An Open Letter To Mr. Daniel A. Gecker President Virginia Board of Education
May 30, 2018
Dear Mr. Gecker:
On June 24, 2016 your predecessor, Dr. Billy K. Cannaday, Jr., declined to conduct an outside investigation into the cheating on non-SOL testing on school-issued laptops for grades 8-12 in Roanoke County Public Schools from 2009-16.1 Three weeks earlier the former Virginia Secretary of Education, Anne B. Holton, who is currently a member of the Board of Education, also declined to conduct an outside investigation.2 Therefore, I decided to conduct my own investigation. Unfortunately, what I found was extremely disturbing and far worse than what I originally thought.
I informed the Virginia Board of Education two years ago that the high schools in Roanoke County Public Schools tolerated digital cheating on non-SOL testing on school-issued laptops from 2009-16 by not having any anti-cheating software installed on the students’ laptops. On July 29, 2016 I learned that the school system had purchased anti-cheating software from Respondus, Inc. for all five high schools in June 2014. However, Roanoke County Public Schools unbelievably did not install it until October 12, 2016. Why did it take two years and four months to install this software, which would have prevented the cheating? Why did it take ten years to install this software when it was commercially available for both secondary schools and colleges for Blackboard since 2006?
When I spoke before the Roanoke County School Board on March 24, 2016 I described the numerous and extremely easy ways that dishonest students could use in order to cheat on non-SOL testing on school-issued laptops while using Blackboard (Learn) when I taught Latin at Hidden Valley High School from 2011-13. I stated that students “could still right click on Google for a search, access the Snipping Tool, copy and paste answers, email passwords, and most insidiously program a key to perform screen captures of an entire test or quiz [and send it] to a Google server” despite vigilant observation by a teacher from behind 25 to 30 laptop screens.3 I explained that this was not only a rampant problem at Hidden Valley High School, but throughout the other four county high schools as well. I stated how I had once asked Andy Clapper, my Instructional Technology Resource Teacher, on January 15, 2012 if the county had access to the Respondus LockDown Browser software for Blackboard in order to eliminate the online cheating.4 He dismissively replied “No” to my astonishment although he was fully aware of the major problems with the lack of academic integrity in not having any lockdown browser or anti-cheating software for non-SOL testing on the school-issued laptops.5 I stated how the next semester in mid-November 2012 I informed Rhonda Stegall, my principal at Hidden Valley High School, about the cheating, but nothing ever was resolved.6 I stated how unbelievably later that spring on May 2, 2013 there was an article written by a courageous freshman, Tanner Smith, which was printed in the online school newspaper, the Titan Times, about the tremendous problem with cheating on non-SOL testing on school-issued laptops while using Blackboard throughout the entire school.7 I concluded my remarks before the Roanoke County School Board by stating how “cheating truly poisons a classroom and creates a tremendous disrespect for learning” while urging the “School Board to purchase some type of lockdown browser and other needed software in order to create a level and fair playing field, improve the quality of education and teach good citizenship.”8
In early March 2017 I learned that Gabrielle Langhorn, the chairwoman of the School Board’s Student Advisory Council for the 2015-16 academic year, and then a senior at Northside High School, spoke about the tremendous problem of cheating on non-SOL testing on school-issued laptops throughout the five county high schools before the School Board on April 14, 2016. According to the School Board clerk, “after discussing the service project they [the Student Advisory Council] broke into small groups to discuss ways that technology influences cheating in the classroom. How much of these behaviors do you see and how do teachers handle those they catch cheating? What suggestions do you have that would discourage this behavior?”9 Langhorn stated as reported by the clerk that “the majority of the students agreed that technology makes cheating easier. When taking tests in Blackboard it is simple to open a new tab and Google any question on the test. Students tend to see a lot of this behavior and teachers are working on ways to prevent it. Teachers monitor screens but it is hard to catch everyone [my emphasis].”10 Her remarks emphatically confirmed what I had stated before the School Board three weeks earlier, and what Tanner Smith had written three years earlier in the Titan Times on May 2, 2013.
In mid-April 2017 an automobile mechanic, who was repairing my car at a service station on Franklin Road in Roanoke, told me that cheating on non-SOL testing on school-issued laptops was “really bad” among the freshmen, sophomores and juniors before he graduated from Glenvar High School in June 2006. He stated that this had caused a great deal of anger and resentment among many seniors, who were never given school-issued laptops, and had to take all their tests on paper. I have heard similar complaints and numerous anecdotes since 2011 from scores of Roanoke County high school graduates, especially those from Hidden Valley High School and Cave Spring High School, who all stated that cheating on non-SOL testing on school-issued laptops was a tremendous problem from 2006-16.
