AOS Special Audit Report

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Auditors’ Report ........................................................................................................................................................ 1 Background .............................................................................................................................................................. 12 Historical Context .................................................................................................................................................... 19 General Observations and Management Recommendations .................................................................................... 25 Objective No. 1 – Grade Changes ............................................................................................................................ 29 Objective No. 2 – Zombie 12th Graders and GR to 12 Student Grade Level Changes............................................. 37 Objective No. 3 – Virtual Credit Advancement Program (VCAP) .......................................................................... 42 Objective No. 4 – Home Education ......................................................................................................................... 46 Objective No. 5 – October Count Week .................................................................................................................. 48 Objective No. 6 – Student Drop Outs ...................................................................................................................... 53 Objective No. 7 – Erasing Absences ........................................................................................................................ 62 Objective No. 8 – Withdrawal/Readmit Students .................................................................................................... 67 Objective No. 9 – Statewide Attendance Testing ..................................................................................................... 75 Statutory Violations ................................................................................................................................................. 90 This page intentionally left blank. Introduction On February 11, 2013, the Auditor of State (AOS) issued a final report detailing a statewide examination of potential student attendance manipulation by school districts. During the statewide examination, the AOS became aware of certain information and alleged attendance and grading practices at Columbus City Schools (CCS) which led the AOS to initiate a separate investigation of CCS in July 2012. In the statewide examination report, AOS identified CCS as one of nine school districts with evidence of “scrubbed” student attendance data. By breaking the enrollment of poorly performing students, CCS was able to exclude those students’ academic performance results from its state report card, artificially inflating CCS’s performance ratings. As the statewide project concluded, and amid allegations of intentional fraud and data rigging, the AOS believed it necessary to continue to examine CCS’s attendance and grading practices in greater depth. As such, AOS continued the special investigation into CCS and later initiated a special audit in November 2012.1 From July 2012 until April 2013, the AOS special investigators reviewed historical data and records from CCS going back to 2002 and from ODE going back to 2005. AOS investigators also interviewed employees of CCS to learn the history of and justification for attendance data altering within CCS. AOS conducted interviews of over 40 principals and assistant principals, more than 230 teachers, the available Regional Executive Directors (REDs), over 20 secretaries and other office personnel, and 25 current and former employees of the Kingswood Data Center. Kingswood Data Center is where CCS houses all data, generates EMIS data, and where the former Executive Director of the Office of Accountability Systems, Steve Tankovich, was assigned. Investigators reviewed tens of thousands of documents, emails, and records provided by CCS in addition to the student cumulative files and electronic records. Investigators attempted to determine the origin of the student attendance data changes which occurred at CCS. In the course of the CCS investigation, AOS investigators learned of a “culture” within CCS in which administrators believed they had to manipulate data or face consequences to their careers. AOS investigators learned that this pressure was felt on all levels: teachers, secretaries, assistant principals, and principals. Teachers and secretaries were pressured by administrators to change grades and pass students who were failing. Principals were pressured by their REDs to show continuous improvement regarding their schools’ performance index. The “improvements” were at times accomplished by manipulating data rather than by achieving real improvements in the education of students. All of those involved understood that if they did not comply there were negative consequences for their careers, including demotion or firing. Those who did comply were promoted. Principals advised AOS investigators of the pressure to meet performance standards. Superintendent Harris created “Project 2012” as a plan to achieve certain graduation rates for the class of 2012. Superintendent Harris told administrators they must meet standards come “hell or high water.” A principal advised investigators that it was understood across the district about the consequences of not keeping the schools’ numbers up. This was reinforced to her when she discussed the performance index with her RED and was told her “career would suffer if she didn’t comply.” The Mission Statement for the CCS states: Our Mission: Each Student is highly educated, prepared for leadership and service, and empowered for success as a citizen in a global community. The special investigation by the AOS determined that, over the past ten years, some CCS administrators at all levels lost sight of the Mission Statement. The true mission of CCS administrators is to educate the children of the City of Columbus. Instead, CCS and these administrators began to alter data of various types for the sole purpose of making it appear that CCS was achieving academic success at a higher level than it actually was. 1 As a result, two separate divisions of the AOS coordinated their efforts on this CCS engagement: the AOS Special Investigative Unit and the AOS Special Audit Division. We distinguish the testing and results of work performed by these divisions throughout the report where relevant. These administrators deliberately altered children’s personal records to deceive the U.S. Department of Education, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and the people of the City of Columbus into believing CCS was achieving its Mission Statement and successfully educating its students. In fact, it appears that many of these children were seemingly being passed through the system without receiving an adequate education and without receiving the intervention required of CCS by Ohio law. While we would normally expect changes to student attendance data to impact the school’s funding, there was no impact to CCS during the 2010-2011 school year due to the evidence-based funding model in effect during that year. As part of this model, the state based school foundation funding on organizational units rather than individual students. Organizational units were a construct used by the model to represent typical school buildings. Additionally, ODE used the Average Daily Membership (ADM) of students for the 2009-2010 school year to compute the state foundation funding for the 2010-2011 school year if the school had less than a two percent growth in ADM between the two school years. While CCS administrators could not have anticipated these changes at the time, overstating ADM during the October 2010 count week did not impact CCS’s state foundation funding. Auditors’ Report Columbus City School District 270 East State Street Columbus, Ohio 43215 As a result of the Statewide Audit of Student Attendance Data and the Accountability System, issued on February 11, 2013, we conducted a special audit and special investigation of the Columbus City School District (CCS) by performing the procedures enumerated in the attached Supplement to the Special Audit Report for the period July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011 (the Period)2. The objectives of our examination were solely to determine the following: • Class grade changes made by CCS administrators were for reasonable purposes, and CCS maintained documentation supporting the nature and purpose of the change; • Students changed from “graduated” status to “12th grade” were for reasonable purposes, CCS maintained documentation to support the purpose of the change, and the potential impact of any exceptions on CCS's school year 2010-2011 October Count Week data submitted to ODE; • Students who participated in CCS's Virtual Credit Advancement Program (VCAP) completed applications for participation in the program, and CCS maintained supporting documentation of coursework completed, grades earned, and credits achieved through VCAP participation; • Students who participated in Home Education (i.e. home schooling) did so in accordance with applicable state statutes and CCS policies governing Home Education, as well as the potential impact of any exceptions on CCS's school year 2010-2011 October Count Week data submitted to ODE; • CCS

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