It could be up to a month before results come back from a state-required self-investigation in Whitfield County schools on changes to questions on a competency test, officials said.
"We completed our part of the investigation on behalf of the Governor's Office of Student Achievement," school system spokesman Eric Beavers said Monday. "Now, we're just waiting for them to finish their part of the investigation, and they'll release those results."
PDF: GOSA Analysis Report Feb,2010
State officials say results from Whitfield's investigation could be released by the end of May. Officials would not elaborate Tuesday on the investigation.
"We are in the process of receiving and reviewing reports of local investigations," Governor's Office of Student Achievement spokeswoman Mallie McCord said. "It's an ongoing investigation at this point, so we can't comment on specifics."
THE AUDITThe 2009 Criterion-Referenced Competency Test audit by the Governor's Office of Student Achievement and testing contractor CBT-McGraw Hill looked at an average of 125,000 first- through eighth-graders in all subject areas, flagging classrooms where the number of wrong-to-right changes were three standard deviations or more above the state average of 4 percent. Less than 0.15 percent of test takers would be expected to fall in that range naturally. Statewide, 80 percent of schools were in the clear of concern category, 10 percent in the minimal concern, 6 percent in the moderate concern and 4 percent ranked as severe concerns.Source: The Governor's Office of Student AchievementMORE AUDITS COMINGIn 2008, the Governor's Office of Student Achievement launched its academic auditing program, an additional component to reporting student progress and completion in Georgia public schools. Ongoing audits include:* January-September 2010: Georgia high school graduation test* November 2009-June 2010: Student enrollment/withdrawal data analysis* Ongoing: Random audit of compliance with state policies and proceduresSource: Governor's Office of Student Achievement
The investigation stems from an analysis of test-answer sheets from Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests given in 2009. An audit by a contractor for the Governor's Office of Student Achievement compared the percentage of changed answers in schools across the state, finding an overall state average of 4 percent. Schools were flagged if they varied too much from the average.
Schools were ranked in one of four categories of concern -- clear, minimal, moderate and severe. More than 190 schools were flagged across the state, records show.
Whitfield's Eastside Elementary School was listed in the moderate category, which indicates that 11 to 24 percent of classrooms in a school had a significantly higher number of answers corrected, records show. Eastside edged into the moderate category with 11.1 percent, records show. Whitfield's other 17 schools were all in the clear category.
Schools flagged in the moderate category triggered a state-required internal investigation.
But in standardized testing that begins this week in Whitfield, Eastside won't be scrutinized like districts across the state ranked in the severe category, officials said. Those schools will be monitored by state officials.
Whitfield, like other schools in the moderate category, is required to rotate teachers and post monitors during testing at Eastside, according to state officials. The state also can conduct random spot checks.
Ms. McCord from the Governor's Office said the state is receiving a steady stream of reports from systems across the state.
"We're trying to have everything wrapped up by the end of the school year," she said.
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