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Thursday morning, a Tampa-area woman will learn her fate when a judge sentences her for sending a menacing email referencing a plot to blow up a Broward County school.

No one was hurt but the event disrupted lessons and created needless panic and worry for parents and officials.

Ellisa Martinez, a 48-year-old divorced mother from New Port Richey, pleaded guilty in May to one count of communicating a threat through interstate commerce.

She could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when she goes before U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore at the federal courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale Thursday morning. Moore is best known for his role in returning Elián Gonzalez to Cuba.

Martinez, a former Los Angeles teacher, has no prior convictions. Her court-appointed lawyer is asking that she be sentenced to 14 months: about eight months already served and six months home confinement, followed by three years probation, according to court documents. The defense also suggests that restitution be set at $7,568.

She has been in custody, without bond, since her arrest in early December.

Her path to prison began soon after she sent the disturbing email, in the wee hours of the morning Nov. 10th, to Joyce Kaufman, a conservative talk show host at WFTL, AM 850.

In it, Martinez hinted at blowing up a government building, “maybe even a school.”

Martinez also called the Pompano beach station later that morning warning that her bi-polar husband, a Billy Johnson, was going to shoot up a school in Pembroke Pines. (Martinez is divorced and her former husband was not involved in the incident.)

Alarmed, the radio station alerted authorities.

That prompted Broward school administrators to call a “Code Red” and bolt the doors to the schools countywide while local authorities and the FBI’s domestic terrorism unit investigated whether the threat was real.

Security guards and police officers were posted at every public and charter school in the county. Pembroke Pines shut down City Hall.

Samuel Randall, Martinez’s court-appointed lawyer, said in May that Martinez did not intend to carry out her threat,

Instead, he said she was only attempting to challenge Kaufman’s much-publicized and controversial rhetoric in support of the Second Amendment, which Martinez felt could incite violence.

Before the 2010 Congressional race, in which Kaufman backed the successful Tea Party candidate Allen West, the conservative commentator urged people to toss out incumbents at the voting booth, saying “The most important thing the founding fathers did to ensure my First Amendment rights was they gave me a Second Amendment. And if ballots don’t work, bullets will.”

Martinez’s email, in an exaggerated and mocking fashion, appeared to support Kaufman’s stance, but her lawyer said it was meant as sarcasm.

“I know that you know one election is not enough to take our country back from illegal aliens, jews, muslims, and illuminati who are running the show,” Martinez wrote. “I am so glad you support people who think like me. I’m planning something big around a government building here in Broward County, maybe a post office, maybe even a school, I’m going to walk in and teach all the government hacks working there what the 2nd amendment is all about. Can I count on your help?…we’ll end this year of 2010 in a blaze of glory for sure.”

Martinez’s email to Kaufman also gave a nod to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, reading: “what does Sarah say, don’t retreat, reload! let’s make headlines girl!”

Police immediately traced the email to an IP address belonging to Martinez and the call to Martinez’s cell phone.

When confronted the same day, Martinez told an FBI agent that she had lost her cell phone in a restaurant bathroom.

While authorities worked to obtain a search warrant for her computer, Martinez fled to California, where she checked into the UCLA Medical Center under an assumed name.

At one point, Martinez’s lawyers indicated in a court filing that they would pursue an insanity defense, saying she suffered a head injury in a January 1997 traffic accident that left her comatose for five days.

Finding the MAC favorite in August is never an issue: Temple played this role to perfection last fall, but ended the year third in its own division and home for bowl play. Projecting the end-of-year MAC champion has always been far more difficult, perhaps more so in this conference than in any other league in the country. A.C.C.? It may not be Virginia Tech every year, but taking the Hokies in August is typically a pretty safe bet. Big 12? Easy: Texas or Oklahoma. WAC? Well, Boise State has run that show for years; the conference opens up a bit more beginning in 2011. Even the Sun Belt, the one conference that the MAC can trump in terms of top-to-bottom talent and coaching, has Troy as the clear top dog followed by a revolving cast of would-be contenders.

