BANGOR, Maine — A series of letters sent to the Department of Education reveals that some teachers and staff at Orono Middle School in 2011 felt pressured by their “often intense and intimidating” principal to have special education students revisit and alter standardized tests after they had been handed in and boxed up.
Robert Lucy, the former principal who now serves as assistant superintendent of the Bangor school system, denied having ever told teachers to knowingly violate testing rules.
In response to a Bangor Daily News Freedom of Access Act request, the Department of Education released documents on Oct. 5 related to its investigation into “testing irregularities” at Orono Middle School during 2011 New England Common Assessment Program testing.
“I was feeling extreme pressure from Mr. Lucy to not only re-administer and complete the tests, but to also ensure that I was getting the most out of my students as I could,” one teacher reported to the department.
Included in the documents are letters Lucy wrote to Department of Education officials and his then-superintendent during the department’s investigation.
“It was never my intention for someone to feel pressure to do something other than what was appropriate and consistent with testing procedures,” Lucy wrote to RSU 26 Superintendent Douglas Smith on Oct. 31, 2011.
Less than a month later, the Department of Education finished a report that found there was “incontrovertible evidence that some students revisited the NECAP test after the time permitted either by their [Individualized Education Program] accommodations or for makeup testing” that are “clearly stated” in testing manuals.
Lucy has declined repeated requests for interviews, including one on Sunday.
The Bangor School District placed Lucy on paid administrative leave on Sept. 19, the day after the BDN published a story about the Department of Education’s report on the testing violations. Superintendent Betsy Webb has said she was not aware of the testing investigation prior to hiring Lucy in May and that he will remain on leave until the school department completes its own review of the Orono Middle School testing complaints. Lucy had been Orono Middle School’s principal for 12 years.
Webb said Friday that the school district has hired attorney Daniel Stockford of Lewiston to gather and review materials related to the investigation and provide his findings to Webb.
“I will make a determination, and it will be at that point when I decide whether to bring it to the school committee,” Webb said, adding that the school committee would not be updated until the end of the investigation because it needs to remain impartial during the process.
She said she has no timeline on how long the investigation might take and that she has not yet seen any documents associated with Stockford’s investigation.
The documents the Department of Education received from school staff for its review of the testing irregularities show some staff members felt they were pushed to re-administer tests and unwittingly break testing regulations.
In a letter to Douglas Smith, Sharon Brady, the director of special services for RSU 26, said two special education teachers and the school’s testing coordinator came to her after NECAP testing last year to complain about Lucy’s actions.
“My two teachers report that Mr. Lucy is often intense and intimidating toward them, specifically around schoolwide testing results,” Brady wrote. “[The teachers and testing coordinator] agreed that Mr. Lucy has lost his perspective and is completely obsessed with testing scores and the school’s image.”
Two months before the 2011 testing, Orono Middle School was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School. That award recognizes high academic performance and closing achievement gaps.
Brady also states that the school’s testing coordinator told her 2011 was the third year in which Lucy reviewed test booklets, and each year she attempted to inform him he was not allowed to do so. The letter does not state whether Lucy directed students to add answers following testing sessions in those years.
The testing coordinator makes no mention of previous years’ incidents in her letters and notes provided by the Department of Education regarding the 2011 testing.
The BDN is not naming the staff members involved because they have expressed fear of retaliation.
Department of Education spokesman David Connerty-Marin has said the department does not have any records of any assessment investigations involving Lucy before 2011. The department had not planned to look into previous years’ testing because the complaint it received and investigated involved only the 2011 tests, he has said.
On Oct. 18, 2011, Lucy approached one of the teachers about “reintroducing” one of the writing sections of a test to a student, according to a teacher’s letter. The teacher said that made her “uneasy.” Two days later, Lucy approached the same teacher again.
“His repeated discussions with me led me to feel pressured to have [the student] redo the testing,” the teacher wrote.
During the testing period, Lucy reviewed test booklets that had been boxed and left in his office for safekeeping, according to documents sent to the Department of Education. The tests were scheduled to be shipped on Oct. 26.
On Monday, Oct. 24, Lucy approached the testing coordinator and a second teacher about the tests. In his office, Lucy had spread the tests out on the table, placing sticky notes containing the numbers of questions that were left blank or he felt were unsatisfactory, according to the coordinator.
For example, Lucy said he saw some missing and duplicated answers, as well a section where a student wrote “I don’t know” on each question.
The teachers reported that Lucy directed them to have students revisit those questions. The teachers and testing coordinator said they resisted re-administering the tests at first, but eventually did as the principal asked.
One teacher said Lucy told them “that it was not acceptable for [a student] to not do as well on this year’s NECAP test as he did last year.” Both teachers and the testing coordinator Lucy spoke with described the conversations as “intense.” One of the two teachers cried after her meeting with Lucy, according to Brady’s letter.
The test coordinator contacted Susan Smith, who at the time was NECAP coordinator for the state, on Oct. 24 to ask for clarification. Smith has since retired.
Smith sent a response quoting the testing manual, which states that test administrators may not look through the booklets to view responses and that only absent students or students who become ill during testing are allowed to finish test sessions after their books are passed in.
In an explanation to Susan Smith, Lucy wrote that he was not looking at the booklets to review student answers, but rather to perform duties required of the principal or test coordinator before sending away tests.
Those duties include making sure all test materials have been turned in, verifying the front cover has the appropriate student information, checking the second page and making sure the books are in good condition and free of loose paper. He said that he noticed missing answers during that process. Reviewing answers and recommending make-up sessions is not a principal or test coordinator duty that appears on the list.
“I felt it was part of my responsibility as principal/co-test coordinator,” Lucy wrote.
Lucy argued in several letters that he is not a “test administrator” and said he never told teachers or the testing coordinator “to do anything that knowingly violated NECAP testing protocols,” but rather asked the teachers to see whether there were any accommodations or absences that might allow the students to get a chance to complete parts of the test. The teachers and coordinator each stated that they were asked directly and “pressured” into holding makeup sessions for the students that didn’t follow procedure.
Lucy told the testing coordinator that he believed students were absent during certain testing sessions, but after the tests were readministered, the coordinator found that school records didn’t record absences in several cases.
The coordinator reported to the department that she was concerned about affected students officially listed as present when the principal claimed they were absent during testing, according to the Department of Education’s report.
