I was shocked and dismayed by the forced retirement of Mark Ransford as principal of Chadds Ford Elementary School. He has done an extraordinary job in his short time there. He brought the first National Blue Ribbon commendation to our district.
While there have been many errors made in the administration of this year’s PSSA tests at CFES, the district’s administration must admit to being the major cause as they have failed to review and re-educate all individuals involved in administering the PSSA and and other similar tests in our district.
I have also heard several rumors that improper testing procedures have occurred at all our schools over the last several years. No noticeable actions were taken. Due to numerous and widespread comments on this matter, I feel certain that there must be some truth to this matter that the UCF administration has failed to share with the public.
I hope the administration makes the necessary corrections to the handling of all tests, at all schools in our district.
Bruce Yelton
Pocopson Township
(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Ann Ashmore here and I agree. In addition, if the immediate nature of Mark’s disappearance inside CFE mirrored the swiftness of Superintendent Sanville’s public announcement, the effect is a principalectomy which eliminated opportunity for over 300 CFE students and families to say important goodbyes and good luck to our seven year serving, highly thought of CFE Principal.
It is not lost on me or the parents I’ve heard reactions from that had administrative leaders revealed the investigation of Mr. Ransford’s involved irregular testing procedures (providing 12 students with opportunity to finish certain sections of PSSA after testing concluded) in realtime-openly, honoring CFE families and staff’s input and allowing School community members the opportunity to process feelings, voice opinions and offer practical resolutions , Mark might still have a job.
I’m not proud of the outcome this district’s leaders have left us with. I believe it reflects a heavy-handed imbalance of consequences, a deeper beholdeness to PSSA driven monies and a misplaced abandonment of an administrator who’s one of the vary reasons our district’s students stand out above the rest in their ability to critically think . We may be the top-rated scoring district in the state, but it is a bittersweet title indeed when I view the human cost in hindsight.