The MAC? It changes by the year; it changes by the month, even, if not the week. Take a look at 2011: Ohio, Toledo and Northern Illinois three pretty clear bowl teams. Toledo is the best of the bunch, but the Rockets are stymied by a tough non-conference schedule. Ohio? A lock for at least eight wins, but it’ll be one of the weaker eight-win seasons, based on degree of difficulty, that you’ve ever seen. The Huskies? If Jerry Kill were back, the Huskies would be the favorite. But he’s not, so they’re not. Long story short: the MAC is as wide open as the league has ever been. Good thing? Maybe. But the league could use a powerhouse every now and then.

Most likely to succeed

Ohio Is it because of the schedule? Well, it’s not entirely because of the schedule but it sure doesn’t hurt. Ohio is the lucky beneficiary of the nation’s easiest schedule, one that leaves even this slightly above-average team with a substantial shot at double-digit wins. But there’s more than just the schedule, albeit not that much more: Ohio is wonderfully coached, has an outstanding offensive line, is terrific on special teams and returns a few integral players from injuries suffered a year ago. So while the schedule will be the primary reason why Ohio will challenge for 10 wins, it’s not quite the only reason.

Most likely to struggle

Akron There may not be a worse team in the country. As at Memphis the only team in the F.B.S. ranked worse than Akron, by the way the Zips are trying to regroup on the fly under a second-year coach whose debut season could not have gone much worse. As at Memphis, there’s absolutely no reason to think that Rob Ianello is going to have Akron back in conference contention in his second season. Here’s the really troubling thing: after last season, it’s clear that Ianello and Akron have a long, long way to go before factoring into the MAC mix.

Best team, top-to-bottom

Toledo And it’s not all that close, though Northern Illinois, Ohio and Western Michigan warrant being mentioned along the second tier. Toledo has it all: coaching, speed, talent, confidence. What the Rockets lack is the sort of schedule conducive to doing what the Bobcats will do in 2010 win nine games, if not more. If Toledo had Ohio’s schedule, the Rockets could very well run the table. That’s not the case, of course, but the two teams should meet in the MAC title game; it’s there that we’ll see if Ohio’s 10-2 season is for real, or whether Toledo’s 7-5 regular season is misleading.

Wait until next year

Ball State And I’m not completely sure why: maybe it’s Pete Lembo, the former Elon coach whose track record of success on college football’s lower levels is intriguing. Yeah, that’s why. Lembo reminds me in some part of Jerry Kill, who took Northern Illinois from 2-10 to 11-3 over three quick years before taking the job at Minnesota. Like Kill, Lembo has been extremely successful at stops like Lehigh, Georgetown and Elon the latter a coaching wasteland on the F.C.S. ranks. Lembo also has a somewhat simple offense that gets results; again, like Kill. Can Lembo lure recruits to Muncie? It won’t be easy, but it’s not as if Kill was reeling in the big names with the Huskies.

Best coach

Frank Solich, Ohio It’s the whole body of work that stands out: Nebraska and Ohio. What Solich achieved at the former stop has been covered, in this space and elsewhere; what is mentioned with far less frequency is the work he’s done building Ohio little, long-dismissed Ohio into one of the strongest programs in the MAC. Has it been easy? Far from it: the Bobcats have been on-again, off-again, but have nevertheless showed far more consistency that most of their conference brethren. Where Ohio stands now is the result of many, many years of careful recruiting, solid player development and the installation of a coaching philosophy that simply works, in Lincoln, Athens and anywhere else.

Coach not long for the MAC (promoted)

Tim Beckman, Toledo If one individual MAC coach is going to land a B.C.S. conference position after the 2011 season, it’s going to be Beckman. For one, his Toledo team is going to make some noise this fall; secondly, he’s done a great job rebuilding this program over two full seasons; and three, he has the sort of solid head coaching and assistant experience that B.C.S. conference programs covet. I think Beckman is very much a young coaching name to watch nationally: he’d probably be tabbed for a B.C.S. conference job in the Midwest, but Beckman’s name might be seen associated with many big-name job openings over the next year or two.