“The office sheets did not show these students absent,” she said in the report. “I then approached my principal again to inquire why their names were missing on the attendance reports. That is when he told me that the secretary ‘doesn’t always get it right’ because there is a lot of ‘coming and going’ and he assured me they were absent.”
In letters to Susan Smith and Douglas Smith, Lucy cited one example from a couple of years ago in which a student was absent from school during the reading section of the NECAP and her test booklet was submitted without her getting a chance to take a makeup. Lucy argued that he was trying to avoid those types of situations by reviewing the test booklets for missed questions and sections.
None of the 2011 tests were revisited during “permitted makeup sessions,” the department found.
“I wanted to make sure we did everything as a school we possibly could do legally to ensure the NECAP testing reflected what [students] knew and could do in the subject areas of reading and math,” Lucy wrote.
The Principal and Test Coordinator Manual for NECAP states: “Under no circumstances are students to be prompted to revise, edit or complete any test questions during or after testing. Once a student has completed a session and has handed in his or her student answer booklet, test administrators may not look through the booklets to view student responses.”
That message is repeated in a “reminder” printed on multiple pages throughout the manual.
As a result of its investigation, the Department of Education directed Lucy, test administrators, the test coordinator and special education director to undergo training prior to the next NECAP test, which is currently under way. The department also invalidated scores for some answers on four students’ tests and the entire test of one student.
The department forwarded information from the investigation to its Office of Certification for review. The department cannot comment on an individual’s certification status unless some action is taken and their status changes, according to Connerty-Marin, who said he could not comment on Lucy’s certification status.
Lucy maintained in his letters that he didn’t believe he overstepped his bounds and duties as principal and co-test coordinator, and that he was trying to act in the best interest of his students and school.
“I try to convey high expectations for learning to all of our school community,” Lucy wrote to Smith, “but I am not doing that because of my self-worth or our school image, but rather to try and ensure each student is given the opportunity to realize their greatest potential.”
Do not worry Bob Betsy will defend you. Talk about gaming the system and being dishonest just to make yourself look better . Seems like the Bangor school system has been doing that a long time.
all schools do…. :-)
Yes but that dose not make it right? Bangor is a very good school for some kids . No so much so for disadvantage kids. What gets me is all the misleading BS. they feed people . DR. Webb is in denial about the dropout rate and drug problems but says she needs a $7 million dollar football field . Wait a second I can name local schools with no Football teacher paid much less and lower drop out rates. Make yourself look better bend the truth without being caught in a lie. You get more money. Mr. Lucy did things to make his school LOOK better well he was the highest paid middle school principal in Maine. Same with Dr. Webb she is the highest Paid super in the State. Why can’t they just be honest?
Gee why woud you expect them to be honest.. Opportunists…
We have a failed system In society now times have changed . liberals blame republicans an vice versa . Everyone wants something they did not earn . Look at the bail outs insider trading worth billions. People on State fed aid do not even try. Both sides have points but the real problem is most people want something they did not earn . Why must people fight and not see what really is happening . Lost of values . Has nothing to do with religion . Hard work does not pay off like it once did but cheating the system dose.
Because people don’t want to look behind the curtain and see who is really running the show. No one wants to be responsible, good example of banks, wall street and then individual people. That leaves those folks that have good values, work ethics and a dream out in the cold and wondering what happened to their country that they have worked and fought so hard to have. The betrayal runs deep and will continue, I’m afraid. No election is going to change that perspective. If the people could just wake up, but alas, they have gotten to comfortable and have been ‘bought’. The rest of us were sold a bill of goods. It’s all about window dressing, no substance. Schools are only as good as what dedication and a belief that all students are valuable. No cheating. But, in small towns, it’s who you know.
and schools are only as good as the dedication of parents who value education and impart those values to their children.
As for the small towns comment, in Maine at least it transcends to our bigger cities. Bangor is a prime example of that.
Just blame the Parents some if not most teachers do. That to me is like the alcoholic blaming his mom and dad for his drinking. An excuse but dose nothing to fix the problem. Yes teachers have it tough with some students . But a system that is totally biased for the upper middle class dose not help those kids who need it most. Squeaky wheel gets the grease. Most of those parents do not advocate for thier kids. Most teachers care a great deal and are good. Just saying the system makes it hard to help as much as they would like. All this test BS. Dose nothing to prepare kids for the real world .
You forgot to blame the Rich Koch Brothers…
Alec bills and move on.org.
I agree that parents needs to be involved, but where were they when their children were being retested? Also, I was born and raised in a small town in Maine, a child whose was born on the wrong side of the tracks, can’t make any dent in achieving their goals…and as far as Bangor is concerned, IT IS who you know and where you live is how you get treated…even if the parents are involved in every known possible. One can only beat their heads so many times to get the same results….insanity.
I remember saying back in the 80s that we were running a daycare and it wasn’t even a good one!
Speaking of schools, maybe you should go back for a few years.
It took me a long time to unlearn the lies I was taught . Let use Columbus the Brave explorer example. Genocidal maniac more like it. I will never learn to spell or wright . But I do not do bad for a kid with a IQ in the 70s . (found the papers many years latter) In Psy 101 I was taught IQ dose not change much . My maybe I will never wright well or even spell but I was not as indoctrinated because I did not learn much In school . I would care to bet I am better at numbers (not higher maths) than most teachers. My professional Lic 70% of 2 year degree student fail on the first try I passed mine without college . Good thing because most likely I would have failed if I went back too school a few more years. I love to learn things . Just no fan of formal education. It waste too much money for what you get out of it. I think we could apply Sturgeons Law to education.
The lack of leadership from the Bangor School Committee on this issue is bordering on disgraceful. My concern about this story has less to do with the teachers who were pressured to help the kids cheat, and more with the kids themselves who were required to cheat. This isn’t just about a cheating principal, it’s also about a bad hiring decision. The School Committee needs to develop a spine and get involved in this.
Even Kate Dickerson must chose her battles wisely . When someone say hey it is not perfect yet they get railroaded . More like a dictatorship than a democracy . I like what Kate tries to do (from what I read). Just saying most do not tolerate people who make waves . Fight the wrong battle and you can not help in another area. Kate will not just stand back she will have to resign. I agree with you 100% Bangorian on this issue .
You’re statements are true. It’s unreal that the school committee is as ham-strung as it is. Too many years of the same sort of leadership…..
We have superintendents who have run amok in their fiefdoms. They are no longer servants of the public but have their own “network” where they feel no vulnerability. A superintendent is completely free to blackball a teacher, meaning that the teacher will never work again in this state. If you’d invested yourself in teaching, what would you do? You’d shut up and hide out.
