I am a teacher at Harrison High School in Harrison NJ. I worked with the SRA process for the past 12
years. This year I only had 12 Math AHSA folders to complete. I was the students only Math instructor. I
got to pick the Math AHSA problems the students would complete and was told to make sure they
place their answers in the proper place in their answer folders. All the students had similar responses
which should not be a surprised since they were all trained by one instructor. I was shocked when the
scores for the Math AHSA came back and 2 of my students failed a problem that is basic for them. The
problem was a scatter plot that required them to plot points and identify the outlier (extreme value). This is
a topic that these students have had since freshman year.
I remember the problem since we are required to keep a "Record of Copies" that list the problems used
on it.
Following is the responses I got when I tried to communicate that something is wrong with the grading
process. Someone slapped a failing grade on work that was fine.
Sincerely,
Christina Gavin
Subject: RE: Janet Sammons
Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 16:27:44 -0400
From: faye.ball@doe.state.nj.us
To: hanlonchristina@hotmail.com CC:
monica.tone@doe.state.nj.us
The question that both students failed had parts A,6,C,D & E to it. I need to know what part they got
wrong.
THAT INFORMATION CANNOT BE
RELEASED. SECURE TEST ITEMS.
THAT
INFORMATION CANNOT BE
RELEASED. SECURE TEST ITEMS
Also I need to get the answer key for that question.
In the past when answer keys were supplied from the state, there have been several mistakes.
This should not be a problem since the questions have changed for the second
round.
All are SECURE TEST ITEMS
This makes no sense that
2 students failed a very simple question.
-
SINCE TH E
- ----
MATERIALS ARE SECURE, HOW DO YOU
REMEMBER THAT THE QUESTION WAS
SIMPLE. I HOPE ALL COPIES HAVE BEEN
SHREDDED
The students from Harrison were tau ht b one instructor. Why did pass
rom arrison and not those 2 students?
Was it the same grader for both students that failed?
No way of
knowing.
Is it possible to get another person to grade the 2 students that failed?
AHSA
does not have rescore
a grader that gave a passing score to the other students that passed this
question from Harrison.
Preferably
Is there a reason why the second round of questions are harder than the first round?
That IS your
opinion.
.
..
Faye Alease Frieson Ball, Ph.D. SRA
Coordinator
Office of State Assessments
New Jersey Department of Education
P.O. Box 500
100 Riverview Plaza
Trenton, NJ 08625-500
faye. ball@doe.state.nj.us
-
- --- - -
609-984-1970 (work)
609-658-4909 (cell)
609-984-4942 (fax)
From: Christina Gavin
[mailto:hanlonchristina@hotmail.com] Sent: Friday, April 02,
2010 3:10 PM
To: Ball, Faye
Subject: RE: Janet Sammons
I'm not asking you to release the students papers.
The question that both students failed had parts A,B,C,D & E to it. I need to know what part they
got wrong. Also I need to get the answer key for that question. In the past when answer keys
were supplied from the state, there have been several mistakes. This should not be a
problem since the questions have changed for the second round.
This makes no sense that 2 students failed a very simple question. The students from Harrison
were taught by one instructor. Why did all the other students pass from Harrison and not those 2
students?
Was It the same grader for both students that failed?
Is it possible to get another person to grade the 2 students that failed? Preferably a grader that
gave a passing score to the other students that passed this question from Harrison.
Is there a reason why the second round of questions are harder than the first round?
Christina Gavin
Subject: RE: Janet Sammons
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 13:13:54 -0400
From: faye.ball@doe.state.nj.us
To: hanlonchristina@hotmail.com
Your students' responses were scored according to the rubrics.
AHSA does not release student's pa pers. Please refer to the generic
rubrics in the AHSA manual for guidance.
Faye Alease Frieson Ball, Ph.D.
SRA Coordinator
Office of State Assessments
New Jersey Department of Education
P.O. Box 500
100 Riverview Plaza
Trenton, NJ 08625-500
faye. ba II@doe.state. nj. us
609-984-1970 (work) 609-658-4909
(cell)
- - ---
- -. ----------------- ..+ ...............- -.. -..
