State report: Petersburg students missed SOLs

STATE INVESTIGATION:

• Read the report from the Virginia Department of Education

A state investigation found Standards of Learning testing irregularities at a Petersburg elementary school, according to a report released yesterday.

The report by the Virginia Department of Education shows that as many as 12 students at A.P. Hill Elementary School did not take one or more SOL tests during the spring testing period. Attendance records show that those students should have had time to take the tests in a regular or makeup testing session.

"We see actions taken in students missing testing opportunities, and we don't see the organization and follow-through that ensures that those students are flagged and tested on the makeup dates," said Charles Pyle, a spokesman for the state Education Department.

A woman who answered the phone yesterday at A.P. Hill Elementary School said Principal Phyllis Byrd was unavailable.

According to the nine-page report, in June the principal stated during interviews with investigators that if students were disruptive, they were removed from the testing environment so they wouldn't interrupt other test-takers. The principal said during those interviews that "it is not improbable that we may have missed some students' tests."

Both the principal and assistant principal told Education Department staff that it was unintentional if students did not participate in their assessments.

As the investigation continued, the report said, it was determined that the principal did not participate in training for administration of SOL tests; therefore, she didn't have the understanding of the processes and procedures required for accounting for each student's attendance during SOL testing.

There was also a lack of communication between the principal and the school testing coordinator, which led to confusion about which students were removed for disciplinary reasons and which would need the makeup test administered, according to the report.

"The bottom line is, the expectation is that everybody involved with this process is going to be prepared with the required training," Pyle said. "The school divisions are required to administer these tests in a manner that is in keeping with the board regulations and the board's procedures. That includes training as well."

Petersburg Superintendent James M. Victory met with State Superintendent of Instruction Patricia I. Wright and State Board of Education President Mark E. Emblidge on Wednesday about the results of the Education Department inquiry.

A spokesman for Petersburg schools said Victory would have no comment on the report until he met and discussed it with the city's School Board.

"Petersburg City Public Schools is going to do everything in our power to comply with the recommendations of the report, including the corrective action plan that is mentioned in there," schools spokesman Cliff Davis said.

The investigation also revealed that unused answer documents with information that could identify students was discovered in a trash can in the same room in which investigation interviews were being conducted.

Irregularities with SOL testing were reported to the Education Department on June 4, and the investigation was conducted that month. That initial report said eight to 12 students at A.P. Hill who were potentially at risk of failing SOL tests were removed from the testing environment by the principal and did not participate in one or more of their grade-level assessments.

The initial report also said the Petersburg schools' central office had been informed of the testing concerns but didn't take any action. According to the state report, interviews with A.P. Hill staff indicated that the central office staff was not involved in the irregularity.

The Petersburg school system has struggled to meet state standards. Only one school, Robert E. Lee Elementary, is fully accredited by the state. A.P. Hill Elementary has been denied accreditation the past three years, and students failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks during that span.

"We're going to continue to work hard. No matter what type of curveball has been thrown, we're still going to move in the right direction . . . and we're going to do our best to get where we need to be," said Kenneth L. Pritchett, chairman of the Petersburg School Board.

The findings in the report will be presented to the state Board of Education Committee on School and Division Accountability on Sept. 16. Action could be taken by the full board at its Sept. 17 meeting.

Pyle said any decision about penalties against the school and school division rest with the state board.

"That's going to be the board's decision; that may well be influenced by the steps Petersburg takes between now and then in terms of addressing the deficiencies noted in the report," he said.

Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or jslayton@timesdispatch.com.