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The social studies test that some Queens students took twice

Selections from the 2009 fifth-grade social studies test.

Selections from the 2009 fifth-grade social studies test.

The principal who allowed her fifth-graders to re-take parts of the state social studies test told the Times that she had a good reason for doing so. The students, she said, had somehow failed to answer entire sections of the test.

How is that possible? While the Department of Education prepares an official investigation, we thought we’d look at the test itself.

A low-stakes annual exam that’s the first in a battery of social studies tests that students take between fifth and eighth grade, the 2009 test is divided into two booklets. Booklet 1 has multiple choice questions and questions that require short written answers. Booklet 2 has “document-based questions” that require short written answers and an essay. The existence of each booklet and all three parts is clearly stamped on the front page of Booklet 1.

Here’s each booklet in turn:

And Booklet 2:

  • Winston

    This principal can not possibly remain in her position. In the Times article she reportedly told the staff to keep quiet about what she was doing. Claiming that she cheated because it was in the interest of the children is laughable.

  • Jeff S

    Do you think she is the only one? This is the inevitable result of using test scores to determine things such as retention, tenure, closing of schools. But none of this annoys the unqualified, arrogant, uncertified lawyer masquerading as an educator who runs around the country telling the world how he has improved education in NYC with these phony statistics. And the teachers have little choice but to gag along with this to make themselves look good! Does anybody really believe education has improved under this unqualified Chancellor?

  • I noticed that…

    It makes a lot of sense for the principal to not follow state exam guidelines since Klein does not follow state Ed laws.

    Klein and his “empowered” principals are above the law and will cheat, lie and break laws that will benefit them because they supposedly care for the children.

    This principal knows that she will not be removed and she knows that Klein will protect her and she knows that her union will only make her pay a fine. She’ll be back in her office by September coming up with her next scheme will the children didn’t finish the 5th grade math exam or the 4th grade science exam or the 3rd grade ELA exam or…

    Only in America can an administrator caught defrauding a state exams can be considered a casualty because of the empowered decision that must be made!

  • I noticed that…

    Here’s Karen Zuvic’s state licenses:

    Nursery, Kindergarten & Grades 1-6 Provisional Certificate 09/01/1973 08/31/1978 Expired
    Nursery, Kindergarten & Grades 1-6 Permanent Certificate 09/01/1976 Issued
    School Administrator/Supervisor Permanent Certificate 09/01/2005

    You would think that someone with a teaching license since 1973 and has been in the system since then would know better. I assume she has administered at least 30 times of these and other exams before when she was in the classroom, before becoming an administrator. If wasn’t allowed then, why would she think it’s allowed now that she’s an administrator? Or do the state exam guidelines change when a person becomes an administrator?

  • anathema

    You see, administrators like this one don’t have to worry. People like Klein and Bloomberg don’t really care because they want positive stats, if anything, they probably consider her an asset since she’s willing to do anything to make sure her school does well on standardized tests and they all look good, it looks like the administration is doing a great job. They always say they’ll do an “investigation” and eventually everyone forgets about it and nothing ever happens. Also, why do we bother with these surveys, they are basically ignored anyway.

  • Teacher

    OK, I have to say I’m torn on this one. Even though it was clearly against the rules, I can understand why this principal allowed the students to finish the test. It wasn’t as if anyone gave the students the answers, they simply allowed them to go back and answer a section that they hadn’t completed. If it were a classroom test and not a State test, what teacher wouldn’t do that, especially if a teacher proctor hadn’t properly supervised the test takers and assured that all sections were complete before they accepted the test booklets. If I were the parent of a child who hadn’t completed an entire section I would think it would only be fair to allow my child to go back and finish it rather than have the lower score as part of their permanent record. We’re talking a low-stakes 5th grade test here, not the bar exam or a test to qualify for a medical license. Was anyone harmed by this? I think there are much more important things to worry about.

  • http://highschoolmathideas.blogspot.com/ Math Teacher Bklyn

    The students, she said, had somehow failed to answer entire sections of the test.

    I have graded regents before. Students leave questions blank all the time we cannot give them the option of filling in latter even though it may be a nice thing to do.

    Or maybe I misunderstand why teacher let them retake their tests.

    Should be looked if test was administered correctly if a lot students left a good chunk of the test blank yes, then maybe an executive decision can let them retake it

    If a student does the math regents in pencil it cannot be graded is this fare or silly we cannot ask student to comeback and fix it later.

    The state makes rules and teachers have to flow them , maybe principals do not.

  • I noticed that…

    To teacher:
    I totally agree with you if the test had been a teacher-made exam. All teachers allow their students to finish their exams/tests or provide extra time. However, this is still a state-designed exam with specific guidelines that ALL administrators and proctors must follow. That’s the difference.

    I would be amazed and surprised if 5th graders were taking “the bar exam or a test to qualifty for a medical license”. That God it was only the SED Elementary School Social Studies Test.

    We all must abide by these rules and every child was given an 1.5 hours to complete the exam and extended-time for ELLs and special needs students.

  • Teacher

    Cheating is cheating. The principal could have asked the state’s permission before giving the test back. Instead she chose to hush the teachers and try to pull a fast one. I think it was a good point that maybe those 10 students just left questions blank because they didnt know the answer.

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