Coach not long for the MAC (dismissed)

Dan Enos, Central Michigan There has been plenty of coaching turnover since the end of last season: Don Treadwell at Miami (Ohio), Steve Adazzio at Temple, Darrell Hazell at Kent State, Dave Doeren at Northern Illinois and Pete Lembo at Ball State. Five of 13 MAC coaches are in their first season, in other words. A good portion of those that remained are pretty safe, by and large, though Ron English could use some wins at Eastern Michigan and Dave Clawson might want to reverse Bowling Green’s slide from bowl play to 2-10. In terms of being on the hot seat, however, I’m not sure if there’s another MAC coach needing a bounce-back year more than Enos, the second-year coach who took a 12-win team and turned into a bottom-feeder with speed and ease. Enos had a dreadful first season his year might have been worse than Ianello’s, considering what situation each coach stepped into.

Offensive player of the year

Eric Page, Toledo He does it all, folks. He throws touchdown passes; three last season. He catches touchdown passes. He’s run for scores on occasion. And he’s the best in country on kick returns. Page does it all, does it with ease, does it in the shadows and does it as well as any player in the nation. So he’s a player you must keep an eye on in 2011. Another thing: if Toledo can find a viable second option at receiver, Page might have an enormous season.

Defensive player of the year

Noah Keller, Ohio Here’s betting that the all-MAC linebacker makes a full recovery from the foot injury that cost him all but the first handful of games in 2011. Two years ago, Keller was the MAC’s most productive linebacker. I worry a bit about whether he can reclaim that sort of production a year removed from his injury, but even at less than 100 percent Keller is going to make all sorts of plays for this Ohio defense. Like Jerrell Wedge at Miami (Ohio), Keller’s in line to make an even larger impact because of a weaker front four. Keller will need to be a big factor against the run; here’s betting he’ll back, not missing a beat, and right back among the MAC’s leading tacklers.

Five biggest non-conference games

Toledo at Ohio State, Sept. 10
Boise State at Toledo, Sept. 17
Western Michigan at Michigan, Sept. 3
Northern Illinois vs. Wisconsin (in Chicago), Sept. 17
Western Michigan at Illinois, Sept. 24

Five biggest conference games

Northern Illinois at Toledo, Nov. 1
Western Michigan at Toledo, Nov. 6
Western Michigan at Northern Illinois, Oct. 15
Temple at Ohio, Nov. 2
Toledo at Temple, Oct. 1

Projected order of finish

East
Ohio
Temple
Miami (Ohio)
Bowling Green
Buffalo
Kent State
Akron

West
Toledo
Northern Illinois
Western Michigan
Ball State
Eastern Michigan
Central Michigan

[Updates - school list; District says it never got report]
Dozens of schools across the city and state were flagged in a study of 2009 state standardized test scores that sought to use statistical analysis to ferret out possible examples of cheating on the PSSA exam.

The analysis, prepared for the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) in July 2009, highlights roughly 60 schools with suspicious results due to multiple statistical irregularities, including 22 District schools and six seven charters in Philadelphia.

Among the District schools referenced in the report is Roosevelt Middle School, which has been at the center of a controversy this year involving alleged cheating on the PSSA. In 2009, the analysis reveals, results of both the reading and math PSSA exams taken by Roosevelt’s 7th and 8th graders showed a highly unlikely number of wrong answers that were erased and changed to the correct answer. The results also showed highly improbable increases over the previous year in the percentage of students who scored proficient or advanced.

For example, the odds that the wrong-to-right erasure patterns that showed up on Roosevelt’s 7th grade reading response sheets occurred purely by chance were slightly less than 1 in 100 trillion.

The “data forensics technical report,” prepared by the Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) was made available to the Notebook by the state. At the Notebook’s request, Andrew Porter, dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania and an expert on testing, reviewed the report and some of its data.

Porter stressed that statistical analysis alone, without witnesses or confessions, cannot definitively prove that there was cheating. But he added that the report “describes a reasonable approach to identifying schools where there may have been cheating.” 

Nevertheless, it appears that the state never followed up with any further investigations. The forensic data analysis was discontinued in 2010, although PDE spokesperson Timothy Eller said it would be reinstated this year.