On July 29, 2016 a Respondus Inc. employee, who prefers to remain anonymous, informed me via email to my utter amazement that Roanoke County Public Schools had actually been leasing the Respondus LockDown Browser for the past two years since June 2014.11 Respondus Sales later confirmed on August 24, 2016, the first day of the fall semester, that the district had also licensed the software for the 2016-17 academic year, but it was unbelievably still not installed for both faculty and student use.12 This was the same software that I had been inquiring about when I emailed Andy Clapper, my Instructional Technology Resource Teacher at Hidden Valley High School, on January 15, 2012, including the Technology Department at the Roanoke County School Board later that March.13 This was also the same type of software, which I had urged the School Board to adopt when I addressed them on March 24, 2016.14 The Respondus LockDown Browser would have instantly and completely stopped all digital cheating on non-SOL testing on school-issued laptops just like an SOL test administered by the Virginia Department of Education from Richmond.15 This software would have also completely allowed the supervising teacher to be able to walk throughout the classroom when necessary to look for such traditional cheating as crib (cheat) sheets, writing on the desk, cell phones, smart watches, unauthorized ear buds, etc. without having to stand behind and monitor 25 to 30 laptop screens. Plus, it would have been impossible for a student to email a test password or program a keyboard key in order to copy a quiz or test page by page, and then send it to a Google server for an absent classmate.16
Unfortunately, Roanoke County Public Schools had also NEVER installed the Respondus LockDown Browser for both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years. When school began on August 24, 2016 the anti-cheating software as previously mentioned was still not installed on the school-issued laptops for faculty and student use despite Jeff Terry, the Chief Information Officer for Roanoke County Schools, publicly stating on May 30, 2016 that the software would be fully operational in August.17 When I later mentioned this information by telephone in late August 2016 to the same Respondus employee, who preferred to remain anonymous, this person told me that the school system had NEVER once contacted Respondus about any installation problems between June 1, 2014 and July 29, 2016. In fact, the Respondus LockDown Browser did not become fully operational until October 12, 2016 at Cave Spring High School according to an unnamed Instructional Technology Resource Teacher with Roanoke County Public Schools.
I have five major questions that need to be answered. Why did it take two years and four months to install the Respondus LockDown Browser software? I find the excuse of Technology Department incompetence or lack of money inexcusable.18 Surely local or regional outside consultants could have solved this problem. If indeed “outside support to combat this challenge [of cheating]” as Dr. Cannaday wrote to me on June 24, 2016 was used to successfully install the software, how many additional thousands of dollars did it cost the taxpayers by October 12, 2016 or after that date?19 Surely there was ample money in the school district’s “rainy-day” or reserve fund, which exists at Roanoke City Public Schools, to have paid for these outside consultants from 2014-16? 20 Why was Respondus Inc. never once contacted for assistance about installing the software from June 1, 2014 to July 29, 2016? Why did Roanoke County Public Schools pay approximately $5,000 for leasing the software during both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years, and never once used it? It strongly appears that the school system wasted approximately $5,000 of the Roanoke County taxpayers’ money according to financial documents publicly available online from the School Board’s website on BoardDocs.21 Roanoke County Public Schools appears to have had a solution to the problem of cheating on non-SOL testing on school-issued laptops in all its five high schools, and did NOTHING for two years and four months. I truly doubt that Respondus Inc. gave the software to the school system at no expense. If a tenured or non tenured teacher had squandered $5,000 of the taxpayers’ money, that teacher would have lost his or her job.
The Respondus LockDown Browser software for Blackboard has been commercially available since 2006.22 Why did it take ten long years to install software that could have greatly prevented cheating on non-SOL testing on the school-issued laptops? I can assure you that the cheating was just as bad in the spring semester of 2016 as it was in 2014, 2012, 2010, 2008 or 2006 according to my former students and scores of graduates from all five county high schools to whom I have spoken including many tenured faculty, who were too fearful to voice their opinion for fear of retaliation. I strongly suspect that the real answer was because of a profound disregard for academic integrity despite the constant and clichéd refrain of “high expectations” and “academic excellence,” but most likely an attitude of pure indifference among the School Board leadership and high school administrators since 2006. However, I think the real answer had much to do with increasing the number of valedictorians, boosting GPAs, receiving higher national rankings in Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report, receiving a dubious technology award at the White House, and most especially inflating the on-time graduation rates.23
Governor Ralph Northam stated in his inaugural speech on January 13, 2018 the need for a “quality … public education for every Virginian, no matter whom [sic] they are or where they live.”24 Both your predecessor, Dr. Billy Cannaday, Jr. and Anne B. Holton made a great mistake in June 2016 in not investigating the cheating on non-SOL testing on school-issued laptops at Roanoke County Public Schools from 2009-16. The Virginia Department of Education would have quickly found out the great magnitude of this academic misconduct since 2006, and other information which still remains uncovered. I ask you. How can you expect corrupt people to investigate their own corruption?
