Pa. tells districts to check testing irregularities

The Pennsylvania Department of Education on Wednesday told 40 school districts and nine charter schools across the state to investigate irregularities found with their 2009 test scores.

Department spokesman Timothy Eller said Harrisburg officials Wednesday began phoning districts and schools named in a 2009 report that found statistical irregularities in the state's standardized testing.

He said the department alerted them to expect e-mails Friday containing copies of the 44-page report, along with information about the testing issues flagged at their schools.

They will have 30 days to respond.

The Philadelphia Public School Notebook first disclosed that a forensic analysis of 2009 scores prepared for the department had raised questions about the results from several districts and schools, including patterns of erasures on answer sheets and sudden, dramatic jumps in scores.

Such patterns could indicate cheating.

The Notebook's analysis found that of approximately 60 schools flagged for multiple statistical irregularities, 22 were Philadelphia School District schools and seven were city charters.

The report flagged possible cheating but did not accuse anyone.

Philadelphia school officials and several charters named in the report said they had never seen the report and had not known that anyone had raised questions about their 2009 test results.

Eller has said he did not know why the department did not act or release the report publicly in 2009. He stressed that it was prepared during Gov. Ed Rendell's administration.

"Their scores, response pattern, and number of erasures were aberrant, from a statistical probability perspective," the report by the Data Recognition Corp. said. "This does not imply that the school or student engaged in inappropriate testing activity. The statistical evidence merely suggests that something aberrant or unusual occurred."

Eller said districts and charters will examine issues highlighted in the report and respond. For example, if a school made dramatic gains from the prior year, it might mean that the school changed its curriculum or altered teaching methods.

"It does not mean there was misconduct," he said.

Eller said the department would review the responses to see if more information is needed. If the department is still not satisfied, it could conduct its own inquiry.

Amid allegations of cheating at some city schools and widening test scandals in Atlanta and Washington, State Rep. Michael P. McGeehan (D., Phila.) on Tuesday called on state Education Secretary Ronald Tomalis to create a confidential, statewide "Whistle-blower Hotline" to encourage school staffers to report testing irregularities.

Eller said Tomalis has taken the request "under advisement."