“We’re going to reinstitute those reports this year and they are actually going to mean something,” said Eller. He criticized the 2009 report as “convoluted.”

Earlier this year, teachers from Roosevelt and FitzSimons High told the Inquirer that they had witnessed numerous instances of cheating at their schools in 2010 and 2011. The Roosevelt teachers also spoke to the Notebook. FitzSimons was not one of the schools flagged in the state report for suspicious results in 2009.

Eller acknowledged that the PDE has received two complaints from Philadelphia about possible cheating and said the department had ordered the District to investigate. Earlier this week, District officials said they found no wrongdoing at Roosevelt or FitzSimons. Friday, District spokesperson Shana Kemp told the Inquirer on Friday that the District is investigating 15 schools and would wait until all are complete before submitting the reports to the state.  

Eller sought to minimize the relevance of the 2009 report, pointing out that it was done under the previous administration of Gov. Ed Rendell and saying that “it is difficult to glean anything from that information.”

Eller stopped short, however, of saying it was wrong, emphasizing rather that it had not been presented in comprehensible form.

“It’s not information the average person would understand,” he said.

The report and accompanying analysis cost the state $113,000.

A DRC spokesperson said that the company could not answer any questions about the significance or context of report’s findings without PDE’s permission, which was not granted. 

Prominent in the DRC report is an analysis of erasures on the state tests. The study says that schools flagged for irregular erasure patterns are “of particular interest” because “these results may strongly suggest that a testing irregularity occurred in the school.”

At some Philadelphia schools, erasure patterns were flagged across numerous tested grades and subjects. For example, Olney Elementary, a K-8 school, was flagged for its erasure patterns in both reading and math in every tested grade at the school.

But the study looked at other possible evidence of test cheating as well.

A Notebook review showed roughly 60 schools across Pennsylvania received three or more “flags” in a single grade for improbable jumps in students’ performance levels and unlikely increases in schools’ scale scores on reading and math tests, as well as unusual erasure patterns. Nearly half of those schools singled out for having particularly suspicious results were in Philadelphia: 22 District schools and six seven Philadelphia charter schools had “flags” on three or more measures in a single grade.

“Multiple flags mean that the school data were highly unusual on more than one indicator,” said Penn’s Porter. “There are many ways to cheat, so it’s not wise to look at the data in only one way.”

Six of the 22 District schools had more than three “flags” for more than one grade.

Wagner Middle School in West Oak Lane, for example, was flagged in the report six times for its 7th grade results and three times for its 8th grade results. Overall, the likelihood of the erasure patterns on the school’s 8th grade response sheets in reading and math occurred purely by chance was more than 1 in 100 trillion.

From 2007-08 to 2008-09, the percentage of Wagner 8th graders scoring proficient on the PSSA exam jumped almost 14 percentage points, from 56.5 percent to 69.3 percent.

Statewide, 22 high schools had three or more flags. Three of those were District high schools, including Northeast High, which was flagged on every analyzed dimension of its 11th grade math results. Three local charter high schools were also flagged, including Imhotep Institute Charter High School, which was flagged seven of a possible eight times, including for a wrong-to-right erasure rate on its 11th grade math results that had a one in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 chance of occurring purely by chance.

Questions about test score cheating in Philadelphia come on the heels of the District’s recent announcement that Philadelphia public schools improved their test scores for the ninth straight year in 2010-11. Over the past several months there have been several cheating scandals across the country.

Earlier this year USA Today published a major investigation analyzing several years of test scores in six states and the District of Columbia that found statistical evidence of potential cheating. The series prompted a probe in Washington, DC, where unusually high erasure rates were found in more than half of the schools.

In Atlanta, GA, the state ordered an investigation into cheating after years of reporting by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on similar unusual statistical patterns and other testing irregularities. The results, released this week, confirmed cheating in 44 of the 56 schools state investigators examined. Based on more than 2000 interviews, it named 178 educators as engaging in unethical behavior, said 80 of them had confessed, and concluded that the administration of former superintendent Beverly Hall had ignored or covered up evidence. Hall issued a statement Friday apologizing for any “shortcomings.” 

A focus in both of those scandals was on suspicious erasure patterns detected by testing companies on student response sheets.