I strongly suspect that if Roanoke County Public Schools had not stopped participating in outside accreditation in January 2015 with AdvancED, which oversees the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools for PreK-12, it would have been guilty of violating at least seven AdvancED “Performance Standards.”25 Most certainly the school system would also have violated “Accreditation Policy” 2.02d concerning “Instructional Integrity” resulting in a thorough investigation and review of its accreditation status.26 The Virginia Department of Education needs to investigate Roanoke County Public Schools for past academic misconduct from 2006-16. The taxpayers of Roanoke County, especially the students and their parents, deserve much better leadership and fiduciary responsibility from their public schools.
I would like to remind you that cheating whether on an SOL or non-SOL test adversely affects the on-time graduation rates of any Virginia public high school. You need to investigate this academic misconduct from 2006-16 because the Virginia Board of Education needs to understand how it happened and most importantly how to prevent it from happening in the future.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Maronic
cc Governor Ralph S. Northam
Notes
Cannaday. For those readers living outside of Virginia, SOL is an acronym for Standards of Learning.
2. Holton.
3. “Roanoke County School Board Meeting (Minutes).” 24 March 2016. Roanoke County Public Schools. Roanoke, VA. Web. 9 April 2018. p. 6. Blackboard (Learn) is software installed on all laptops of high school students in Roanoke County Public Schools, which allows them to take uploaded quizzes or tests, review them, view grades, email teachers, read lesson plans, etc. A lockdown browser is software, which prevents digital cheating during a quiz or test. It prevents students from leaving the test or quiz within Blackboard by denying them access to their hard drive, email, desktop, taskbar, thumb drives, and most especially the Internet. According to an unnamed employee at the Roanoke County School Board on January 24, 2018, the school division has been using Blackboard (Learn) since 2006, which was also the same year that the Respondus LockDown Browser software could be leased for Blackboard (Learn). (See “Respondus Announcements Timeline.” Respondus, Inc. Redmond, WA. Web. 12 April 2018. Year 2006, sent. 3 and year 2005, sent. 5.)
4. Ibid., p. 6. Respondus, Inc., which was founded in 2000, is a software company located in Redmond, WA that sells “assessment applications for the elearning market” throughout the United States and abroad. (See “About Respondus.” Wayback Machine Internet Archives. Archived 1 July 2014. Respondus, Inc. Redmond, WA. Web. 21 April 2018.) For a partial and impressive list of schools and universities, which leased their software in August 2014, see “Respondus Client List.” Wayback Machine Internet Archives. Archived 8 August 2014. Respondus, Inc. Redmond, WA. Web. 21 April 2018. (These two websites were specifically cited because Roanoke County Public Schools first leased the Respondus LockDown Browser in June 2014.)
5. Clapper, Andy. “Respondus LockDown Browser (Software).” Message to Robert Maronic. 15 Jan. 2012. E-mail. Respondus Inc. customer service urged me on January 13, 2012 to contact Andy Clapper about Roanoke County Public Schools leasing the Respondus LockDown Browser, which had been sold throughout the United States since 2006 for Blackboard (Learn or “Learning System”). (See “Respondus Announcements Timeline.” Respondus, Inc. Redmond, WA. Web. 12 April 2018. Year 2006, sent. 3 and year 2005, sent. 5.) This was primarily because Andy Clapper was the Respondus contact for Hidden Valley High School, and I had been using the Respondus 4.0 exam creation software since October 6, 2011, which Roanoke County Public Schools had been initially leasing for $1,795 since 2007. (See “County of Roanoke, Virginia Detailed Check Register for Schools: For the 11 Month Period Ended 5/31/07 (Report Date).” Web. 30 March 2018. p. 6.) Later that March much to my dismay, an IT staff member at the central office told me on the telephone that there were no plans to license the Respondus LockDown Browser for the 2012-13 academic year. The purchase of any anti-cheating software or the Respondus LockDown Browser, would have eliminated any digital cheating on non-SOL testing on the school-issued laptops. (See “Respondus LockDown Browser [Overview]: Prevent Cheating During Proctored Online Exams.” Respondus, Inc. Redmond, WA. Web. 13 April 2018. For more detailed benefits see “Respondus LockDown Browser: Features.” Respondus, Inc. Redmond, WA. Web. 12 April 2018. bullet points 2-9.)
