tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post708361626531995084..comments2024-01-08T03:21:35.616-05:00Comments on DeKalb County School Watch: Test cheating probe...How?Cerebrationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-35596670319257353622010-01-23T18:45:38.989-05:002010-01-23T18:45:38.989-05:00I actually have to write a paper on this plus othe...I actually have to write a paper on this plus other dekalb school system related stuff for school! I go to PCMS!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-11971178823599065962009-07-10T17:07:39.410-04:002009-07-10T17:07:39.410-04:00Beverly Hall still insists no cheating took place....Beverly Hall still insists no cheating took place. Didn't she win some type of national award last year? Perhaps she believes if she admits cheating her award will be tarnished?<br /><br /><i>Atlanta's School Superintendent says she stands by her earlier statements that cheating on state standardized tests can not be proven at an Atlanta elementary school, after Governor Sonny Perdue called her position "outrageous".<br /><br />Dr. Beverly Hall declined numerous requests from 11Alive Friday for a one-on-one interview to respond to the Governor's comments.<br /><br />A school system spokesperson said Dr. Hall stands behind the following statement issued early Thursday afternoon:<br /><br />"Atlanta Public Schools does not condone cheating. We are very disappointed that The State Board of Education accepted the findings of an external audit conducted by the Governor's Office of Student Achievement this morning. Based on our internal investigation and an investigation conducted by an external party, the preliminary results show that cheating could not be proven on these 11 students' tests. At this time, we are looking into the process of appealing before the state board."<br /></i>mykidsmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01955229553404121334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-42563555229932740442009-07-10T15:58:23.249-04:002009-07-10T15:58:23.249-04:00Well - at least there's this!
Thursday, July ...Well - at least there's this!<br /><br /><i>Thursday, July 9, 2009 <br /><br />ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue issued the following statement today regarding the Regarding State Board of Education Accepting the Recommendations of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement:<br /><br />“A thorough investigation by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement offers clear and convincing evidence of cheating, which was confirmed by the Georgia Center for Assessment’s independent erasure analysis. The GCA found that all 4 schools had significantly more erasures and changes to right answers than the comparison group. This spring’s CRCT scores offer further proof of wrongdoing, the pass rate at the schools whose students’ tests were altered went from 83 percent or higher in 2008 to 42 percent or lower in 2009.<br /><br />I appreciate the strong reactions by school officials in DeKalb County and Glynn County who have shown they will not condone this behavior. However, it is outrageous that Atlanta Public Schools’ Superintendent Dr. Beverly Hall has simply ignored all of the evidence that Superintendent Cox, the State Board, the other systems, and I found so compelling. While Superintendent Hall attributes the gains to a ‘rigorous program’, there were flat gains from students of the 4 other schools that attended the same summer school as the students who had their tests altered.<br /><br />In addition to the statistical improbability of their gains, the evidence that GOSA shared with Atlanta Public Schools showed: that the erasures were on average 3 times higher than the state average with at least one student having erasures 12 times higher than the state average, that the interviews with APS officials supported OSA’s conclusion, and that the students’ passage rate dropped from 88 percent on last summer’s retest to 42 percent on this year’s test.<br /><br />I want to thank the State Board of Education for accepting OSA’s recommendations to invalidate the summer retest results and ensure that the affected students get the help they need. They sent a clear message that cheating will not be tolerated in Georgia. The evidence is overwhelming and any reasonable person can see that cheating occurred and children were harmed.” </i>Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-68577775705125133512009-06-17T14:11:05.374-04:002009-06-17T14:11:05.374-04:00I hope this will be the case that the DA takes act...I hope this will be the case that the DA takes action on. What whoever did this did - was criminal, IMO.Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-80828433259107682782009-06-17T13:57:25.096-04:002009-06-17T13:57:25.096-04:00The Dekalb DA is apparently opening an investigati...The Dekalb DA is apparently opening an investigation to see if criminal charges are warranted.Paula Caldarellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05515215184962897541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-45728873640597507032009-06-14T17:02:57.793-04:002009-06-14T17:02:57.793-04:00Son of awcomeonnow, reporting back in.
Pscexb ...Son of awcomeonnow, reporting back in.<br /> Pscexb wrote about Atherton being "highly transient". Amen, and then some.<br /> Atherton has one apartment complex feeding into it that covers 97 acres and has ONE THOUSAND units. (the former Oaktree, across from Kensington MARTA).<br /> Presumably, Berry was moved to Atherton in a lateral move to keep him on the payroll. One of my neighbors knows Atherton well, and she can tell you that it's not exactly a plum assignment.<br /> Said neighbor got a job teaching at Atherton fresh out of college about fifteen years ago.<br /> She taught 2nd grade there for one year, then quit the public school teaching profession altogether. The behavior of Atherton's pupils cinched the deal for her. The final straw that broke the camel's back? Having her <br />desk stolen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-78612338315500601892009-06-14T13:27:15.634-04:002009-06-14T13:27:15.634-04:00Any of these names look familiar?