Eller of the PDE said that new Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis, appointed by Republican Governor Tom Corbett earlier this year, has directed that forensic analysis and security audits be reinstated for the current year.

Eller gave no timetable for the completion of these reports. The PSSAs were administered in March.

To some, the need for more scrutiny of test score results grows in tandem with the intense pressure for schools to do well on standardized tests.

“As a general rule, the higher the stakes for high test performance, the more incentive to cheat, [and] the more cheating will be done,” said Porter.

The following schools were flagged in the 2009 report for suspicious PSSA results on three or more measures for a single grade:

DISTRICT SCHOOLS
Elementary

•  Catherine

• Cayuga*

• Franklin Edmonds

• Frederick Douglass

• Disston

• Fitler

• FitzPatrick

• Lamberton

• John Marshall*

• Thurgood Marshall*

• McClure

• Muñoz-Marin*

• Olney Elementary

• MH Stanton

• Ziegler

Middle

• Penn Treaty

• Theodore Roosevelt*

• Wagner*

• Woodrow Wilson

High

• Frankford

• Northeast

• Strawberry Mansion

CHARTER SCHOOLS

• Alliance for Progress Charter

• Charter High School for Architecture and Design

• Imhotep Institute Charter High School

• Maritime Academy Charter

• Walter D. Palmer Leadership and Learning Partners Charter

• Wissahickon Charter

• Philadelphia Electrical and Technology Charter

Changes to GCSE league tables combined with moves to limit the role of local councils risks undermining the subject’s place in the English education system, it is claimed.

In a letter to The Daily Telegraph today, leading Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs call for urgent reforms to stop RE effectively disappearing from the classroom.

The comments come just weeks after a major study revealed thousands of secondary schools were already axing lessons for older pupils – flouting legislation that demands all children should be taught RE until at least 16.

A quarter of schools fail to provide the subject for 14- to 16-year-olds, it emerged, with around a third planning to drop it next year.

In today’s letter, religious groups blamed the trend on the Coalition’s new “English Baccalaureate” – a school leaving certificate that rewards progress in traditional academic subjects.

The AJC reports some major developments today:

1. Khaatim Sherrer El announced his resignation in the continuing fallout from a cheating scandal that has overwhelmed Atlanta Public Schools. I just concluded in the end it just shouldnt be this hard to do the right things for kids, El said, his voice wavering with emotion as he fought back tears. I failed to protect thousands of children who come from homes like mine. It remains to be seen, no matter how deep this thing goes, whether the soul of Atlanta has been stirred.

2. The four removed from area superintendent jobs Sharon Davis-Williams, Michael Pitts, Robin Hall and Tamara Cotman   were implicated in the scandal. Davis did not say whether they will remain with the district.

3. Davis also said that two year-round elementary schools named in a state investigative report made public last week will receive new principals before classes start Wednesday. Keisha Gibbons, former assistant principal at Centennial Place Elementary School, was named principal of Boyd Elementary; she replaces Emalyn Foreman. The new principal for Hutchinson Elementary will be named Tuesday, Davis said.

Earlier blog

WABE  radio reported early today that all APS school reform team executive directors had been placed on administrative leave. However, I called APS spokesman Keith Bromery about the report, and he told me the school board has only just gone into executive session and that he was unaware that such an action had been taken.

UPDATE: The report was later carried by TV, including Channel 2 Action News,which reported that the four declined the chance to resign and want public hearings on their cases. WSB-TV says the four TAMARA COTMAN, ROBIN HALL, SHARON DAVIS-WILLIAMS AND MICHAEL PITTS are represented by attorney George Lawson. Lawson told the TV station that the school leaders were told resign or be fired.

They chose termination.

In the meantime, Channel 2 Action News also has footage of former APS school chief Beverly Hall in Hawaii.  She doesnt say much to the TV reporter and looks fatigued.

In addition, the AJC is reporting that Hall may lose her  Superintendent of the Year title, awarded to her in 2009 by the American Association of School Administrators.

