Education: Files describe 'irregularities' by WASL givers
MARTHA
MODEEN; The News Tribune
May
30, 2004
Washington State - "How did you do on the test?"
A mother from Graham asked her fifth-grade son that question one
day in April after he finished a portion of the state's standardized
science test.
"I know we all did good because we got to correct them,"
he replied.
That didn't sound quite right to the boy's mother, according to the
subsequent school district investigation. Nor to Bethel school officials,
who later invalidated all fifth-grade science tests administered by
the boy's teacher at Rocky Ridge Elementary and suspended the teacher
for 15 days for violating WASL test protocols.
The incident is one of nearly two dozen reports of improperly administered
tests received by the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
this year from school districts across the state. Details of testing
"irregularities" are spelled out in nearly 200 pages of
documents obtained by The News Tribune through state disclosure laws.
State education officials say WASL testing abnormalities are just
that, rare bumps in the road, with 400,000 students successfully taking
the test this year.
But some say there are problems with OSPI relying on schools to self-police
testing and report troubles. Critics say schools have an inherent
conflict of interest with so much to gain or lose. Under federal education
reform laws, failing schools can have their staffs reassigned or face
other sanctions. Passing the WASL will be tied to graduation for students
beginning with the class of 2008.
"When excessively heavy weight is given to tests, all kinds of
behaviors that corrupt the meaning of the test take place," said
Robert Schaeffer of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing,
a watchdog group critical of high-stakes assessment tests.
"As the pressure around testing goes up, some people crack and
cross the ethical line to get the scores they need."
Other states, such as California, Pennsylvania, Florida and Colorado,
have wrestled with similar issues of overeager teachers knowingly
or unknowingly helping students too much on standardized tests.
"This is a nationwide phenomena," Schaeffer said. "It's
not right, but it's a predictable consequence of the extraordinary
pressure teachers and schools are under to boost scores by any means
possible."
This year, some WASL irregularities outlined in OSPI records involve
teachers skirting the rules; others involve well-meaning teachers,
ignorant of testing protocols.
The infractions range from relatively minor, such as displaying general
testing tips in the classroom, to more serious offenses that have
resulted in educators being disciplined.
A handful of teachers have been reprimanded, placed on paid leave
or suspended without pay for allegedly disclosing questions in advance
of the exam, changing answers or counseling students to amend their
answers.
The state might invalidate certain tests at seven schools and is closely
watching scores at eight other schools, according to preliminary estimates.
State testing coordinator Paul Dugger thinks school districts are
honestly reporting testing anomalies because they're better trained
to spot them. "The consultations are better than they've ever
been, and I think that helps," he said.
The state works with school districts all year to prepare for the
test and, this year, sent out a guidance manual before the April 19-May
7 testing window.
In the Rocky Ridge incident, students told school officials that teacher
Jeanne Dykstra directed them to adjust their answers, a claim she
denied when the case was investigated.
The state's testing coordinator said any of Dykstra's several departures
from testing protocols and the "flagrant disregard and clear
abandonment" of standards invalidated her students' test scores.
Dykstra received a 15-day paid suspension.
Among other problems Washington schools reported to the state:
•A middle-school teacher in Yakima County's Toppenish School District
is on paid administrative leave while officials investigate allegations
of an inordinate number of erasures and "serious irregularities"
relating to a seventh-grade WASL test, according to documents and
interviews. The district expects to finish its investigation in about
two weeks, said Lance King, the district's director of human resources.
•A fourth-grade teacher in the Edmonds School District looked at each
student's booklet after they took the math WASL and told several students
"you need to redo this." The teacher, who didn't attend
proctor training sessions, apparently told administrators, "But
I didn't tell them how to answer it?!" The teacher was "devastated"
to learn her actions were improper and did not intend to give students
an unfair advantage, said Debbie Jakala, district spokeswoman. The
students' tests will not be invalidated, Jakala said.