Andy Clapper was fully aware of the cheating on non-SOL testing on the school-issued laptops within Roanoke County Public Schools. He emailed me and all Hidden Valley High School staff on November 9, 2011, which he resent on January 9, 2012, that “Teachers are reminded to be diligent about monitoring your classes when they are testing, especially if they are testing on Blackboard. There has been recent discussion regarding student cheating within the county. We have not seen an increase here at HV [Hidden Valley High School], but [it] never hurts to be cautious.” His five “suggestions on pre-test procedures” offered excellent advice, which I fully adopted. The only problem was that the second suggestion completely failed to mention that a teacher had to be standing directly behind a student’s screen at all times and neither too far to the left nor too far to the right of that screen. Plus, it was extremely difficult to see anything from behind a student’s screen beyond the second row even if that screen was fully illuminated. He concluded his email by stating,” If you suspect a student has been accessing a website other than Blackboard during a testing session, we can request a student internet history report from central office [my emphasis]. This is a very detailed report that shows not only what websites have been visited but also what search terms are entered into a search engine field.” (See Clapper, Andy. “Important Info. (Re) Testing (and) Cheating.” Message to Robert Maronic. 9 Jan. 2012.) E-mail.) When I actually requested my first “student Internet history report” on two Latin I students suspected of cheating on January 17, 2012, Clapper fully acknowledged that there was cheating involving “google [sic], google translate [sic] and Wikipedia” in addition to “other sites that were used that appear to be Latin/Academic in nature.” However, he also stated,” [I] just wanted to make sure you understand that the internet history request should be used sparingly [my emphasis]. Only on those students that you strongly suspect or witnessed cheating should be submitted. We do not want to wear out [the] central office with too many requests [my emphasis].” Unfortunately, every student taking a non-SOL test on a school-issued laptop from 2011-13 at Hidden Valley High School and the other four county high schools had complete access to the Internet with an ability to miniaturize a web browser hidden under their task bar. This cheating potentially occurred especially when the teacher had to circulate within the classroom looking for traditional cheating or became distracted when helping a student, answering the telephone, assisting a tardy student, resetting a timed-out test password, etc. (See Clapper, Andy. “Student Internet History Report.” Message to Robert Maronic. 17 Jan. 2012. E-mail.)
6. “Roanoke County School Board Meeting (Minutes).” 24 March 2016. Roanoke County Public Schools.
Roanoke, VA. Web. 9 April 2018. p. 6. Rhonda Stegall in her doctoral dissertation for Liberty University, which she completed in December 2017, should also have researched the establishment of an Ethics Department along with a Code of Ethics fully integrated with “Character Counts” for administrators, faculty and students at the “Virginia school division with a county population of 92,342” (Stegall, p. 70). This “school division” strongly appears to be Roanoke County Public Schools in Virginia based on Roanoke County’s 2010 census population of 92,376. An Ethics Department would have been greatly needed at “Mountain View High School,” which strongly appears to be Hidden Valley High School (Ibid., pp. 91 and 93-98). I perhaps recognize the despicable and mendacious “Tammy” based on her “Participant Demographics” and other information (Ibid., pp. 91 and 95). Implementing “21st century skills such as the 4Cs” [of] “communication, collaboration, critical-thinking and creativity” for student success are indeed important for any school division (Ibid., p. 77). However, integrity or honesty is a soft skill much more valued by colleges and especially future employers. Integrity is a skill which truly transcends the twenty-first century since no state or federal government can ever legislate every aspect of human morality. Plus, no employer wants to hire a liar or cheat regardless of the person’s job qualifications or level of higher education.
7. Smith. He wrote about cheating on non-SOL testing on school-issued laptops and Blackboard at Hidden Valley High School on May 2, 2013: “In a miniature poll of Hidden Valley students, who’s [sic] identities will be kept anonymous, one 11th grader estimated that in a class of 25 students taking a Blackboard test, ten to fifteen would be cheating. Another student, a 12th grader, believes that in the same situation, only two or three students would be cheating. Whichever version is true, students are still cheating on tests.” He also wrote, “Most students and teachers agree that it is easier to cheat on a Blackboard test than on a paper test. A 10th grade student said that it was easier to cheat on a Blackboard test because ‘you can switch windows while you are working on a test.’ An 11th grade student said that it is easier to cheat on a Blackboard test because of ‘search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo.’ Some students have witnessed so much cheating that they have become numb to it [my emphasis].”
8. “Roanoke County School Board Meeting (Minutes).” 24 March 2016. Roanoke County Public Schools.
Roanoke, VA. Web. 9 April 2018. p. 7.
9. “Roanoke County School Board Meeting (Minutes).” 14 April 2016. Roanoke County Public Schools.
Roanoke, VA. Web. 9 April 2018. p. 6. Gabrielle Langhorn graduated from Northside High School as one of 27 valedictorians in June 2016.
10. Ibid., p. 6.
11. Respondus Employee. “Respondus LockDown Browser (License).” Message to Robert Maronic. 29
July 2016. E-mail.
12. Respondus Sales. “Respondus LockDown Browser (License).” Message to Robert Maronic. Copies to Jeff Terry and Ryan McCormack. 24 Aug. 2016. E-mail.