UPDATE  at 6:20: Fox 5 is reporting that the four school reform team executive directors have been recommended for termination by the new school chief Erroll Davis, along with Rebecca Dashiell-Mitchell,  principal at Hutchinson Elementary, and Emalyn Foreman, principal at Boyd Elementary School.

According to the FOX5:

The School Resource Team reports directly to the superintendent, and the county is divided into four geographic areas comprised of elementary or middle schools. Each area has an SRT. Those SRTs are:

SRT 1 – Dr. Sharon Davis-Williams SRT 2 – Michael Pitts SRT 3 – Robin Hall SRT 4 – Tamara Cotman

Sources tell FOX 5 the following new appointments will be made for those positions:

SRT 1 – Donnell Underdue SRT 2 – Danielle Battle SRT 3 – Betsy Bockman SRT 4 – David White

Many of the nation’s top high school football players will gather at the Warhill Sports Complex in Williamsburg, Va., Thursday, July 21 to Saturday, July 23, to attend Football University’s TOP GUN All-Star Camp.

The invitation-only all-star camp will bring together approximately 1,000 of the nation’s top players—both preps and youth—at their respective positions, including current and potential U.S. Army All-Americans (USAAB) and many top D1 recruits. Athletes will be training with the elite TOP GUN staff, which includes approximately 100 former NFL players and coaches. Full rosters of players and coaches, as well as schedule of events are available upon request.

Among the talent on the way from the state of Florida include Class of 2014 standout running back Sony Michel (Plantation American Heritage), who is a 5-Star RB and projected the No. 1 RB prospect for his class.

Other Floridians headed to Virginia include Tyler Cameron, QB (Jupiter, FL) Rivals’ No. 6 dual-threat QB, 15 D1 offers, Richard Benjamin, WR (Tampa Bay Tech) a top-rated 2013 WR, 2013 USAAB candidate and Leon McQuay, S (Seffner, FL) a top-rated 2013 safety, strong 2013 USAAB candidate

Former U.S. Army All-Americans and current NFL players DeMarco Murray (2005 USAAB; current Dallas Cowboy) and Kyle Rudolph (2008 USAAB; current Minnesota Viking) will be on-hand Thursday to lead the opening ceremonies as official “Grand Marshalls” of the opening parade. Opening ceremonies will take place Thursday from 2:15-3:30 p.m. ET and features a grand-opening parade where all regional FBU camps, athletes and NFL instructors will be recognized. The closing ceremonies will take place Saturday evening and will feature an awards ceremony followed by a concert by nationally-renowned band Ocean Street. The closing event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 7:45 p.m.

Some of the other elite talent expected to be at TOP GUN will include: Eli Harold, DE (Virginia Beach, VA) Rivals’ No. 6 position, No. 1 in state, 2012 USAAB; Joel Caleb, ATH (Midlothian, VA) Rivals’ No. 3 position, No. 44 overall; Aziz Shittu, DL (Atwater, CA) Rivals’ No. 12 overall, No. 3 position, 2012 USAAB; Barry Sanders Jr., RB (Oklahoma City, OK) Rivals’ No. 9 position, 2012 USAAB; Alex Balducci, DE (Portland, OR) Rivals’ No. 13 position; 2012 USSAB; Ryan Watson, DE (Olney, MD) Rivals’ No. 17 position, more than 20 D1 offers; Wes Brown, RB (Olney, MD) a top-rated RB by Rivals’ and other outlets, offers from major D1 schools; Kendall Fuller, DB (Olney, MD), a top-rated 2013 DB, strong 2013 USAAB candidate; Lowell Lotulelei, DT (South Jordan, UT) a top-rated 2013 DT, 2013 USAAB candidate; and Michael Parker, ATH (Nokesville, VA) top-rated 2013 ATH, 2013 USAAB candidate.

TOP GUN is the culmination of Football University’s 40-camp nationwide tour gathering the most elite “all-star” performers from each camp and bringing them together to display their abilities together on one stage. Organizers bill TOP GUN as the biggest gathering of football talent and celebration of the year, outside of the Super Bowl.

Attendees include approximately 1000 players, 100 former NFL players and coaches, families, national sponsors, and national and local media including USA Today, Rivals.com and Sporting News.