Here are some o...Any of these names look familiar?<br /><br />Here are some of the names from Leadership DeKalb<br /><br />DeKalb County School System<br />Audria Berry <br />Yolanda Brown <br />CrawfordLewis <br />Gale Thomas <br />Debbie Torbush <br />Marcus Turk<br /><br />For the listing of graduates by class go here<br /><br />http://www.leadershipdekalb.org/About/directory.phpCerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-50477248713384367762009-06-14T01:08:29.945-04:002009-06-14T01:08:29.945-04:00C Lew: Hey Ron, the test scores at Atherton went u...C Lew: Hey Ron, the test scores at Atherton went up by a crazy amount. Check it out.<br /><br />Ron Ramsey: I called James Berry and he said everyone worked really, really hard, and that's why the test scores went up exponentially. He sure convinced me.<br /><br />C Lew: Whew! Glad that's over with. Thanks for doing such a thorough investigation. I'll see 'ya down at the Commerce Club after you're done at the Gold Dome.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-88552531864652281802009-06-13T17:36:01.280-04:002009-06-13T17:36:01.280-04:00And in one of TWO articles unbecoming to DCSS on t...And in one of TWO articles unbecoming to DCSS on the front page of todays AJC, this was stated,<br /><br /><i>As investigations continue into a cheating scandal that has ensnared four elementary schools across Georgia, officials in one system have tightened testing rules because of the breach.<br />Administrators last summer at DeKalb County’s Atherton Elementary School kept student answer sheets over an entire weekend before turning them in on Monday. It is not clear whether the alterations —- in which someone erased wrong answers and penciled in the right ones —- happened during that weekend or the three days of testing prior.<br />No one but the administrators has been accused of cheating by DeKalb officials.</i><br /><br />To read the entire article, go to <br /><a rel="nofollow">http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/2009/06/13/dekcheat0613.html?cxntlid=inform_artr</a><br /><br />(The other article was about the $18,000 the Sembler Co contributed to Gene Walkers BOE campaign.)Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-68536664052947621942009-06-13T16:52:05.665-04:002009-06-13T16:52:05.665-04:00The truest comment at the AJC blog on this topic i...The truest comment at the AJC blog on this topic in my eyes comes from J-Snuff, <br /><br /><b>"They cheat cause they do not have the aptitude to solve the problems they are facing. "</b><br /><br />Bottom line - this is the crux of our educational problems.Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-50001119893411435122009-06-13T10:06:49.733-04:002009-06-13T10:06:49.733-04:00Even when the School Council gets to interview Pri...Even when the School Council gets to interview Principal candidates, the panel is quickly shown the interviewee's resume, but they are NOT given a copy and it is not in front of them when the candidate is being interviewed. When the Council deliberates, they have nothing to compare but their impressions of the candidates. Absolutely no way to compare apples to apples when it comes to educational backgrounds of the candidates.<br /><br />But, I guess that's the way DCSS keeps these fake degreed people around. All anyone ever gets to see is the word "Dr." And boy, you better use that title or you will be corrected!No Duhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14462063673391668451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-937521589484621442009-06-13T09:49:32.473-04:002009-06-13T09:49:32.473-04:00fedupindcss:
I don't think any of the school ...fedupindcss:<br /><br />I don't think any of the school systems check resumes. A Morningside elementary principal had to resign a few years ago because she fudged an advanced degree on her resume.<br /><br />DCSS has a large HR department that should do resume checking and due diligence. Of course, DCSS seems to have an unusually large percentage of teachers, principals and administrators with doctorate degrees in questionable areas (Educational Leadership) from internet universities.<br /><br />Federal law now requires that parents can inquire about the qualifications of the teachers. IMO DCSS violates that requirement by only providing the generic degree, i.e. "Masters" and not the subject matter or school that bestowed the degree.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-75681607772810902492009-06-13T07:07:49.264-04:002009-06-13T07:07:49.264-04:00That's Lakeside-Evans at 195, not Lakeside in ...That's Lakeside-Evans at 195, not Lakeside in Dekalb.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-39379197643138646052009-06-13T06:26:54.395-04:002009-06-13T06:26:54.395-04:00ometimes average principals do survive at schools ...ometimes average principals do survive at schools with highly involved parents, but poor ones never do.<br /><br />The system goes out of their way to protect mediocre and worse principals by sending them to schools where the parents are uninvolved and disconnected.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-53830934882491443592009-06-13T01:31:12.706-04:002009-06-13T01:31:12.706-04:00Lakeside-Atlanta is 195 and then Chamblee is in th...Lakeside-Atlanta is 195 and then Chamblee is in the 200s. <br /><br />Lakeside still comes in 2nd in Georgia behind Walton.Ella Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08004885232852482737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-89255406762546640582009-06-12T21:45:41.972-04:002009-06-12T21:45:41.972-04:00Even a top school with an astute parent population...Even a top school with an astute parent population is no guarantee. The way DCSS does principal placement, he could be appointed without parent involvement, or they could get his resume at the time of the interview, with no chance to do any due diligence. In fact, they are not allowed to do so--DCSS may be the only employer in the universe that does not Google their applicants, but accepts their resumes on face value (remember their HR pick a few years ago?).fedupindcsshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11895950244074463477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-514965035688333372009-06-12T19:15:31.847-04:002009-06-12T19:15:31.847-04:00Anon at4:16
