Teachers cleared in testing probe

The Sisters School distrit can put one scandal to rest.

The four Sisters School District teachers who allowed their students to use a math reference book while taking the Oregon Statewide Assessment (OSA) math test will not face any disciplinary action.

The Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission, the watchdog agency that takes disciplinary actions when educators commit crimes or violate standards for competent and ethical performance, found "insufficient cause" to take any further action. There is no indication these teachers violated any rule or regulation.

Victoria Chamberlain, Executive Director of the commission, informed superintendent Ted Thonstad last month of the commission's findings.

The four district teachers who allowed their students to use the "Everyday Mathematics Student Reference Book" while taking the OSA math test did not intentionally violate any rules about what materials students can use.

The situation dates back to 2003, and it was only because the district itself questioned its own practices that the issue came to public attention. On February 8, 2006, Sisters Elementary School Principal Jan Silberman realized that third graders had access to the reference book while taking the OSA math test. Silberman consulted with the district's assessment coordinator Karen Withrow, and the books were removed, as Withrow concluded they were not to be used during testing.

Third grade students had access to the reference book in 2006 when David Hewitt and Lori Small administered the test; the books were removed when Craig Benton's class started taking the test. In 2004-05, Small, Benton and Kelly Powell (third grade) and Hewitt (fifth grade) allowed students access to the reference book while administering the test, as did Benton and Small in 2003-04.

According to school board chairman Rob Corrigan all four teachers are highly qualified and well regarded educators who still work for the district.

Three separate investigations have been conducted regarding the matter. The first was an internal investigation administered by the district itself.

About that investigation superintendent Ted Thonstad said, "The conclusion that I came to was that the directions were difficult to understand as to whether or not it (allowing the students to use the 'Everyday Mathematics Student Reference Book') was a problem or not a problem."

Thonstad said that the school board wanted to bring in an outside source to confirm the district's findings. Thonstad explained that the board was concerned that it would look like the district was trying to cover something up if an outside source was not hired to investigate what happened.

The district looked to the High Desert Educational Services District (HDESD) to hire someone to conduct the investigation.

That person was Nancy E. Brown, an attorney with Employment Relations Alternatives.

After her investigation, which was paid for by the HDESD, Brown stated: "Based on the interviews and my reviews of the documents, I conclude that the third grade teachers who administered the OSA math test and allowed 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 protocol.

This was an honest mistake.

There was a rational basis for their conclusion that the reference book was allowable material."

The results of both the district's internal investigation and Brown's investigation were sent to the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission and the commission, in turn, launched its own investigation.

According to Thonstad, the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission is an independent body made up people appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Oregon State Senate.

After its investigation, the commission recommended taking no further action, after finding insufficient cause to justify holding a hearing.

School board chairman Rob Corrigan concluded, "What happened was an honest mistake."

Thonstad added that testing directions provided a rational basis for teachers to conclude that students could have access to the "Everyday Mathematics Reference Book" while taking the test.

Thonstad referenced Brown's conclusion: "The written instructions from the Department of Education did not draw clear lines between what was allowable and what not. In fact, the instructions said that the student could use mathematical tools that they normally used during mathematical instruction."

The three investigations all concluded that the four teachers unintentionally misinterpreted this directive, and they have been cleared of fault.

Comment on this story online at http://www.nuggetnews.com or e-mail [email protected]