13. Clapper, Andy. “Respondus LockDown Browser (Software).” Message to Robert Maronic. 15 Jan.
2012. E-mail.
14. “Roanoke County School Board Meeting (Minutes).” 24 March 2016. Roanoke County Public Schools.
Roanoke, VA. Web. 9 April 2018. p. 7 (last sentence).
15. Adams, Debbie. “William Byrd Middle School Seventh and Eighth Graders Will Have Laptops Come Fall.” The Vinton Messenger (Vinton, VA). 30 May 2016. Web. 23 May 2018. second to last par. Jeff Terry, Chief Information Officer for Roanoke County Public Schools, stated in The Vinton Messenger on May 30, 2016 that “starting in [the] 2016-2017 school year, ‘tests given in Blackboard will be delivered with a lock-down browser (much like SOL testing). While in the lock-down browser, students will only be able to access the test. Students will no longer be able to search for answers by using a different browser.’” (For more detailed benefits of this “lock-down browser” as described by Terry, which eventually became the Respondus LockDown Browser on October 12, 2016, see “Respondus LockDown Browser: Features.” Respondus, Inc. Redmond, WA. Web. 12 April 2018. bullet points 2-9.)
16. “Respondus LockDown Browser: Features.” Respondus, Inc. Redmond, WA. Web. 12 April 2018. bullet points 2-9.
17. Adams, Debbie. “William Byrd Middle School Seventh and Eighth Graders Will Have Laptops Come Fall.” The Vinton Messenger (Vinton, VA). 30 May 2016. Web. 23 May 2018. second to last par.
18 According to Dell Roanoke County Public Schools in November 2013 employed “a team of 17 IT professionals and 14 instructional technology resource teachers … across the district’s 27 schools.” (See “Roanoke County Public Schools Transform High School Learning Experience with Dell.” Business Wire ( A Berkshire Hathaway Co.). 13 Nov. 2013. Web. 18 April 2018.) That is certainly a lot of IT staff. I have a few questions. Were all “17 IT professionals” so incompetent as to be unable to install the Respondus Lockdown Browser between June 1, 2014 and July 29, 2016? It is painfully obvious that there was total indifference among the school district’s leadership. The General Fund or operating budget for Roanoke County Public Schools was $133,799,052 for fiscal year 2013-14, $135,738,864 for fiscal year 2014-15 and $136,696,797 for fiscal year 2015-16. In addition, there was an “emergency fund balance” of $2,000,000 available for each fiscal year. That represents a lot of the taxpayers’ money. (See “Roanoke County Public Schools Annual Budget 2016-17.” Roanoke, VA. Web. 7 May 2018. p. 222.) Why was no money ever spent from June 1, 2014 through July 29, 2016 in order to install the Respondus Lockdown Browser for both faculty and student use? The Vinton Messenger reported on May 30, 2016 that the Roanoke County School Board had authorized “funding in the amount of $1.1 million to purchase 2,200 laptops for seventh and eighth graders throughout the county school system for the upcoming school year.” (See Adams, Debbie. “William Byrd Middle School Seventh and Eighth Graders Will Have Laptops Come Fall.” The Vinton Messenger (Vinton, VA). 30 May 2016. Web. 23 May 2018. first par.) According to my calculations, that is $500 per laptop. Apparently there was sufficient money available for the purchase of 2,200 student laptops, but still no money for installing the anti-cheating software?
19. Cannaday. I specifically asked Roanoke County Public Schools in a Freedom of Information Act request on September 5, 2016 if “an outside consultant [was] ever contacted by Roanoke County Public Schools to install the Respondus Lockdown Browser from 2014 until September 5, 2016?” Dr. Ken Nicely, the Director of Administration and interim Superintendent effective July 1, 2018, replied on September 9, 2016 that “according to Mr. [Jeff] Terry [Chief Information Officer] no outside consultant had been used.” (See Nicely, Dr. Ken. “FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) Request 3 – Roanoke County Public Schools.” Message to Robert Maronic. Email.) That statement directly contradicted what Dr. Billy K. Cannaday, Jr. wrote to me on June 24, 2016 when he stated that the “division informed the Department [of Education] that it is taking measures to address this issue [of cheating] and is working with outside support [my emphasis].” (See Cannaday.) Somebody is clearly not telling the truth. Dr. Ken Nicely also wrote, “Technical support from Respondus is included in the price of the product” and “any written correspondence with Respondus for technical support would be included in the correspondence provided.” (See Nicely, Dr. Ken. “FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) Request 3 – Roanoke County Public Schools.” Message to Robert Maronic. Email.) I never found “any written correspondence” such as emails or memos regarding Roanoke County Public Schools requesting technical support from February 1, 2014 to August 31, 2014 or after that date as a result of my third FOIA request on September 5, 2016 and two previous FOIA requests before that date. Although Respondus provided technical support at no charge according to Dr. Ken Nicely, it still took Roanoke County Public Schools over two years and four months to successfully install the Respondus Lockdown Browser after first leasing it in June 2014.
