• Tweet
• Share
• Email
• Print

Green Bay, WI - The investigation into the Green Bay School District's testing policies is now closed. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction said they've concluded their investigation after a former principal allowed teachers at Eisenhower Elementary School to use practice tests with real questions from the WKCE tests.

The investigation began in October 2011 and ended in April 2012. And DPI said the testing irregularities are limited only to Eisenhower.

“I think there's an enormous amount of pressure on teachers to increase testing scores, and there's a level of accountability that's very important,” said Michelle Langenfeld, Green Bay School Dist. Superintendent.

DPI said teachers and principals around the district "self-reported" anything that might be a testing issue. DPI found only four other minor irregularities that will not be investigated further.

"We want to ensure that our focus is on learning,” said Langenfeld. “Our focus is really about learning, as opposed to teaching to the test."

Read the full report here.

In the report, it said the practice tests contained "live questions". In the 2011 WKCE tests, for grades three and four, there were 36%, or 18 questions of live test items, and 76% in grade five.

“One thing we've been working with the Department of Public Instruction is to insure that we have standardize testing protocols,” said Langenfeld.

Also in the report, there are new guidelines for testing. The list includes rules such as prohibiting the use of prior WKCE testing exams at all. And test prep will now go through a coordinator.

The district said the former Eisenhower principal, Claudia Orr, will maintain her role as Director of Professional Learning. She has a contract until the end of the 2013 school year.