DC CAS Test Integrity Investigation Identifies Critical Irregularities at Four Charter Schools

DC’s state education agency, OSSE, released today the results of their annual testing integrity study.  This study examined testing irregularities at all public schools, DCPS and charter, on last year’s statewide assessment – the DC CAS.
 
The investigation’s findings placed school violations in three categories: 1) critical, which includes test tampering or academic fraud; 2) moderate, which includes anomalies with defined violations but not test tampering or fraud; and 3) minor, with procedural infractions.  

The report defines irregularities as wrong-to-right erasures, score variation within classrooms, as well as unusual gains or declines from 2011 to 2012.  Flagged irregularities were followed up by on-site investigations and interviews, leading to final determinations.

The study found that four charter schools had critical violations, three charter schools had moderate violations that did not involve cheating, and one charter school had minor procedural infractions.  

The four charter schools with critical violations were Arts and Technology Academy PCS, Community Academy PCS – Amos 1, Imagine Hope Community PCS – Lamond, and Meridian PCS.  

At three of the schools, Arts and Technology Academy, Community Academy Amos 1, and Imagine Hope Community PCS – Lamond, the test violations were found in just one classroom.   This indicates an isolated incident at a school otherwise free of irregularities.
 
At Meridian PCS the issue was broader.  Five classrooms representing more than 40% of the tested population were flagged.   Violations were found in grades 4, 5 and 6.
 
PCSB takes this issue very seriously, as we are responsible for academic oversight and legal compliance of our charter schools. Indeed, PCSB has been monitoring schools during testing for 7 years. Last year PCSB monitored 36 charter schools, or 49 percent, during the 2012 testing window.  During this year’s testing window we are coordinating our test monitoring with OSSE to ensure even broader testing oversight.   

This oversight has been largely effective.  As OSSE pointed out in their release, over 99.4% of all testing groups were free of cheating.

PCSB’s approach with the affected schools is initially to reach out to those schools’ boards of trustees to learn what steps they are taking to address the violations and to ensure that these steps are commensurate with the gravity of the violation. Then, as PCSB deems appropriate, we may take additional action.  We anticipate addressing this issue publicly at our board meeting on May 20.

Beyond these specific cases, there are common-sense steps schools can take to reduce the likelihood of test violations in a single testing group.  These include having a different test monitor than the person who normally teaches this class.  We will be sending a memo to our schools in the coming days outlining such recommended steps.

The DC CAS is at the heart of our accountability systems.  More and more schools use it as part of their teacher evaluations.  And it provides important feedback to students, their families, and their educators on their progress.  There is nothing more important than ensuring that these test results are accurate and free of cheating.  We commend OSSE for their thorough work on this and look forward to a day where these issues are even rarer than they are now.

DC’s state education agency, OSSE, released today the results of their annual testing integrity study.  This study examined testing irregular..