That may be true, but we have school committees to hold those Superintendents to account. For some reason, in Bangor, that process seems to have become reversed.
and sadly it is like that in some other places. Many schoolboards blindly support their superintendent, regardless of the situation. Reminder to schoolboards, the superintendent, by law, answers to YOU.
It’s been like that quite a long time and not just in Bangor. Ask around.
Bingo….
I was in it and they have. You are right on.
If Mr. Lucy was in Texas, he would be prosecuted. http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2012/10/05/news/nation/test-scandal-gets-ex-school-chief-3-years-in-prison/
If some of the school teachers in maine taught the schools would be full of Ed Techs
The whole testing thing is basically a scam…It proports to tell you stuff that ain’t true. Years ago when I was a high school dept chairman we hired two professional testing experts to look at our curriculum and give us advice on how to test…..They both said…We can help you organize a test……with this caveat……If you spend more than TWENTY MINUTES analyzing the results, you are wasting your time…The point of having standardized tests is to sap every bit out the creativity in education so that graduates will be satisfied doing unimaginative boring work in big box stores…..I wish parents would read about the fallacies in standarized testing and refuse to let their kids take the unreliable and invalid tests.
Schools are more about Indoctrination than education . Please explain why Columbus was a brave explorer and we celebrate a holiday for him. Not say we should teach all the gruesome details . Just saying they would never Dare teach the good Hitler did. Both men did good things both did very evil things.
The book Standardized Minds pretty much says the same thing.
And yet another reason for the testing mania is so that basically all schools will be deemed as failing, so then proponents of privatizing education will have fodder to say, Look, our schools are failing, let the corporations run them and we’re sure to see improvements.
Why would an adult let themselves be bullied? If you know it’s not right, then stand up for what you know is.
You obviously don’t know the family.
I can say if you have a boss, you better do what the boss says, or someone else surely will (well, only if you want to keep your job). I once observed a group of children asked to come in a room and retake their NECAP test, one was in there crying and taking it. I knew the testing had already been done, so when I saw the teacher and the principal together in the breakroom I asked “I thought the rules were really specific about students not going back and redoing a test unless they were absent”? And quite matter of factly I was told “NO, if we feel the student didn’t do their best we can have them redo it”. Now I knew that wasn’t true…..but then what? If I report it above that level, I’ll work myself right out of a job.
Interesting, I wonder how widespread such incidents really are?
Widespread, that’s why they feel safe doing it.
This is America folks, and there are laws to protect you in the work place. Some people are up for the challenge and some are not.
How would you suggest those teachers “stand up” for what’s right against their own employers?
Report to the Principal? Can’t – he’s the problem.
Report to the Superintendent? Maybe, depending on his/her relationship with the Principal. If the relationship is friendly, the superintendent tells the principal and the principal retaliates. If the relationship is not friendly, the superintendent investigates (the principal now knows and is in a position to retaliate), sees a problem, realizes s/he is potentially impacted by said problem and sweeps it under the rug.
All this time, the real issue isn’t local at all – it’s a state-level test. So, the logical place to report it is the State Department of Education. And – speaking from experience – that doesn’t always do as much as you’d like to think it should because the DoE knows the superintendent (administration) way better than they know any other school staff.
It’s not easy to do the right thing and I’m sure the teachers worried over their decision for a long time.
No one said it was easy. Doing the right thing often isn’t.
If you’re alluding to the teachers who felt bullied, I can give you a good reason why they’d go along with it. JOBS! More and more around this country, student test scores are being used to evaluate teachers, and if teachers are deemed “failing” because his/her student test scores are not what they should be, they can be fired. Just look at states like NY, TX, NJ, etc. Do you know what the most accurate predictor of student success in school is–parents’ income.
Why does the newspaper think that it’s okay to smear Mr. Lucy’s reputation but then not mention the teachers who are making these accusations by name? Seems like a double standard to me. I know schools are under pressure to perform well on these standardized tests. The principal said he wanted teachers to do everything “possible legally” to help students succeed and they interpreted that to mean he was obsessed with test scores? As an outsider, it looks like some teachers didn’t like being held accountable and decided to take it out on their boss by complaining to the state.
The real story is why our state (and the nation) keeps wasting valuable educational time with standardized tests that are not an accurate measurement of anything other than the ability to take a standardized test. Whatever happened to teaching real skills and encouraging our young people to have a love of learning?
Because the States investigation already found him guilty . I am not saying bob is a bad guy but he clearly bent the rules. Now Betsy Webb has hired a lawyer to defend him . Lucy also had his brother who is a lawyer advise him . If he did nothing wrong why is he hiding . We have law to protect whistle blowers . I know bob was a former teacher of mine years ago . He is not evil just hates to loose win at all cost. Kinda like the football coach that hit a kid. Some do a good job not playing by the rules other have to play by.
Betsy Webb hasn’t hired anybody to defend Lucy. She has hired a lawyer to investigate Lucy. BIG difference.
Tell me why would she have to hire a lawyer to investigate ? Seems like its all in black in white. He has not been charged with criminal charges . In a cival matter he already lost . Point is either fire him or not why waste Tax payer dollars ? Seems it would be her job to investigate at being paid $145k ++ a year. This coming from a school board member the truth is know one knows the drop out rate. If she can not track important thing like how many kids drop out. Why do we pay her? Seems her doctoral paper was wrighting about the unspoken rule in education how ironic that is. Then she goes on to talk about the importants of early childhood education . With Gastia (who was asked to leave) and Ross (Tipped off Carlson) Seems Gastia was a bit easy on her sons case . “I could release the Names but I will not”. My point is Bangor has one of the higher drop out rates in the State of Maine. Adjust for family incomes, minority base, and teacher pay it is probably the highest. Not politically correct to expect less drop out with less minorities of higher teacher pay. Just why is she worth $145k?
Did you not read the story? The attorney will review the materials of the cheating case and report what he finds to Webb. If Lucy needs to be fired, the attorney needs to advise the school department on whether it can even be done, and on what grounds.
Lucy was not involved in any civil proceeding. I don’t know where you got that from.
Webb’s job is to oversee the school department, not oversee everyone’s job. Just how do you think she would be able to find the time to conduct her own investigation? And just how do you think she is knowledgeable about the ins and outs of employment law, if Lucy should be fired?
Please spell correctly. People will take you more seriously.
