Report: Test problems ‘honest mistake’

Sisters school administrators and board members breathed easier last week after receiving a 14-page report on what was wrong with the way statewide math tests were given to third graders. The findings were not as bad as many feared.

Nancy Brown, a retired state mediator who was hired to investigate the problem, concluded: “…the third grade teachers who administered the OSA math test and allowed the students to use the ‘Everyday Mathematics Student Reference Book’ did not intentionally violate the rules regarding what materials their students should not use while taking the test. Nor were they negligent in not following this protocol. This was an honest mistake. There was a rational basis for their conclusion that the reference book was allowable material.”

According to Brown’s report, four teachers permitted their students to use the reference books during one or more of the past three years: Craig Benton, David Hewitt, Kelly Powell and Lori Small.

Use of the book was noticed and questioned by another teacher while the tests were being given in February. He asked Principal Jan Silberman about it and she immediately asked the district’s Assessment Coordinator, high school science teacher Karen Withrow, who said the books should not be used.

Silberman and Benton “quickly picked up the books and the testing continued.”

In ensuing days, Silberman notified Superintendent Ted Thonstad and at his request talked to all the third, fourth and fifth grade teachers to determine who had used math reference books during the annual tests in recent years.

Brown noted that use of the books in third-grade testing coincided with two major changes at Sisters Elementary School. One was the adoption of a new school-wide math program, “Everyday Mathematics.” The other was a switch to computers for taking the statewide tests through what is called the Technology Enhanced Student Assessment system (TESA).

In the discussion portion of her report, Brown said: “I conclude that it was not the intent of these teachers to manipulate the tests results in order to improve the test scores of their students or to otherwise gain from improper use of the reference book. This was an honest mistake; there was no intent to do anything improper. The teachers never made any attempt to hide the fact that the students were using the book during the tests.

“When Ms. Silberman questioned them they readily admitted that this had been their practice during the years in question. At no time have they denied that this occurred. Their fellow staff members, both teachers and educational assistants, have praised their professionalism, their devotion to the children and their personal integrity. Their building principals both current and past have the same high regard for these third grade teachers. The teachers evidenced their concern that they had let down their colleagues, the District, and most importantly their students. The sincerity of their remorse was moving.”

The investigator placed part of the blame on fuzzy instructions from the state: “I did not find any clear definition in the instructional materials provided by the Department of Education as to what are materials the students may have access to during testing. The instructions state that the students should not bring materials or reference materials to the testing. Yet there is not a black line drawn by the Department of Education as to what is acceptable material and what is not…

“The instructions state that students should have access to mathematical tools normally available during mathematical instruction. The student reference book is a mathematical tool available not only as an integral part of the third grade instruction, but is also used by the student when taking unit (regular classroom) examinations. During unit examinations the teacher will not assist the student to use the book or answer questions they may have about the material. This (was) the practice when the students were taking the Oregon Statewide Assessment tests.”

In her final paragraph, Brown said, “I found no evidence of a cover-up on the part of any staff member or administrator…All the witnesses interviewed answered forthright any questions asked and were credible.”

Brown was asked to conduct the hurry-up investigation by John Witty, attorney for the High Desert Education Service District, to whom the task was handed by the Sisters School Board after extensive executive session (private) discussion of internal findings. The board said it wanted an independent external review of the situation.

A former mediator for the state Employment Relations Board, Brown operates a private consulting service in Portland.