20. Fabris.
21. Roanoke County Public Schools has been leasing the Respondus 3.5 or 4.0 exam creation software from Respondus, Inc. in Redmond, WA since 2007 according to BoardDocs. Unfortunately, the school system has been inconsistent in making this financial information about Respondus available to the public every year on BoardDocs. There is no available information searching for “Respondus” in 2009, 2010 and 2016. (See the search symbol near the upper right corner at “Roanoke County Public Schools BoardDocs.” Roanoke County Public Schools. Roanoke, VA. Web. 25 April 2018.) Accounts Payable of the Roanoke County Finance Department has also repeatedly skipped check numbers in paying its vendors in its “Detailed Check Register for Schools,” which is a highly irregular accounting practice. These omissions possibly represent a lot of voided checks, printing errors or perhaps worse. However, there is a “Detailed Check Register for Schools” available for the following academic years.
2007-08: As previously stated in endnote 5, Roanoke County Public Schools paid $1,795 to Respondus, Inc. on May 3, 2007 to lease the Respondus 3.5 exam creation software, which was an earlier version of Respondus 4.0. (See “County of Roanoke, Virginia Detailed Check Register for Schools: For the 11 Month Period Ended 5/31/07 (Report Date).” Web. 30 March 2018. p. 6.) In order to verify the amount paid or the “annual fee” for “2,501 to 10,000 students,” please see “Respondus (3.5) and/or StudyMate Campus-wide Licensing.” Wayback Machine Internet Archives. Archived 21 April 2007. Respondus, Inc. Redmond, WA. Web. 15 April 2018. The school district paid no money to lease the Respondus LockDown Browser.
2008-09: Roanoke County Public Schools paid $1,945 to Respondus, Inc. on June 27, 2008 to lease the Respondus 3.5 exam creation software. (See “County of Roanoke, Virginia Detailed Check Register for Schools: For the 12 Month Period Ended 6/30/08 (Report Date).” Web. 16 April 2018. p. 42.) In order to verify the amount paid or the “annual fee” for “2,501 to 10,000 students,” please see “Respondus (3.5) and/or StudyMate Campus-wide Licensing.” Wayback Machine Internet Archives. Archived 9 May 2008. Respondus, Inc. Redmond, WA. Web. 10 Nov. 2016. The school system paid $50 less than the advertised price of $1,995 due most likely to a policy by Respondus, Inc. of “custom quotations” for “K-12 Licensing.” The school district paid no money to lease the Respondus LockDown Browser.
2009-10: No information available on BoardDocs
2010-11: No information available on BoardDocs
2011-12: Roanoke County Public Schools paid $2,045 to Respondus, Inc. on October 6, 2011 to lease the Respondus 4.0 exam creation software, which was an updated version of Respondus 3.5. (See “County of Roanoke, Virginia Detailed Check Register for Schools: For the 04 Month Period Ended 10/31/11 (Report Date).” Web. 9 April 2018. p. 5.) In order to verify the amount paid for the “annual fee” for “2,501 to 10,000 students,” please see “Respondus (Version 4.0) Campus-wide Licensing.” Wayback Machine Internet Archives. Archived 13 Sept. 2011. Respondus, Inc. Redmond, WA. Web. 22 May 2018. The school system paid $50 less than the advertised price of $2,095 due most likely to a policy by Respondus, Inc. of “custom quotations” for “K-12 Licensing.” The school district paid no money to lease the Respondus LockDown Browser.
2012-13: Roanoke County Public Schools paid $2,095 to Respondus, Inc. on July 19, 2012 to lease the Respondus 4.0 exam creation software. (See “County of Roanoke, Virginia Detailed Check Register for Schools: For the 01 Month Period Ended 7/31/12 (Report Date).” Web. 31 March 2018. p. 14.) In order to verify the amount paid for the “annual fee” for “2,501 to 10,000 students,” please see “Respondus (Version 4.0) Campus-wide Licensing.” Wayback Machine Internet Archives. Archived 28 June 2012. Respondus, Inc. Redmond, WA. Web. 16 April 2018. The school district paid the advertised price of $2,095 with no discounts. They paid no money to lease the Respondus LockDown Browser.
2013-14: Roanoke County Public Schools paid $2,095 to Respondus, Inc. on June 6, 2013 to lease the Respondus 4.0 exam creation software. (See “County of Roanoke, Virginia Detailed Check Register for Schools: For the 12 Month Period Ended 6/30/13 (Report Date).” Web. 9 April 2018. p. 3.) In order to verify the amount paid for the “annual fee” for “2,501 to 10,000 students,” please see “Respondus 4.0 Pricing.” Wayback Machine Internet Archives. Archived 30 June 2013. Respondus, Inc. Redmond, WA. Web. 16 April 2018. The school district paid the advertised price of $2,095 with no discounts. They paid no money to lease the Respondus LockDown Browser.