I would Say thier is 168 hours in a week . She is payed enough if she is that great. Seems she always get a raise even in budget cuts. She spends enough time misleading trying to make herself look good . She claims credit for all the good things she does but not blame for the not so good things. In fact defends them . I see a lot wrong with education . I was a slow learner in school . Many years latter I saw My IQ results . Took psy 101 Learned how IQ dose not change much (another Myth still taught). Yes some kids start out behind but some will catch up. Even with the brain cells I destroyed in My 20s It amazes me how people so much more educated than I (who can spell) . Have no understanding of math . Accept what is taught as fact. And go on thinking they are smarter than other people . Has that changed much? Home work 50% of kids grade test scores 30% in some classes like that puts kids on the wrong side of the tracks on a level playing field . Third grade Science fair At a bangor school a few years back the kid who came form a troubled family had no project and cried that day. The kids who had parents do the project. Believe me I can tell At a level beyound what you would expect from a high schooler . Got an A. Seems the system under Webb who is in charge is Gamed for some. When what that dose is destroys one kids self esteem and bolsters another. If you think your stupid must people will not even try. Those kids become the drop outs that are not counter in the test scores to Make Bangor look good. Sorry No one is held accountable . Who about the ones who had parents do the project failed for cheating. Seems cheating is condoned in this society and some people do not know the rules. It is designed to make the elite look more elite. At the cost of the not so elite.
Mr. Henderson, your “points” throughout are all over the place. With comments about Mr. Lucy’s ethics all the way to Christopher Columbus…you certainly have an opinion on everything wrong with the world. I sincerely hope that you did not attend any of the Orono Public Schools, as your apparent lack of typing skills and /or mastery of the English language is alarming. I suspect that you are one who simply loves instigating any/all issues, for your personal amusement. I am a taxpayer in Orono, and I graduated 1 year behind Mr. Lucy from Orono High School. We certainly are not, nor have we ever been – “friends”. Bob has always been a very “intense” person, and at times, has acted irrationally with his decision making. In fairness, the Town of Orono knew exactly what they had when they hired him as Principal. If the allegations of inappropriate conduct are true, then it is my opinion that the Bangor School Committee should take some sort of action. I am not on the committee – I have no idea what that action would be. According to the article, a lawyer has been hired to investigate the allegations against Mr. Lucy, and I would assume, the hiring procedures that Ms. Webb used to choose him. Should it be deemed necessary, appropriate actions will, more than likely, be taken. However, there is no need for comments from anyone about his family, or anything not relevant to this singular accusation. Despite this allegation, Mr. Lucy is fairly well liked in Orono, and for the most part, folks here have gotten past this. We have moved on. Please allow the process to finish. As a final note, based on your opinions and comments, I would suggest that you yourself, run for the Bangor School Committee . It certainly appears that with your insight and opinions, you would “enhance” the membership in a most amusing fashion.
So Funny Mr. Bob Lucy was one of my teachers some 25 years ago. Yes I could certainly stir things up a bit. I admit I can be a bit eccentric. I think everything a person dose effects someone else n some ways some for the better some not. I bought Up Columbus because My son was running around they play ground saying I am Columbus . I had to ask his teacher Just what are you teaching him The brave explorer went off to find a new land BS. That may be true . I would are to be if he Said I am Hitler playing the teacher would have issues . Him being 1/4th native American I felt I had to tell him the man did many bad things. We may have come a long ways as a society but n some ways we have not. seems cheaters get ahead most the time. I would not be too popular as a school board member but it would be lots of fun. I will never understand people who are afraid to make waves and just go long with things that they do not agree with. Guess you have too with some jobs. Reality is subjective . I would care to bet More teacher come from families of net worths more than a $1million than grew up disadvantage . You might say that has nothing to do with it . I say it has everything to do with it. This is fun.
Please tell me that he wasn’t your writing or spelling teacher!
Gym . I never showed up much for class .
Just to refresh your memory.The Town of Orono (let’s not split hairs,please)didn’t hire anyone.The superintendent nominates,and the school board hires.I’ll bet you knew that already,didn’t you?
Yes I did. I also know that the superintendent and school board were hired/elected by members of the town. Therefore, truly, anyone who works for the school department is hired by the town.
Love the way you use such a broad brush to support your argument. :)
I am the one who liked your comment! :)
Well golly,thanks. I’ll return the favor, and might I also add, that I’m glad your finally beginning to see the light.Remember, it takes a big man/woman to admit their mistakes. :)
He forgot to read the story.LOL
Ok A DOE investigation . Not criminal not civil you are right.
Webb’s son has nothing to do with this case. Nor does the Police Department.
No it does not directly . It MAY have something to do with her character. Rules are bent of some people. I had an interesting talk with Grant Standbrooke Years ago about some of his boys. Seem most the hockey players that you read about in the paper were on there second or third chance first. Being from the other side of the tracks I did not get those chances . I would also take it the assistant DA. Lied in court. Judge told him get your facts straight before you come back in my court room! I see the world much differently than you read about in the paper . You would say prove he lied.
Who is the lawyer, someone should call and ask what he was hired for? Simple. Get facts, then decide what to do about the facts.
Point is he cheated. Do you want to teach kids that is OK ? Yes the test are a bunch of BS. I agree . Now if Bangor keeps this man after he was caught red handed maybe we need a closer look at Bangor schools . Seems like Bangor has real high test scores but also between 10th an 15th highest drop out rate in Maine. Factor in teacher pay , Income and minority rate in Bangor and it is even lower. Yes Lewiston has a higher dropout rate but look at the makeup of minorities . It is not all about the test scores .
Gee, is it too late to take out papers for the School Committee election?
It’s always preferable to complain about something from the “inside” rather than the Cheap Seats.
All the Husson buds sticking together.
Your conspiracy theory cries for further explanation…
wt, it is way past the time to deal with the breach of public trust issues in our local officialdom don’t you think?
You got that right!
No and sorry, the rules for the testing is the same for all schools. You don’t agree with the testing in general, fine your opinion but the facts remain that Mr. Lucy tried to manipulate the system to HIS advantage….
“The BDN is not naming the staff members involved because they have expressed fear of retaliation”.
Yet it’s entirely fine to potentially slander Mr. Lucy?
Whatever happened to “innocent until proven guilty”, or does that only apply to Unionized Teachers and not Management?
While I don’t agree with all school committee decisions, like naming schools during a person’s lifetime, I find Mrs. Webb to be a measurable improvement over recent leadership and most willing to make the Tough Decisions when needed.