•At Beachwood Elementary in the Clover Park School District, a fourth-grade
teacher is under scrutiny. The teacher maintains she did nothing wrong,
but a district administrator reviewed her test prep materials used
all year and wrote "it is obvious the questions the teacher used
to prepare the students in the day or two before the test were so
close to the actual test questions that they appear to have been generated
from the actual WASL math test." The district has recommended
two weeks unpaid suspension, which the teacher is appealing. The News
Tribune is not naming the teacher because the case is unresolved.
•Federal Way's Saghalie Middle School Principal Tim Mackey received
a 15-day suspension without pay after he told three eighth-grade science
teachers that they might want to review certain science subjects if
they hadn't done so already. None of the teachers acted on his comments.
•Spanaway Junior High School teacher Britt Rickert was given a 15-day
unpaid suspension. District officials said she used overhead slides
in a class to offer a sample writing exercise "very similar"
to the state's test. Rickert could not be reached for comment.
Aside from questions about teacher misconduct, students also have
sought advantages on the WASL by sharing test questions, records show.
At Timberline High School in the North Thurston School District, a
10th-grader came to school with a "mind-map" or outline
of a WASL writing prompt he learned from a student at another high
school, who had taken the test the previous day. That portion of the
student's test likely will be invalidated, state records indicate.
The student told school officials he was unaware his outline wasn't
permitted, said Tim McGillivray, spokesman.
Next year, the state will move to uniform testing days for 10th-graders
to further deter students from sharing test information.
"We've had concerns about the writing prompt," said Jean
Teague, Marysville's executive director of assessment. "It's
critical the state goes to a standardized schedule for grade 10.
"It's going to become the higher-stakes test (and) a valid college
admission tool."
Some state legislators are wondering if the state test needs to be
more carefully monitored.
"We're moving into uncharted territory," said Rep. Kathy
Haigh (D-Shelton), a member of the House Education Committee. Haigh
thinks the WASL might need to be monitored "as much as the ACT
or SAT."
The long-established SAT test, designed and administered by Educational
Testing Services of Princeton, N.J., employs a number of measures
to discourage student cheating, such as secure shipping of tests.
The ETS also uses numbered test booklets and seating charts to allow
for analyzing student testing patterns. ETS proctors will also arrive
unannounced at testing sites to perform spot checks.
Of the 2 million SAT tests taken each year, about 3,000 tests are
examined for irregularities, with roughly 1,000 tests proving problematic
because of cheating and other reasons, said Tom Ewing, ETS spokesman.
But even the experienced SAT administrators have no guarantees of
catching teacher cheating, he said. The ETS, like WASL administrators,
relies on calls from students, parents and others to alert them to
suspected cheating.
"The vast majority of students are honest. They have no hesitancy
at all in calling us to let us know of problems," Ewing said.
"We get hundreds and hundreds of calls."
Rep. Gigi Talcott (R-Tacoma), a member of the House Education committee,
believes the vast majority of test-taking across the state is honest,
but would like to see tighter controls and more accountability.
"I would like to believe that every classroom teacher, every
politician and every car salesman is honest," Talcott said. "But
I know that's not the case."
Martha Modeen: 253-597-8646
martha.modeen@mail.tribnet.com
SIDEBAR: WASL Washington Assessment of Student Learning rules
Teachers, proctors cannot:
• Point to a student's answer and encourage further explanation.
• Change answers on student tests or suggest changes.
• Disclose questions in advance of the test.
• Use practice questions that too closely resemble actual questions.
• Give definitions of words.
• Post testing strategies inside the classroom during the test.
Students:
• Are not allowed to discuss test questions during breaks or while
testing.
• Are allowed breaks no longer than 5 to 10 minutes while testing,
typically.
• May not use word processors, except for special circumstances.
• May use calculators on one section of the math test.
• May use published dictionaries on the writing test, but not student-
or teacher-created dictionaries.
• May not go back or skip ahead to complete or redo other sections
of the test.
SOURCE: Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
MARTHA MODEEN | THE NEWS TRIBUNE