609-984-4942 (fax)
From: Christina Gavin [mailto:hanlonchristina@hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2010 8:45 AM
To: Ball, Faye
Subject: RE: Janet Sammons
We need to know what exactly was wrong with the students responses that failed.
Christina Gavin
Subject: RE: Janet Sammons
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:51:36 -0400
From: faye.ball@doe.state.nj.us
To: hanlonchristina@hotmail.com
CC: eferrero@harrison.k12.nj.usi monica.tone@doe.state.nj.us
Hello Christina Gavin:
What is your question about your student's scores? You can e-mail me back or call me.
Faye Alease Frieson Ball, Ph.D.
SRA Coordinator
Office of State Assessments
New Jersey Department of Education P.O.
Box 500
100 Riverview Plaza
Trenton, NJ 08625-500
faye. ball@doe.state. nj. us 609-984-1970
(work) 609-658-4909 (cell)
609-984-4942 (fax)
From: Christina Gavin [mailto:hanlonchristina@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 2:48 PM
To: Ball, Faye
Cc: eferrero@harrison.k12.nj.us
Subject: FW: Janet Sammons
Dr Faye Ball,
Can you please help me get in touch with Janet Sammons? We need to know why certain
students failed the AHSA at Harison High School.
Thanks,
Christina Gavin
From: hanlonchristlna@hotmail.com To:
monica.tone@doe.state.nj.us
- -
-
- - -
- .. .
CC: eferrero@harrison.k12.nj.us Subject: Janet
Sammons
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:21:13 +0000
Hi Monica,
How can I get in touch with Janet Sammons? In the AHSA Administration manual page
11, it says
"Questions about students' AHSA scores may be directed to Janet Sammons, AHSA Project
Assistant at the HSPA helpdesk at MI."
t-dtaled the 1-800-57Z-1uLl-~ numcer ana-tney sal not
hold the titles that the phone message required.
notUleave a message since I did
I need to know why certain students from Harrison high school failed some of the questions on
the AHSA.
Thanks,
Christina Gavin
--
b=- ___ - - - - - - - -
Good Afternoon
My name is Donald Jackson and I live at 79 Treacy AVE Newark NJ 07108 and my
telephone number is 973-824-0365.
I am one of the students who organized the walkout April 27th 201 a in the city of
Newark. For the record, no teacher, principal, union leader, school official, board
member, or politician came to any of us students and said we should walkout. You can
tell the governor that he is mistaken. We students chose to walkout. We the students
walked out to protest the govemor and this senate's decision to slice and dice millions of
dollars from our urban school districts. We the students also walked out to protest the
decision to get rid of thousands of employees in Newark that the dear superintendent
plans to do. We walked out to protest the social workers and other programs that the
govemor and the superintendent will cut: at least they think they will cut them.
As a grandson and cousin of teachers in the state of New Jersey, I find it disturbing that
the govemor and people across this sate think teachers are useless. For the past 5 months
I have heard that teachers do nothing but babysit. Some have gone as far as saying that
teachers do no work and are a waste of money. Well, if you think teachers are the
problem and they do nothing, you are sadly mistaken. Teachers dedicate all of their time
to teaching. My grandmother doesn't come in and read the paper all day. She comes in
with dedication with her saying reach all teach all.
Alii have heard from the governor is bashing teachers. This governor needs to get his
act together and stop blaming hard working people for the flats of the state.
Chris Christi claims the Newark is a failure model of education and is an embarrassment
to the state. Weill would like to add that Newark public schools is run by the sate of New
Jersey and has been for the past 15 years and has done worse than before the state came
in. the teachers who ran the classrooms before the state took over seemed to do the job
then, why cant they do it now. The problems in Newark are solely the fault of the State of
New Jersey.
There may be some teachers who don't do the right thing across the state, but not all of
the teachers are bad. The system is the bad thing here and every one trying to get over
instead of keeping the importance at hand and that's educating all of our students
throughout the state of New Jersey.