Mr. Sawyer, Obviously you’re definitely “connected” w/the powers that be. You are not too connected w/the “unionized teachers” who have to live under Ms. Webb’s autocratic rule. Maybe from the outside looking in, Ms. Webb is an “improvement.” She is destroying teacher morale & her own credibility unnecessarily for what purpose? If you know Mrs. Webb very well than you can not deny that she is on an intense ego trip & it is truly “my way or the highway.” Mr. Lucy should be given a fair opportunity for everything to play out. On the surface, it appears that he made a mistake. If true, that mistake, no matter how well intentioned, might well go to the heart of credibility & integrity. Traits that are vital in any organization. I have no doubt that Mr. Lucy is going to be thrown under the bus by Mrs. Webb & the School Committee. They are conducting an “investigation” to give them legal & political cover only. In the meantime, Mrs. Webb will continue her divisive ways & be supported by the powers that be…
P.S. Forgot to include this next about naming schools after living persons. James Doughty deserved that & more. That guy was absolutely instrumental in turning the Bangor School System around in a very positive manner. Under his leadership, teacher morale & motivation was strong, pride in the schools was felt from students, faculty, staffers, parents, administrators, & the community @ large. The man is a giant & humble @ the same time. He deserved that honor while he is still alive & much more.
Too bad that Bangor High hasn’t yet been renamed in honor of longtime Principal Norris Nickerson, perhaps the kindest educator in all of Maine during his many glorious years as the commander in chief. He was beloved by all teachers, staff, students, and parents. A gentle man and a gentleman. No?
What I “think” is that we live in a Republic, were we elect our neighbors to make critical decisions on our behalf.
Actually, I come from a family of teachers, and was graduated with a BA in Education oh so many years ago. I just don’t fine Unions to be helpful, either to good governance, nor to the very members they claim to be helping after collecting their money.
When I thought I could do a better job, I ran for the SAD 22 School Committee, and tried my best to make a difference for two terms.
When I thought I could do a better job, I ran for the City Council, and tried my best to make a difference for two terms.
When I thought I could do a better job, I ran for the State Senate,and tried my best to make a difference for two terms.
I would encourage folks, like you, who are this unhappy with decisions made on our behalf by others who appear to you to be “connected”; to actually get off your duff, take the hateful comments of others who sit in the “cheap seats”, and run for elected office.
Mrs. Webb is hired and fired by the Bangor School Committee. I would suggest you begin your new career by running for one of those positions!
BTW, I’m a HUGE fan of Jim Doughty’s. However, just as the City Council should NOT name public buildings without a great deal of Public Input and Discussion from Bangor citizens; the School Committee should NOT be naming public buildings without input from Bangor citizens.
Talk about the ultimate “insider” decision…
Should that not name buildings after living people apply to mountains as well Mr. Sawyer? You know like the mountain of trash next to I-95 in Hampden named for you.
I get jealous myself… Just try not to show it publicly.
Like I keep saying, you don’t like something? Step up to the plate and offer to provide a solution! You just might find it fulfilling.
“Think” about your very first sentence:
“What I “think” is that we live in a Republic, were we elect our neighbors to make critical decisions on our behalf.” (Your words, not my Sic(s))
You then dismiss your own argument for “representative government” when you complain about an elected school committee making decisions on your behalf.
In any event, this exchange solves nothing & Mrs. Webb will still run roughshod over anyone who gets in her way.
True enough, “this exchange solves nothing”.
Feel better now?
I do!
I believe we all know the facts. This should not be a criminal investigation. Mr Lucy made a bad decision. Do we know who is going to be paying for the lawyer from Lewiston? Will the taxpayers of Bangor have to foot this bill? I’m sure the lawyer bills into the three figures per hour? Very likely. Does he bill for travel time also? Probably. Where will the money come from in this already stretched school budget? Will we lose more teachers, trainers and aids as a result? He’s been on paid “vacation” since Sept 19. Personally, I’ve not been able to take more than a week off in more than 30 years. This is getting old real fast to the taxpayers of Bangor! I’m sure those who have thrown him under the bus from Orono Middle School are getting a good laugh, but time to move on here. There are students to educate and the attention of the Superintendents office is better spent on those matters
I agree with one major point: This is a small part of a big problem on how we evaluate how our children are learning. Standardized tests tell us nothing but push kids toward arbitrary numbers that tell you nothing of their individual intelligence. Glad to see Mr. Lucy explain some of his reasoning, wondering why he never chose to speak with the paper before all this came out (and apparently still won’t talk to them) … perhaps he just knew he was in the wrong.
One of my earliest lessons in the Legislature was, “It’s entirely one thing to see something that needs to be changed… and entirely another thing to come up with a system that actually fixes the problem”!
I don’t disagree with your basic point. However, show me a system that “fixes” the problem rather than suffer the Unintended Consequences that so often comes with “unknown solutions”.
The paper has a duty to report on matters of public concern, regardless of whether the truth makes someone look bad.There appears to be mounting credible evidence that Lucy did in fact violate the rules. Put your feelings aside and look at the facts as reported. It is wrong to cheat.
I will Give you a lot of credit as well as JD2008 You stick to the facts that are presented . We do not always agree . I tend to Infer and go on personal experience . Some times I am wrong . But it is not the ideal world you guys would like to believe it is.
I do not know Mr. Lucy, but if half of what is written is true, this is very serious. You can spin this story as “standardized tests are evil” if you want, but the fact remains, schools are to operate under the same set of rules regarding those tests PERIOD. This article portrays Mr. Lucy as an unethical bully. For the sake of the students under his administration I hope that is not true, but this article is pretty scathing.
Standardized tests have their place (and it has been my experience that those who bash them the most either do poorly on them or their “genius” kids did poorly on them)….you know “they just don’t test well.”
Life is full of high stakes tests. Oh, you want to get into med school/law school/pass the state boards. Yeah, tell them you just don’t test well.
If a student cheats the principle ususally punishes the student. This guy has been found guilty by the department of education so yes his name should be all over the papers. It’s not a smear campaign when you are found in violation of cheating the tests. If you don’t know by now that this has made Orono schools look bad and some administrators might take offense to the fact that the whistle blowers now have this out in the open. Yes I think they may be retaliated against if they find out who they are. They may not be retaliated against by just their administrators but also people within the community. Bottom line is the guy cheated the system to make the numbers look good and in turn made him look good. Look at his position now and asst superintendent of Bangor schools. You don’t get that title with low numbers.