2014-15: Roanoke County Public Schools Schools paid $2,095 to Respondus, Inc. on June 26, 2014 to lease the Respondus 4.0 exam creation software. (See “County of Roanoke, Virginia Detailed Check Register for Schools: For the 12 Month Period Ended 6/30/14 (Report Date).” Web. 9 April 2018. p. 38.) In order to verify the amount paid for the “annual fee” for “2,501 to 10,000 students,” please see “Respondus 4.0 Pricing.” Wayback Machine Internet Archives. Archived 4 June 2014. Respondus, Inc. Redmond, WA. Web. 16 April 2018. The school system paid the advertised price of $2,095 with no discounts. There is no financial information available on BoardDocs to indicate that they paid any money to lease the Respondus LockDown Browser. However, as previously mentioned in endnotes 11 and 12 both a Respondus employee and Respondus Sales confirmed that Roanoke County Public Schools did indeed lease the Respondus LockDown Browser for the 2014-15 academic year. The employee stated on July 29, 2016, “They have [used the] Lockdown Browser for about 2 years now.” (See Respondus Employee. “Respondus LockDown Browser (Licence).” Message to Robert Maronic. 29 July 2016. E-mail.) On August 24, 2016 when I emailed Respondus Sales specifically asking whether Roanoke County Public Schools was “using the Respondus Lockdown [sic] Browser for the 2016-17 academic year,” they replied, “Yes, your district does license [the] LockDown Browser.” (See Respondus Sales. “Respondus LockDown Browser (Licence).” Message to Robert Maronic. Copies to Jeff Terry and Ryan McCormack. 24 Aug. 2016. E-mail.) It is highly doubtful that Roanoke County Public Schools paid no money for the anti-cheating software license for the 2014-15 academic year.
In a Freedom of Information Act request submitted to Roanoke County Public Schools on September 5, 2016, the school district revealed copies of numerous emails from Respondus, Inc. Ronnica Vitullo of Respondus emailed Jeff Terry, the Chief Information Officer, on June 23, 2014 stating, “Thank you for obtaining a campus-wide license [my emphasis] for [the] Lock Down Browser. The license is valid through July 31, 2015.” (See Nicely, Dr. Ken. Attachment entitled “Maronic Sept 5 request.pdf 865K.” Message to Robert Maronic. E-mail. p. 1.) Steven Furusho, the Respondus account manager assigned to the district, later emailed Jeff Terry on July 3, 2014 stating, “I want to again thank you for your purchase [my emphasis] of [the] Respondus LockDown Browser.” (See Nicely, Dr. Ken. Attachment entitled “Maronic Sept 5 request.pdf 865K.” Message to Robert Maronic. E-mail. p. 33.). Money was clearly exchanged between Respondus, Inc. and Roanoke County Public Schools. The question is how much, but the total amount is most likely identical to the 2015 invoice.
2015-16: Roanoke County Public Schools paid $4,590 to Respondus, Inc. on July 23, 2015 to lease both the Respondus 4.0 exam creation software and the Respondus LockDown Browser. (See “County of Roanoke, Virginia Detailed Check Register for Schools: For the 01 Month Period Ended 7/31/15 (Report Date).” Web. 15 April 2018. p. 16.) In order to verify the amount paid for the “annual fee” for “2,501 to 10,000 students” for Respondus 4.0, please see “Respondus 4.0 Pricing.” Wayback Machine Internet Archives. Archived 29 July 2015. Respondus, Inc. Redmond, WA. Web. 16 April 2018. Based on this information and the district’s previous annual spending of $2,095 for Respondus 4.0 in 2012-14, $2,495 was most likely paid for the Respondus LockDown Browser. $2,095 (Respondus 4.0 ) + $2,495 (Respondus LockDown Browser) = $4,590.
2016-17: No information available on BoardDocs
22. “Respondus Announcements Timeline.” Respondus, Inc. Redmond, WA. Web. 12 April 2018. Year 2006, sent. 3 and year 2005, sent. 5. It is extremely obvious that Roanoke County Public Schools had a business relationship with Respondus, Inc. since 2007 based on the documentation provided in endnote 21. Therefore, it would be highly implausible for the school system to claim no knowledge of the company’s anti-cheating software or the Respondus LockDown Browser before 2014.
