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ODE clears Groveport Madison of allegation
(by Rick Palsgrove, Southeast Editor - December 10, 2009)
The Ohio Department of Education has found there is "no evidence" to an allegation that Groveport Madison Schools officials asked for a student's building of attendance be changed so the student's failing test scores would not be included in the building's State Report Card results.
The allegation was made last summer by a Groveport Madison staff member and dealt with the state's Education Management Information System (EMIS) data collection reporting, which includes demographics, attendance, course information, financial data, and test results.
"There is no evidence to indicate that the district actually submitted the change to our agency," wrote Ohio Department of Education (ODE) Director of Accountability Jeanine Molock in a letter to the school district, "...a review indicates the student is correctly included in the building report card for Madison Elementary School where he attended classes for the entire school year...Because there is no evidence that Groveport Madison's staff actually submitted the incorrect data, our agency will not pursue this any further."
However, Molock did note the ODE is able to review any school district's data "at any time for inconsistencies."
The Groveport Madison Board of Education also conducted its own investigation into the matter. In a statement released Dec. 9 through its attorney, Fusco, Mackey, Mathews, & Gill, the board noted the district had self-reported the matter to the ODE and acknowledged the ODE's finding that the district "had timely corrected the reporting data" and its decision to take no action against the district.
The board stated it conducted its own investigation to keep with its commitment to "maintaining the highest standards of ethics and propriety with respect to testing procedures and reporting of test scores..."
In its Dec. 9 statement, the board wrote that its investigation revealed its "exacting standards were not strictly adhered to and, as a result, the board has implemented new internal policies and will counsel personnel involved to avoid even the appearance of impropriety in the future and to further ensure that its standards are met."
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