I have to say, as an outsider that if this (quoted below) is what you got from the article, I would have to suspect you are a close family friend of Mr. Lucy.
“As an outsider, it looks like some teachers didn’t like being held accountable and decided to take it out on their boss by complaining to the state.”
It seems that people not only want their own opinion, but also their own facts.
Have you ever seen the mice chasing the cat through your house? Blame the cat-he started it.
Well since this education gig hasn’t worked out so well, perhaps Mr. Lucy can have a second career as a used car salesmen. He seems to have the right stuff for that.
So: the Department of Education gave him an opportunity to defend his actions.
He did. He acknowledged no wrongdoing. He did NOT plead ignorance or admit any mistake. In fact, he claimed that he took the correct actions at the time. As clearly stated in both the DOE report and the article above, his actions were in violation of explicit, repeated wording in the Principal and Test Coordinator Manual for the NECAP that he was given.
The Department of Education concluded its report by finding that he did not act in accordance with the regulations.
Has he learned anything from this experience? Or will he act in the same manner in Bangor? Remember: this is not a “he said/she said.” This is three witness versus one. That’s why the DOE found as it did.
If he acts this way in Bangor we cannot say we haven’t been warned.
I think Dr. Webb’s handling this is a very important test of her leadership. A lot of people – and the BDN – are watching closely. The School Board also has a role to play here.
I think this whole storm would have been a lot softer if he’d spoken with the media in the first place, if I remember right, he never responded to calls before the first article and hasn’t talked to the paper since. He offered reasonable explanations, but still broke the rules, it seems.
The number of witnesses is irrelevant.
Just like In the Greenleaf case . The quality of the witnesses seem to be. Till the public knows the facts some will assume or fill in the blanks.
Really councilor?
Yeah, “really.”
Well, I’m glad we got that settled. :)
This whole situation is slimy………..having worked in a local high school for 6 years, I do not doubt for a minute that an assistant principal would do and also ask a teacher(s) to do something “illegal” to make him and the school look better. Teachers are often asked to change grades for athletes to enable their eligiblity to play on a team. Some students get to high school unprepared for the academic experience, so schools dumb down to accomodate the inadequacy of those students. God forbid we should demand academic excellence – that would require effort on the part of the student. The new motto is WIT, Whatever It Takes to pass the student. No one wants to know what the student can do to pass the required classes! That local high school, where I worked, kept a winning football and baseball coach despite the fact that he was attracted to and acted on his attraction to teenage girls. Not until his teams started losing was it suggested he find work elsewhere!
I also worked in another high school, and several times I witnessed a special needs student “taking” a required standardized test………..the teacher (ed tech) would read the question, then read the answer choices to the student. Since the student(s) was in no way capable of understanding, choosing or answering , the ed tech would then say the answer and mark it as if the student had chosen the answer.
Spec. Ed. students often have modifications in their learning plans to help them succeed to the best of their abilities. They are not exempt from taking the plethora of tests that now play a major role in our classrooms and schools today. One modification is that the student can have an aide read the questions aloud, hence giving the student who might have reading problems, but nonetheless has knowledge to succeed on the test.
Mr. Lucy is a solid Republican and so is above suspicion. His detractors, I suspect, were/are envious of his reputation as a kind, caring, compassionate tester. Thank God my Bangor taxes are supporting him during his paid leave. He’s a gem.
You’re so right!
As a good Democrat, we all know Mrs. Newman would NEVER violate any rules, or common sense, when it came to treatment of her own child as School Committee Chair; nor stand before the assembled teachers and tell them how to vote in an election.
Why is it ALWAYS the Republicans than abuse their positions of power?
Webb, Lucy………dang, add Carlson to this trio and you have the Ultimate Trifecta of deception in these parts….sad sad day….Parents of children in the Bangor School System need to unite and stand up to this type of hierarchy.
Glad you could join the party. Maybe we can get the truth out. Toss in Ross and Gastia. Seems these people all had close ties . No way lol . I forgot Beardsly . Seems he was involved in Carson but now he is head of education. Make me feel my kids are safe now lol.
Get the Husson alumni lists, it’s a who’s who of this area.
Be certain not to leave out Jim Doughty on your list of Husson grads…
Mr Lucy is alleged to have tampered with standardized tests, not the molestation of children. This one statement pretty much discredits any opinions that you might have on the subject.
Is alleged the same as “findings” stated in the DOE report?
Since the city of bangor released this story about Lucy.
I love the one-issue posters in the BDN comments. Please tell us the story, Mama Bear!
And your source for your clain that the city of Bangor “released” this story about Lucy is… ?
The city need to release major story’s at city hall that happens down there but they fail to do that. Ask city hall or PD what happen in spring of 07 that was kept from the public.
Good for BDN gaining access to information through Freedom of Information Act. It is too bad that the BDN was not able to gain information regarding the Greenleaf investigation–SOMEONE was blocking that release of information. In that case there were much bigger fish than Mr. Lucy.
The Greenleaf case is totally irrelevant to this case.
Since the police reports (as far as I know) have yet to be released, you know this…how?
Defending the indefensible.
We are all so quick to judge. Allow the process to come to a conclusion and then we can say what needs to be said. The conclusions based on evidence thus far do not bode well for Mr. Lucy.
Did you read where he made a teacher cry?
Unexcusable, violent, intolerant and probably a Republican to boot!
I think Lucy needs to take a reading class. If it reads and reminds them that no administrator is allowed to review the answers then why is he reviewing them. This guy obviously was a bully to these teachers and test administrators. Glad he got busted but I bet Webb won’t fire him. Classic case of “I got your back”. If I was a Bangor parent I wouldn’t want that cheater as an administrator in my schools.
we have these liberals in our schools corrupting our kids.
And conservatives alike. Not just liberals . I agree Liberals are part of the problem . You must open your eyes and not blame but help come up with how to fix this.
You can blame PRESIDENT BUSH for championing No Child Left Behind which forced states to adopt testing, testing and more testing. The kids have not benefited from this testing mania. The teachers sure as hell have not benefited, so who has benefited? Testing companies and those who wish to privatize education.
I believe you’ll find Sen Kennedy’s fingerprints all over “No Child”… along with all his female staffers.
Your simple minded claptrap is of no value to this discussion. Totally predictable and totally irrelevant.
The victims here are all of the other schools state-wide that were compared to Orono and most of all, the teachers that were bullied into clearly violating State law regarding testing.
