A gathering spot for warriors fighting for their special-needs children

If you're one of the many who have come to the realization that your public school system is out to get away with doing the absolute minimum for your special-needs child and is not actually interested in helping or educating your child, join the crowd. Bring some passion and some factual evidence and step into the fray.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Who're you gonna believe, me or your own lyin' eyes?


Many parents have made the point that our principal, Yolonda Brown, was hired at SPARK on the strength of her magnificent CRCT results as principal of CW Hill Elementary, her former post.

But at CW Hill, a school that landed in the "Severe Concern" category in the current cheating investigation, 29% of the CRCT classrooms were flagged by the state for a much higher of erasures + wrong-to-right answer changes than the statewide averages.

Below, you'll find the results of the initial erasure investigation on all CW Hill CRCT classrooms grades 3, 4 and 5. (I'm omitting grades 1 and 2 because only 1 out of 9 CRCT classrooms was flagged, and that one had a relatively low "alert" level of only 4.122 assigned by the state investigators).

You don't have to be a statistician to conclude a few things right away:

1. There are some obviously honest teachers

2. There are some numbers that trigger a klaxon horn and big neon CHEAT CHEAT CHEAT sign.

If you want the most vivid example, skip to the very bottom and review the numbers for the two 5th-grade reading classes. Now, both have relatively small class sizes (20 and 22 students, respectively), and small class size is an important variable and a reason given by officials not to rush to judgment. (Statisticians like to see a sample size of 30+ before they are really sure about their conclusions).

In the classroom that was NOT flagged for signs of cheating, the most wrong-to-right changes made by any single student was two.

That's right--just two.

The average student in that class changed only 0.350 answers from wrong to right. (That means for every three students, only one of them changed one answer from wrong to right).

In the entire classroom, only seven answers were changed from wrong to right.

Now let's contrast those results with the other 5th grade reading classroom, the one that was flagged for signs of cheating.

In that classroom, which contained 22 students, the total number of wrong-to-right changes was 240.

240, vs. 7 in the non-flagged classroom.

The average kid in the flagged classroom changed (or had his answers changed from wrong to right by someone) 10.909 times.

10.909, vs. 0.350 in the other classroom.

The statewide average for wrong-to-right corrections for 5th grade reading classes was 1.136 changes (and remember, this number includes all the cheaters, who skew that 1.136 number up from what it would be if all cheaters were excluded).

So the average kid in the flagged classroom changed his answers from wrong to right about 10x as many as the average kid statewide.

Have you seen enough yet?

What's going to happen next? It's pretty easy to anticipate. The teacher in that 5th grade class is going to get fired, unless he or she manages to implicate someone else. If there was any coordinated cheating among classrooms, perhaps led by an administrator, that will come out, because everybody will be trying to cover their own butt.

But the question for us as SPARK parents is really this: is there any possibility Yolonda Brown could have been involved or even known about the cheating, and even if she didn't, doesn't she, as the principal, bear some responsibility for it?

My answer would be no and no. I have sat across from Yolonda Brown and put her through the wringer on the poor performance by the Program for Exceptional Children at SPARK. I have had a steady dialog with her since she came on the scene about that and other matters. My opinion of her is only just that--my opinion, but in my view, Yolonda Brown is incapable of cheating on a test or anything else. She is a fine person with a tremendous work ethic.

Now, she's also a product of the APS system and is beholden to Bev Hall for her rapid career advancement. So that leaves her vulnerable, at least to the extent Bev Hall is now vulnerable.

But nothing I have seen has caused me to waver even the slightest in my support for Yolonda Brown.


Here are the data from the Governor's OSA (via AJC).


I have bolded the numbers that really stand out.




Atlanta Public Schools
School
C W Hill Elementary
Grade
3
Subject
English/Language Arts
Number of students in the class
13
Answers changed from wrong to right
96
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom
7.385
The most wrong to right changes for a single student
20
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right
1.508
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable
3.216
Was the class flagged?
Yes
The severity of the flag by the state
10.320


District
Atlanta Public Schools
School
C W Hill Elementary
Grade
3
Subject
English/Language Arts
Number of students in the class
15
Answers changed from wrong to right
174
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom
11.600
The most wrong to right changes for a single student
22
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right
1.508
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable
3.098
Was the class flagged?
Yes
The severity of the flag by the state
19.037