23. For example, Hidden Valley High School had approximately 55-60 valedictorians each year from 2012 to 2016 comprising almost 25% of the entire graduating class. A second example would be despite having no anti-cheating software on all school-issued laptops for non-SOL testing in grades 9-12 from 2006-16, Roanoke County Public Schools in May 2013 was “named the top digital school system in the 12,000+ students category in the annual Digital School Districts Survey by the Center for Digital Education in partnership with the National School Boards Association.” (See Adams, Debbie. “Roanoke County Schools Named Top Digital School System in National Survey.” The Vinton Messenger (Vinton, VA). 25 May 2013. Web. 22 May 2018.)
24. “Gov. Ralph Northam’s Inaugural Address.” The Roanoke Times. 13 Jan. 2018. Web. 12 April 2018.
25. AdvancED Performance Standards for School Systems. Web. 1 May 2018. pp. 3-5. These seven “Performance Standards” would have been 1.2, 1.7, 1.11, 2.5, 2.10, 2.12 and 3.8. Standard 2.5 states, “Educators implement a curriculum that is based on high expectations [my emphasis] and prepares learners for their next levels.” The opposite of “high expectations” was essentially true for non-SOL testing on school-issued laptops for grades 9-12 in Roanoke County Public Schools from 2006-16.
26. AdvancED Accreditation Policies and Procedures for AdvancED Accreditation (updated June 25, 2015). Web. 1 May 2018. p. 2. AdvancED Accreditation Policy 2.02d in regard to “Institutional Integrity” on the same page states, “a school/school system is required to represent itself accurately in all aspects of the accreditation process. If a school/school system misrepresents itself, including accreditation status, to the public; has any condition that may be detrimental to the clientele of the school/school system [my emphasis]; or falsely reports its compliance with the policies and Standards for accreditation; the school’s/school system’s accreditation can be dropped [my emphasis]. If a school’s/school system’s accreditation is recommended to be dropped, the school/school system shall be afforded due process in consideration of such action.”
DOCUMENTATION:
Cheating Continues to Plague Academic Careers (Screenshots) Titan Times Roanoke VA – August 12, 2016
Cheating Continues to Plague Academic Careers Titan Times Roanoke VA – May 2, 2013 p. 1
Cheating Continues to Plague Academic Careers Titan Times Roanoke VA – May 2, 2013 p. 2
FOIA Request 3 Attachment Maronic Sept 5 request.pdf 865K – September 9, 2016
Letter from Secretary of Education Anne B. Holton to Robert L. Maronic – June 1, 2016
Respondus LockDown Browser (Licence) for Roanoke County Public Schools – 2014-16 Academic Years
Respondus LockDown Browser (Licence) for Roanoke County Public Schools – 2016-17 Academic Year
Respondus LockDown Browser (Software) Email from Andy Clapper to Robert Maronic – January 15, 2012
Student Internet History Report Email from Andy Clapper to Robert Maronic – January 17, 2012
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“Roanoke County School Board Meeting (Minutes).” 14 April 2016. Roanoke County Public Schools.
Roanoke, VA. Web. 9 April 2018. http://www.boarddocs.com/vsba/roecnty/Board.nsf/files/A9WNPC5?90B27/$file/04142016.pdf archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20161116060403/http://www.board?docs.com/vsba/roecnty/Board.nsf/files/A9WNPC590B27/$file/04142016.pdf. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.
Smith, Tanner. “Cheating Continues to Plague Academic Careers.” Titan Times. Hidden Valley High School. Roanoke, VA. Web. 2 May 2013. http://www.titantimes.org/news/2013/05/02/cheating-continues-to-plague-acadmic-careers/ (“Not Found, Error 404. The page you are looking for no longer exists.”). Web. 13 April 2018. Smith’s article remained on the school server from May 2, 2013 through August 12, 2016. Unfortunately, the Roanoke County School Board permanently removed it from its website. For a copy of his original article see the two PDF files entitled “Cheating Continues to Plague Academic Careers Titan Times Roanoke VA – May 2, 2013 p. 1.” and “Cheating Continues to Plague Academic Careers Titan Times Roanoke VA – May 2, 2013 p. 2.” Also, see the PDF file entitled “Cheating Continues to Plague Academic Careers (Screenshots) Titan Times Roanoke VA – August 12, 2016.” Screenshot 2 contains the complete first two paragraphs of the p. 1 image. Retrieved from http://www.titantimes.org/news/2013/05/02/?cheat?ing-continues-to-plague-acadmic-careers/. Screenshots. Web. 12 August 2016.
Stegall, Rhonda Wheeler. A Case Study of Job-Embedded Professional Development for Implementation of
21st Century Skills. Diss. Liberty University, December 2017. Web. 30 April 2018. http://digitalcommons.?liberty.edu/doctoral/1603/ archived at https://perma.cc/U66K-6J73. Web. 30 April 2018. Also, see http://digi?talcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2661&context=doctoral archived at
https://webrecorder.io/rmaronic/new-collection/20180508030838/http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu?/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2661&context=doctoral. Web. 7 May 2018.
