U.S. Ed Dept. watching Clarksdale investigation
The Clarksdale Municipal School District’s $10 million Race to the Top grant could be in jeopardy if allegations of cheating on its statewide assessments prove true.
The U.S. Department of Education said Friday it is aware of the allegations as well as the Mississippi Department of Education’s vow to fully investigate them.
“As the state investigation moves forward, the U.S. Department of Education will determine what effect, if any, the investigation will have on Clarksdale School District’s Race to the Top District grant award or any other relevant federal programs,” said U.S. Department of Education press secretary Dorie Nolt.
Clarksdale was one of five school districts nationwide — and the only one in Mississippi — to have won one of the coveted grants, as announced by the federal agency in December.
As part of its application, the district noted rising test scores at several of its schools, including Heidelberg Elementary, which jumped from an F-rated to an A-rated school in just two years.
“The success of our reform strategies are most notably present at Heidelberg Elementary, which increased (its) QDI to 226 points,” the application states.
QDI stands for quality distribution index, and it assigns points for improvements in student achievement as measured by test scores. Heidelberg’s QDI was just 96 points four years ago, making its current score one of the most dramatic increases in the state.
But data obtained by The Clarion-Ledger show that top-scoring Heidelberg students could barely read or write when they arrived at a new school just three months after acing those tests. Several former Heidelberg students also admitted violations in state test practices at the school.
Clarksdale Superintendent Dennis Dupree and Heidelberg Principal Lowanda Tyler-Jones both deny any cheating occurred. They said if high-performing Heidelberg students failed after entering the new school, Oakhurst Intermediate, it’s the fault of Oakhurst teachers.
The district already has spent at least $16,520 in Race to the Top funds and anticipates spending an additional $3.6 million by the end of the current fiscal year, according to its board minutes.
Race to the Top was launched in 2009 by President Barack Obama to encourage states and districts to compete against each other for funds.
Applicants that show the most innovation and improvements in test scores have a clear edge.
Some education experts actually have blamed the grant program, along with President George W. Bush’s controversial No Child Left Behind initiative, for the apparent rise in cheating nationwide.
Since 2009, cheating has occurred in at least 38 states and the District of Columbia, according to Bob Schaeffer of the Center for Fair & Open Testing. Much of it is carried out by teachers and administrators instead of by students, who are sometimes unaware it’s even happening.
“This fixation on testing is supposed to improve education, but it often makes it worse,” Schaeffer said. “School officials have a self-interest to make themselves look good.”
To contact Emily Le Coz, call (601) 961-7249 or email elecoz@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @emily_lecoz on Twitter.
At a glance
President Barack Obama launched Race to the Top in 2009. In the program, school districts and states compete against one another for federal grants. The money goes to the states and districts that create conditions for innovation in education. Applicants that show improvements in test scores also have an edge.
Some experts have blamed Race to the Top — as well as former President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind — for an apparent increase in cheating across the United States.
Heidelburg Elementary
QDI in 2010
96
QDI in 2014
226
*QDI, or quality distribution index, is a reflection of student improvement based on test scores.
Race to the Top spending
$16,520
The Clarksdale district has already spent at least $16,520 in Race to the Top funds and anticipates spending an additional $3.6 million by the end of the current fiscal year.
$3.6 million