A Nokomis teacher was fired last year for reviewing things that students needed to know about a State test (after viewing an exam) in his subject area. Unlike Lucy, this educator had nothing to gain, no six figure salary at Bangor waiting for him if scores remained high. There was no out-cry for how the BDN smeared his character, he was just fired.
Talk about a double standard.
They don’t want to fix the problems, If they did half the management team would be gone..
Here is my answer… If we allowed the teachers in the schools to form a board in every school then they would hire a super and principle.. When the school board hires it totally disrupts the actually educatiing of Kids.
Two things:
1. The School Committee can’t be involved until Dr. Webb finishes her investigation, so they’re not shirking anything at this point.
Why there needs to be an investigation from Bangor when there is a report already published is one reasonable question. Will Dr. Webb’s search find anything new?
2. One should ask – in a public setting – who the search committee was for this position. As far as I know, no School Committee member, teacher, parent, or other community member was part of the search.
THIS is where the School Committee fell down on the job. But that’s what happens when you’re, with one (maybe two) exception(s), a set of sycophantic puppets for the Superintendent.
Why Dr. Webb was (apparently) ignorant of the incident is also ridiculous. My take: she knew who she wanted for the job; why bother doing any serious vetting?
The waste of money, time, and effort for this is already out of hand. Perhaps the School Committee should take a heavier hand in future administrative searches…
Nick still slinging mud for a few cowards in the Orono school. Pathetic excuse for news reporting. 4th regurgitation of the same year old investigation. DOE concluded their investigation a year ago and found there was no grounds for discipline other than training. The six tests in question were adjusted accordingly.
Here’s another big scoop out of SAD 26, they’re brewing expired coffee in the teachers lounge! The person who’s supposed to order the refills felt pressure, got spoken to and cried. Get on it Nick!
So if a student cheats like your boy did he should be retrained instead of suspended? Lucy is held to the highest level and should be dealt with in the proper manner in other words fired for cheating. DOE never suggests a punishment that is the job of the superintendent and the school board. Obviously the guy has been suspended because of his actions at Orono. These actions are more serious to many of us and not you. I guess you like a cheater and someone who steps on moral character to move up the ladder.
There,there,there, calm down now. Mommy will be home soon, and then you can have that cookie and milk. :)
It better be chocolate chip and 1%!!
Welcome to school life post NCLB and now, Race to the Top.
COURAGE
RESPECT
FAIRNESS
RESPONSIBILITY
CARING
HONESTY….
from the Orono Middle School Core Values… Mr. Lucy, these are the values you promoted to students and staff in your tenure at OMS. Yet you must have believed you were exempt from living and exemplifying these values yourself. You had a RESPONSIBILITY
to be FAIR
to your staff and to the students of the school. Yet you demonstrated a lack of RESPECT, FAIRNESS, and HONESTY by pressuring your staff to do something all of you knew was dishonest: cheating on standardized tests. Moreover, you showed you did not CARE about much more than how higher scores would reflect on your leadership at OMS, enhancing your prospects of advancing to a higher rung on the administrative ladder. Although your staff acquiesced under pressure to your authoritarian demeanor, they demonstrated COURAGE
in the face of adversity to come forward and report the cheating. Now it’s your turn to show what you’re made of, and stop trying to hide behind the veil of “misunderstanding”.
Lucy argued that he was trying to avoid those types of situations by reviewing the test booklets for missed questions and sections.
This not allowed. End of story.
Its not to the teachers advantage if the scores are high or low….its to juicy Lucy’s….I have seen alot of this kind of stuff over the years and power-positioned intimidators who make their own rules are rampant today from unicipal governing thru the gamut of departments and higher gov and legal matters. I hope they find the evidence that comvicts this guy and I think if its really looked in to, he has been doing this for many years and if people come forward with their experiences with him thats all thats needed. Don’t sit back and let these teachers hang and be oppressed…help them in truth, goodness, and love because one day you’ll meet Truth, Goodness, and Love face to face and it may not be very pleasant.
What’s up with changing the original headline to this story from last night?? Someone felt a need for more sensationalization? The Bangor Daily News is once again showing their true colors by catering to the personal agenda of it’s writers and editors by unjustly crucifying Mr. Lucy. Is this reall front page news?
It’s hard to say whether all of the evidence has been reported but if what’s in this article is it, then he certainly is guilty and should be punished accordingly.
Bob Lucy is intense, that’s why you hired him. You wanted someone that would come in make things happen…that’s what successful football coaches do!
Same thing happened at Bucksport HS when they hired Tom Sullivan. He was well liked and known for being intense. They needed a change and saw Coach Sullivan as the man to make it happen. After a few years they realized he was too intense for them, wasn’t a “yes” man and forced him out.
Both Orono and Bucksport hired old football coaches that had been mainstays in the community as well as the school system for many years. If the school didn’t know what they were hiring they have no one to blame but themselves!!!
Gee,what a great thought process.Sooo,what does that have to do with the topic at hand???
To even mention other individual and infer that their”cut from the same cloth” is in my opinion,way off base. Can we use the word APOLOGY in a sentence please?
For some reason I think an explanation will go over your head but I’ll try anyway…Bob Lucy has been involved in the community of Orono and the school system for many, many years. When he was hired, the School Dept knew exactly what type of person nthey were getting! I personally like Bob Lucy and hope that this is a huge misunderstanding, not that, that matters but thought I’d throw it out there.
My comparison to Tom Sullivan and Bucksport is because I personally know both of them. People can be cut from the same mold and have similarities. I obviously know the Bucksport situation a little more than the Orono one but know both school depts knew EXACTLY what type of person they were hiring!
I can use apology in a sentence. I apologize that I phrased my post in a way that you were unable to understand…happy?
Attention:
I Love Lucy has been canceled.
That is all.
hi
“Testing irregularities”. Is that a euphemism for cheating?
Sure, haven’t you ever heard of shoplifting described as “shopping irregularities” ?
These teachers did the wrong thing and they knew it. But now they want the principal to go down with his ship while they get a “get out of jail free” card. Couldn’t someone pick up a phone and blow the whistle? (Yeah. Another mixed methaphor.)
Whoa! What a great idea! A phone call rather then a text!!
The problem with our education system is not the teachers or the administrators or the standardized tests.The problem is the parents[and yes I use that term loosely]. The sad truth is parents just don’t care anymore.
