9 schools facing toughest 'No Child' penalties.

Byline: Kristen A. Graham and Frank Kummer

Aug. 23--More schools are failing to meet state reading and math benchmarks in Camden, Burlington and Gloucester Counties compared with 2005. Nine -- six in Camden -- are facing the most severe penalties under the federal No Child Left Behind act, according to state education data released yesterday. The news was especially grim for Camden, South Jersey's largest school district, with 18,000 students. In all, 27 of its 32 public schools were listed as failing to make the grade. That's up from 25 in 2005. Two Camden elementary schools -- H.B. Wilson and U.S. Wiggins -- were listed as "in need of improvement" for the 2006-07 school year after dramatic drops in test scores. The Inquirer challenged the 2005 fourth-grade test scores for Wilson and Wiggins, which had the highest and among the highest math scores in the state, respectively. State monitors watched as tests were administered this spring, and the scores plunged. A recently released state report concluded that "adult interference" was the reason for the inflated 2005 scores, but the state said it would let the scores stand. That matters because the higher scores might have kept the schools off the failing list artificially and therefore denied students the option to transfer to other schools in the Camden district.…