Three former Philadelphia teachers have relinquished their credentials as part of a state investigation into cheating on state standardized tests in the city’s school district.
The three—Alene S. Goldstein, Deborah L. Edwards-Dillard, and Phyllis R. Patselas—gave up their professional credentials last month and agreed never to work at a public, charter, or cyber school. They also agreed not to work with a contracted educational provider, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The settlement was related to an investigation into their alleged roles in engaging in “multiple PSSA testing violations,” according to the paper.
Goldstein and Patselas, who previously worked at Olney Elementary School, retired in 2008, but continued to work as substitutes after retirement; while Edwards-Dillards retired from Elverson Military Academy in 2013, the paper reported.
Since a state investigation on irregularities in state tests started in 2011—following an Inquirer investigation at Roosevelt Middle School—138 district educators have been implicated, the Inquirer reported.
To date, six of those named in connection to the cheating scandal—including three from Elverson Military School—have relinquished their certifications to settle the charges, according to the paper.
The district also fired three principals in January for cheating.
In May, the state Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane outlined criminal charges against four teachers and one principal, accusing them of perjury, tampering with public records, forgery, and criminal conspiracy for their alleged roles in cheating on state examinations during a five-year period.