District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 3
Subject English/Language Arts
Number of students in the class 15
Answers changed from wrong to right 28
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 1.867
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 5
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.508
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 3.098
Was the class flagged? No
The severity of the flag by the state
0.677
(Rick's comment: this is an obviously "honest" classroom)



District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 3
Subject Math
Number of students in the class 13
Answers changed from wrong to right 66
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 5.077
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 21
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.874
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 3.898
Was the class flagged? Yes
The severity of the flag by the state 4.747




District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 3
Subject Math
Number of students in the class 15
Answers changed from wrong to right 144
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 9.600
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 18
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.874
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 3.759
Was the class flagged? Yes
The severity of the flag by the state 12.298



District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 3
Subject Math
Number of students in the class 15
Answers changed from wrong to right 48
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 3.200
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 9
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.874
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 3.759
Was the class flagged? No
The severity of the flag by the state 2.111


District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 3
Subject Reading
Number of students in the class 13
Answers changed from wrong to right 93
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 7.154
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 11
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.172
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 2.725
Was the class flagged? Yes
The severity of the flag by the state 11.555


District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 3
Subject Reading
Number of students in the class 15
Answers changed from wrong to right 131
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 8.733
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 19
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.172
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 2.618
Was the class flagged? Yes
The severity of the flag by the state 15.689


District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 3
Subject Reading
Number of students in the class 15
Answers changed from wrong to right 27
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 1.800
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 5
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.172
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 2.618
Was the class flagged? No
The severity of the flag by the state 1.302

District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 4
Subject English/Language Arts
Number of students in the class 22
Answers changed from wrong to right 66
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 3.000
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 14
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.405
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 2.706
Was the class flagged? Yes
The severity of the flag by the state 3.679


District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 4
Subject English/Language Arts
Number of students in the class 23
Answers changed from wrong to right 45
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 1.957
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 6
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.405
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 2.677
Was the class flagged? No
The severity of the flag by the state 1.301


District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 4
Subject Math
Number of students in the class 22
Answers changed from wrong to right 54
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 2.455
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 7
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.874
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 3.438
Was the class flagged? No
The severity of the flag by the state 1.113


District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 4
Subject Math
Number of students in the class 23
Answers changed from wrong to right 49
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 2.130
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 5
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.874
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 3.404
Was the class flagged? No
The severity of the flag by the state 0.502


District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 4
Subject Reading
Number of students in the class 22
Answers changed from wrong to right 33
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 1.500
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 8
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 0.995
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 2.043
Was the class flagged? No
The severity of the flag by the state 1.447



District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 4
Subject Reading
Number of students in the class 23
Answers changed from wrong to right 43
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 1.870
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 5
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 0.995
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 2.020
Was the class flagged? No
The severity of the flag by the state 2.561



District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 5
Subject English/Language Arts
Number of students in the class 20
Answers changed from wrong to right 21
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 1.050
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 7
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.435
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 2.804
Was the class flagged? No
The severity of the flag by the state -0.843



District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 5
Subject English/Language Arts
Number of students in the class 22
Answers changed from wrong to right 173
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 7.864
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 14
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.435
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 2.740
Was the class flagged? Yes
The severity of the flag by the state 14.777



District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 5
Subject Math
Number of students in the class 20
Answers changed from wrong to right 37
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 1.850
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 13
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.825
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 3.526
Was the class flagged? No
The severity of the flag by the state 0.044



District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 5
Subject Math
Number of students in the class 22
Answers changed from wrong to right 174
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 7.909
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 18
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.825
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 3.447
Was the class flagged? Yes
The severity of the flag by the state 11.252



District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 5
Subject Reading
Number of students in the class 20
Answers changed from wrong to right 7
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 0.350
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 2
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.136
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 2.363
Was the class flagged? No
The severity of the flag by the state -1.923



District Atlanta Public Schools
School C W Hill Elementary
Grade 5
Subject Reading
Number of students in the class 22
Answers changed from wrong to right 240
Average number of answers changed from wrong to right for the classroom 10.909
The most wrong to right changes for a single student 21
State average of changes of answers from wrong to right 1.136
State threshold for flagging a classroom as questionable 2.306
Was the class flagged? Yes
The severity of the flag by the state 25.069

No comments:

Post a Comment

I welcome comments to the blog so long as they are civil in tone and stay on-topic. (You may be very critical of someone/something and still remain civil). The internet is a place where good manners seemingly go to die. That is not going to happen here.