Staff Writer

This past Monday evening Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Goode sat before a Fairfield County courtroom to thrash out the dispute between the Fairfield Parents Association, Inc and the school district.

Judge Goode asked for clarification referring to information he had obtained from media coverage concerning the response attributed to the superintendent.

The media had reported that the district had promised parents that the CRT (9 week test) results would not be used in last years grades unless it improved the final grade.

School district attorney, David Duff, responded that if the judge allowed the use of the CRT for last year’s grades then the teachers would redo the computations for the grades when they return in the fall.

He said they had not planned to recall teachers to do this in the summer but were waiting for the judge to reconsider the use of the

CRT for grading in the 2007-08 year.

When Goode asked what the school board planned to do with the CRT in the upcoming year, Duff said that it was the intention of the board and the administration to use it for “assessment and factor in grades.”

Duff went on to say that for the 2008-2009 year the proposed plan, that will be submitted to the board, will include a change of the grading plan from having the CRT count as 20% for all student to 20% for upper level grades, 15% for mid level grades and 10% for elementary level grades.

Judge Goode asked if the CRT was designed with requirements of policy IKE.

Duff said that if the board passes the second reading of the IKE policy change then the CRT would be a part of that plan.

Duff mentioned that the administration proceeded with the CRT with the understanding that they had board approval because two motions to block the use of the CRT made by board member McDaniel both failed.

The motion that failed in March was defeated 4-3 and the subsequent motion failed in a 3-3 tie.

Attorney for the Fairfield Parents Association, Inc, Glenn Walters, said that the district had never produced documents that showed the board ever approved the CRT.

He claimed that there was no authority to implement CRT. He also said, “adults have run amuck and the kids are losing.”

Goode said that he has not seen a handbook, sales sheet or any propaganda that shows that the CRT is more than just an achievement test.

Goode said that Superintendent Ingram might have the right to give the test but not the right to make a unilateral decision to use the test for grading purposes.

Duff’s rebuttal was that CRT was meant to give a final grade in compliance with board approved policy IKE and that Dr. Ingram was the instructional leader.

He sited past statistics that 90% of 8th graders did not meet state standards in math and language arts but still went to 9th grade. Duff said that teachers give As and Bs to students who have not mastered the state standards.

“Fairfield county students are as bright as any in the state”, Goode remarked then added that the problem was not with the children but with the teachers.

Using a “Teacher Smith” for example, Goode asks that if 60% of her students did not meet state standards and students were punished because of this, what would happen to the teacher?

He wanted to know if the teacher would get additional instruction because as he saw it, “the only person paying the price is the student.”

“You make a good point” Duff said. Students who fall below standards get help.

Goode asked again, “what about the teachers?”

His comments included, “are teachers being sent to summer school?” “Are their salaries being reduced?”

According to Duff, teachers with tenure are protected and the district can not just terminate subpar teacher without a year to try to improve.

Ingram reported that “ten teachers are on the improvement plan.”

Walters said that the district had “violated their own policy” and that the “superintendent and board are contrary to each other.”

Goode asked both attorneys to submit a written proposal to him and that he would then issue his order soon thereafter.

“I beg the two of you to get into a dialog...we don’t need to be at odds” Goode said.

He went on to say that there needs to be an amiable consensus that would be mutually acceptable.

“We don’t have a year to burn”, Goode said.

Judge Goode ended by quoting what his parents taught him concerning children, “we owe them love and an education.”