Seven Jackson Public Schools leaders have been placed on administrative leave as the district investigates test result abnormalities at the seven schools they lead, Superintendent Errick L. Greene, Ph.D, said at a Thursday afternoon press conference.

Greene said the abnormalities were identified by the Mississippi Department of Education, which notified him of the abnormalities on Monday.

"Upon learning of testing irregularities associated with the 2022/2023 Mississippi Academic Assessment Program, the Jackson Public Schools administration acted swiftly to launch a comprehensive investigation,” said Board of Trustees President Dr. Ed Sivak in a JPS press statement. “The Board of Trustees was quickly informed of the matter, and is united in its support for Superintendent Dr. Errick L. Greene and has full confidence in the process he has outlined to surface findings in an equitable, transparent, and timely manner. As one of the largest districts in the state, we're hopeful that the overall story of Jackson Public Schools remains one of hard work, resilience and increasingly higher performance of our students. We thank all of our teachers, principals, support staff, scholars and families for their continued commitment to excellence."

Greene said the district is conducting an internal investigation and the school leaders at the seven schools were placed on administrative leave while the investigation continues.

The district has 15 days to complete the investigation and report back to the department of education, he said.

Errick L. Greene

“We quickly assembled a team of internal and external educators and developed a comprehensive plan to investigate the actions of our leaders, our educators, our scholars, all of those involved in our testing program,” Greene said. “And according to the state MBE guidance, our school leaders at the impacted schools were placed on administrative leave with pay to allow us the time to do a thorough investigation of those school sites. We believe in the work that we're doing here in Jackson public schools and passionately believe in our scholars and our educators and their ability to achieve at really high levels.

“And to do it with integrity. This is a serious matter.”

Greene said the abnormalities are not a districtwide issue.

“These are very isolated issues that we're following in the investigation, and we will follow the investigation,” Greene said. “We will follow where it leads us. And we will take the appropriate actions based on the findings from that investigation based on the findings from that investigation, including up to an including perhaps some personnel actions against any individuals who might be involved and reporting that information to the Mississippi Department of Education, and specifically the Office of Educator misconduct.”

Greene re-emphasized the abnormalities were not districtwide.

“So as serious as it is, is isolated to only 7% of our scholars who were assessed on the mass assessment,” Greene said. “I can't give you the number of personnel. We're following all of the data that we received from the Mississippi Department of Education, and we'll follow that where it leads us and obviously that will point to specific teachers and leaders but perhaps others who are involved in the testing process in the individual schools.”

Below there are two categories in which the test irregularities occurred, according to Sherwin Johnson executive director of public engagement at JPS.

Four schools have isolated incidents of test irregularities in a specific grade level, classroom, and/or subject area:

Marshall Elementary

Dawson Elementary

Wilkins Elementary

Lanier High

There are three schools where the testing irregularities are more pronounced, that are multiple grade-level and subject areas:

Peeples Middle

Lester Elementary

McLeod Elementary

Also at Thursday’s press conference, Greene announced significant gains for JPS students in the fields of science and mathematics.

“In 2023, 43.8% of our scholars achieved proficiency in science — an 11% surge from 2022 and 25% increase from 2021,” according to a JPS press statement. “Comparably, in the area of mathematics, we observed a 9% increase in proficiency from 2022, which translates to an exciting 22.6% rise from 2021. Between 2022 and 2023, proficiency gains of 6% for English language arts and 7% for history were also achieved.”

Greene credited the gains to the district’s “dedication to excellence in education is evident in our recent test scores and academic achievements. Our scholars' hard work, combined with the relentless efforts of our teachers, staff, parents, and the entire community, have led to exceptional results that demonstrate our commitment to academic success.

“Our students have shown remarkable growth in their academic performance. Across all grade levels, we have witnessed a significant growth in proficiency levels in subjects ranging from Algebra 1, Biology 1, English II, U.S. History, English Language Learner (ELA), Math, and Science," according to the press release. "These results are a testament to the diligence and determination of our students to excel.”

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: JPS schools testing abnormalities investigated; School leaders on leave