekopoulos added.

.....

The allegations involved students in the third, fourth and fifth grades, said Andrekopoulos. Lindsey added that two classes at each grade level were alleged to be involved.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

My comments:

Thanks for posting this - I missed it. The Superintendent is all over the board trying to defend the teachers (by blaming the kids) and then saying the kids don't deserve any blame.

But the facts suggest that the whole school was in on it. The culture of cheating, scamming, crime etc. is bred into Brewers Hill probably from birth. Disgusting.

"Nevertheless, you are quite correct in pointing out the PC sleight of hand employed by the authors of this article. Bottom line, one of the poorest performing schools in the MPS system is using its own students to the detriment of them in an underhanded attempt to save the faculty's own bacon."

Yup, & it doesn't get any lower than that, does it; and I'm not eveeeeeen going to bring up the distinct possibility what we have here is an excellent example of one union (the "journalists") covering for another (the "NEA" et al), either.

I'll even play the "Color-blind" game here & nevermind the racial implications; insofar, as this happened in a school run by blacks & overwhelmingly dominated by black students, either.
*Just* the way many of the big mouthed "community activists" we grew up having to listen to for YEARS had wanted, eh?
I mean no one could "love" or "understand" the black like another black was the idea, right?

In a *perfect* world white people oughta but-out of this but for the fact the white mostly male Liberal-Socialists & their Lamestream sycophant mediots will -- somehow & quite *creatively* -- spin this into an act of "white-on-black racism".
You watch & see.
You & your City of Milwaukee & adjoining Milwaukee County neighbors are going to be tarred with this; &, what's worst of all, most won't even realize it.

This is insulting -- in the extreme -- to blacks; or, at least it should be.

"One wonders how many schools in the MPS regime are doing the same thing..."

Hell, why limit this scandel to the MPS?
You gotta know the "system" -- as it is now -- encourages this kind of crap from coast-to-coast & boarder-to-boarder.
This really isn't much different than how the *Education Dept* mandates teaching all of the PC bullshit's *content* in publik skools, or else, fed funding's lost for other, totally unrelated needs.
The *mo* is precisely the same.

More *specific* to your question though, concerning the MPS?
That's a good question with frightening possibilities.

I've only one immediate answer, too.
Don't rely on either the Nahal Toosi or Jamaal Abdul-Alim *characters* of the Journal Sentinel staff if you're serious about finding out, becoing informed, and expect to get to the bottom of the matter.

In fact, I'll take it a quantum leap higher than that.
I wouldn't believe *a* word the Milwaukee Urinal printed, period.

...on this or any other issue.

Critics of the No Child Left Behind Act have warned that schools may feel pressure to cheat to avoid being classified as failing under the law.

Critics of ethical standards for journalism have warned that journalists may feel pressure tell the truth to avoid being called "Jayson Blair" clones. Nah.

Many of these "teachers" and "administrators" got out of Ed. school by faking it. It's not surprising that they think nothing of enlisting the children in a scheme to protect themselves.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.