This one was for HendersonBobby: I enjoy your posts. And as an exile from school life, I would say I’d have been proud to have had you as a student. You show initiative and a desire to know. Spelling was something that was messed up by THEM, not you. Sight reading, gah!
Lmao I do not take this to seriously . Its about having a little fun. I think some things have changed since the 70s Some have not I see that with my son. I did have a few teachers along the way that really cared . When you grow up in poverty with uneducated parents the odds are stacked against you. I am lucky I do ok for myself . If we could put a bit more focus on the kids that need it most maybe we would not have so many dependent on the system for us to support years down the road. Schools need to put kids first not thier own agendas . I tend to rock the boat a bit but in a friendly way in real life . Takes all kinds to make the world work . Take care maybe we can make a difference bringing up issues most do not want to here about.
Interesting??!! You say “somethings have changed since the 70’s” , obviously you are referring to the time frame when you went you went to high school. You mentioned you had Mr. Lucy as a teacher. Funny because he was in high school at that time. You are such a fake!!!! Looking back at your previous posts and I can see you have been glued to this comment page for the last 24 hours!!! How sad your life must be! Your rear end must be really sore from sitting in a chair for the past day, aattempting to tear somebody down so you might feel a little bit better about yourself!!
When I went to school in Bangor it was the 70s
Never let the facts get in the way of a good juicy”post”.
I may be wrong about a lot of things but I did not lie about anything.
Sounds like a lynching. How will he ever recover his reputation after this sordid article?
Please don’t let the facts ( even if you don’t like them) get in the way of your opinion.
Direct post quote from Henderson Bobby from 7 hours ago,” Mr. Lucy was one of my teacher”s 25 years ago.” You just stated minutes ago that you graduated from Bangor High 25 years ago. Not only are you not telling the truth and are on here for your own agenda. Mr. Lucy never taught at Bangor High in the 70’s because he was a high school student at the time. I reiterate, GET A LIFE!!! Mr.Henderson Bobby.
Funny how the teachers at OMS have been brought such pain, misery and deception by Mr. Lucy, yet they still claim the Blue Ribbon status that is plastered all over their homepage. The same Blue Ribbon that HE brought to the school.
I wouldn’t go there if I were you.
ROMNEY / RYAN 2012 !!!!!!!!
As interesting as all these debates on Mr. Lucy’s ethics are, is anyone bothered by the fact that this took almost a year to reach the BDN? Of course it’s possible this is part of a smear campaign, but if the DoE report had been made public last year all this hype would have just happened earlier. Frankly, I don’t think it would have played out much differently in terms of publicity if there weren’t a smear campaign. I’m sure there are people who just have axes to grind, but it took ten months for them to figure out to use this juicy story, so if it was publicly available all along, they haven’t been doing a very good job.
Around the time the investigation was finished last year (and it was FINISHED last November, read the report), RSU 26 was in a major budget crisis and one of the positions to potentially be cut was Mr. Lucy’s. He resigned later that year (hence his position in Bangor) but even if we hadn’t been in the middle of a crisis, does anyone think it might have been nice to know that one of Orono’s administrators might have his certification revoked when the investigation was finished in 2011? This must have occurred to someone other than me.
I REALLY wish I knew how McCrea got ahold of the DoE report, whether the RSU 26 school board helped him at all. I can’t imagine they did, which leaves the question, just when were they going to tell us? Obviously never.
How did Mr. McCrea get the DOE report? He asked for it. Just as you could have done. It’s obvious from this story that this was not a very well kept secret around the OMS.Remember,if more then one person knows,it’s not a secret anymore, now is it.
It seems like it took a long time to reach the BDN, and the teachers at Orono High School I’ve spoken with had no idea anything had gone on until McCrea’s first article on the issue.
Stop and ask yourself, would you expect them to say anything different?
It was going to come out eventually, and they (the school board) could have at least said something after he resigned, which was a while ago now. It’s better than waiting a year for one of the OMS teachers to leak the story to the BDN (presumably this is what happened, as you pointed out it wasn’t a secret to them). Of course I don’t expect them to act differently, but I’m not sure I can see what I just wrote and be okay with it. Last year we were making important decisions that shaped the future of our schools (see some of Mr. McCrea’s past articles). A certain amount of disclosure when things go wrong is always nice, even if it wouldn’t have changed the budget outcome. We shouldn’t have to decide so after the fact. Would I expect anything different? Of course not. It still makes me cringe.
This happens all the time … some deep dark secret gets covered up and then looks even worse because it’s reported a year later, not just with the school board, but with any public institution. It’s so common, we write it off as “expected” (what would you do, after all?) but what kind of standard is that? Maybe this incident can change that to some extent. Probably not, but until the next public outrage happens, I think I’ll act like it’s possible. Why not ask elected officials to be more forthcoming, especially when they work in such a microcosm as a three-town school union? The worst they can do is not listen.
Here’s where we agree 100%. Folks need to hold their elected officials accountable.Good chatting with you mgmathers.
Likewise. Thanks for helping me clarify my thoughts.
Of course the report was available, but only to people who knew to ask because they knew what had happened … my point is that this took ten months.
Time is not the issue. The issue( which many people refuse to except) is the actions of an individual.Everything else is irrelevant.
So one is fearful of losing their jobs, understandable, but to go along with what you know is wrong, is just that. Wrong….
He is a yes man for Betsy. she will protect her royal wiper.. The whole thing is a sham and to tell you they looked into it and found he did nothing wrong.
Are you sure we’re discussing the same DOE report? You have read it , haven”t you?
First of all, I agree that cheating on tests is wrong!!!! If Mr. Lucy coerced teachers to “fix” answers, then he was out of line. That being said, I think we are missing the point of what is really wrong!! The NECAPS are the problem – and the “rules” that must be followed. (Not just NECAPS, but most standardized testing.) I am a retired educator and supplement my retirement income with substitute teaching (mostly because I miss the students and fellow teachers) and I witnessed the breakdown of a darling young lady who was trying so hard, but could not comprehend what she read. This child is in the 7th grade, special education and her lexile (reading) level is 2nd to 3rd grade. And what test is she being made to take??? 7th grade because that is the grade she is in. I watched her struggle with her booklet and saw tears run down her cheeks. What do the results of this test show???????? It is just wrong. We are doing our students a disservice when they are being subjected to this constant testing. I don’t agree that cheating or “bending” the rules is the answer. Testing companies (which remember they are businesses out to make money) need to fix this problem. Sorry for the rant!!!!