Who has been protecting this principa...Anon at4:16<br /><br />Who has been protecting this principal for all these years? He has a checkered past and questionable credentials. I believe that someone has been watching his back.<br /><br />He would not have been assigned to a top school where parents are involved because they would have run him out of town.<br /><br />So again, praytell, who was protecting James Berry?themommyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01829171693817032539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-3920885354397779542009-06-12T19:01:13.119-04:002009-06-12T19:01:13.119-04:00The DCSS administration should definitely be in ho...The DCSS administration should definitely be in hot water for this. When test scores rise so dramaticaly, it raises a huge red flg. Whomever DCSS had "investigate" clearly was either incompetent or unwilling to push hard. Test scores never increase like that on their own. Gloria Talley had to know something was amiss.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-90246706088707247462009-06-12T18:15:49.663-04:002009-06-12T18:15:49.663-04:00Oh - and BTW - Lakeside HS has somehow dropped off...Oh - and BTW - Lakeside HS has somehow dropped off the Newsweek list altogether this year. There's a Lakeside HS in Evans, GA but no Lakeside in DCSS.<br /><br />Could be a typo - could be that they never turned in their data - could be that they really didn't rank.<br /><br /><a rel="nofollow">http://www.newsweek.com/id/201160/?s=georgia&q=2009/rank/1</a>Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-79234722672150564202009-06-12T18:11:15.003-04:002009-06-12T18:11:15.003-04:00"It (NCLB) is just a pretext to destroy publi..."It (NCLB) is just a pretext to destroy public education."<br /><br />If you want to read more on this perspective - visit this incredible blog - the premise of which is that NCLB's goal is to dismantle public schools, replace them with charters (run by very profitable corporations) that demand high stakes testing (again, run by very profitable corporations). It's quite the eye-opener! This blog had seriously changed my thinking in many ways.<br /><br /><a rel="nofollow">http://schoolsmatter.blogspot.com/</a>Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-74063998592097802452009-06-12T17:48:36.387-04:002009-06-12T17:48:36.387-04:00Don't forget the GHSGT. If you are a high scho...Don't forget the GHSGT. If you are a high school junior, your education for the year ends in February.fedupindcsshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11895950244074463477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-90400164728401094502009-06-12T17:03:35.761-04:002009-06-12T17:03:35.761-04:00The last thing we need to do is add another layer ...The last thing we need to do is add another layer of testing the last weeks of school. As it is now there are exams in middle school and in high school there are AP exams, EOCT tests AND finals. The kids are stressed enough as it is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-26268215370848298932009-06-12T16:52:05.265-04:002009-06-12T16:52:05.265-04:00Back in Lake Woebegon where all the children are a...Back in Lake Woebegon where all the children are above average<br /><br />"I would take those Newsweek rankings with a "grain of salt". Those rankings are based only on AP courses. There are schools on that list that have not even made AYP within their own districts."<br /><br />I don’t take AYP very seriously. The idea that by a certain date that all our students will pass the test is a fantasy. It is just a pretext to destroy public education. Unless we dumb down the test (and Georgia has) there will be students who do not pass, do not want to pass, and do not know why they should pass. The schools on the list are great schools if you are middle class or better or if you come from a family that really values education and insists that their children take school seriously. School is only an opportunity for success not a guarantee. The only school guarantee is that you are supposed to go until a certain age. AYP is based on making sure all students have a set of minimum basic competencies. If more than 5% of any subgroup of 40 misses the test, you don’t make AYP no matter how high your scores are. By the way, what do you think the absence rate is in large companies on any given day? <br /><br />If we are going to have standards and test let’s adopt national ones and used Norm Referenced Achievement tests like the Iowa so we can really get a sense of how we are doing. We already do the Iowa; let’s give it at the start of a grade and at the end and see if each student makes progress. Let’s save all that money the state wastes on the CRCT. The graduation test is remarkably easy. Do a national graduation test and get serious. We give the tests 3 or 4 weeks before school is out. At that point many students think school is over. Let’s give the test the last week of school and get our money’s worth. We give it in April now because we need the test scores back to determine AYP. Garbage in garbage out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-38130443290128535822009-06-12T16:32:18.870-04:002009-06-12T16:32:18.870-04:00Well written post Anon @ 4:16! There are many suc...Well written post Anon @ 4:16! There are many successes throughout DCSS that we as citizens should be proud of.<br /><br />I also agree with your assessment regarding the importance of reading to your child at home. Call me naiive but I believe you can overcome challenges with socioeconomic status IF you have active parental involvement. Unfortunately we haven't figured out how to effectively encourage that.pscexbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03634017508215285786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-1619829065550634202009-06-12T16:31:30.022-04:002009-06-12T16:31:30.022-04:00I would take those Newsweek rankings with a "...I would take those Newsweek rankings with a "grain of salt". Those rankings are based <b>only</b> on AP courses. There are schools on that list that have not even made AYP within their own districts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com