CRCT tampering: Crisis in confidence, character and conscience for APS
In a jaw-dropping meeting with Gov. Sonny Perdue and his staff Tuesday, the AJC learned that a review of all 2009 CRCT answer sheets identified 74 “severe” elementary and middle schools schools in which there appeared to be widespread answer-sheet tampering. The worst offender was Atlanta Public Schools in which cheating appears to have occurred in 37 of its 55 elementary schools.
Here is the link to the AJC searchable database of all schools. Here is a link to the list of severe-only schools. Here is a link to the detailed news story.And this takes you to a map. Here is a new map created Friday.
Responding to earlier evidence of cheating, including an analysis by the AJC, the state had every 2009 answer sheet reviewed to measure how often kids changed wrong answers to right by virtue of erasures on the sheets. Because every test sheet was checked, the state was able to develop a reliable index of how often test answers were changed from wrong to right and flag schools that had inordinate occurrences of answer changes, right down to the classroom level.
It then flagged schools that had higher-than-average numbers of wrong -to-right answers, and found troubling patterns, most of which occurred in Atlanta schools and in Dougherty County schools. To understand, look at third grade math scores. Reviewing the answer sheets of 125,000 third graders, the state found that the average student changed 1.87 answers from wrong to right.
If there was a third-grade classroom in which the students on average changed 4.8 answers from wrong to right, a flag went up, said Kathleen Mathers, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. “That change was so much bigger than what we saw in classrooms across the state.”
APS Superintendent Beverly Hall must address a culture of cheating in her schools that threatens all her reform efforts.
Then, the state examined how each individual class performed on the test and how many answers went from incorrect to correct. They compared each classroom to the state average. To be flagged, the changes from wrong to right answers had to be well above state average, so much so that it could not be a matter of chance. Then, the state looked at the schools as a whole and found widespread instances of improbable answer changes.
On its list of the 74 schools with the highest number of classrooms with questionable – unbelievable, in fact – erasures from wrong to right, APS has 43 schools and Dougherty has eight schools.
Out of the 74 flagged schools, DeKalb had six schools including the much acclaimed DeKalb Path Academy Charter School. Fulton has three schools. Clayton has two schools, including Lewis Academy of Excellence, a charter school that appeared before the state board of education this morning to plead for a reconsideration of state charter status, citing its academic achievement and its performance on state tests.
No Gwinnett, Cobb, Fayette, Cherokee, Rockdale, Decatur, Forsyth or Henry schools are on the list of 74.
With evidence suggesting that tampering of test sheets took place in 67 percent of its 55 elementary schools, Atlanta Public Schools is now facing a crisis in culture, confidence, conscience and character.
This data show that a culture of cheating exists in Atlanta schools, a culture that may have taken root before reform-minded Superintendent Beverly Hall arrived a decade ago or may be a result of her relentless pressure on her schools to improve and do it quickly.
Either way, this culture cannot be tolerated and must be banished, even if it means a wholesale firing of staff. (I suspect that some will call for Hall’s firing. If the cheating traces back to her, she will have to resign. There may well be a case to be made that she should have known that this was going on in her district.)
This is not a few bad apples. This is rot to the core of APS and it cannot be addressed with training or memos. The shakeup at APS should bounce desks off the floor and rattle pictures off the walls.
Otherwise, how can parents know if their kids are learning if test results are not valid?
On the issue of conscience, how could schools – including some in which eight out of 10 classrooms had compelling evidence of cheating — promote students to the next grade who were not able to do the work, yet had soaring CRCT scores?
This is educational malpractice of the worst kind.
It not only hurts the children, but it victimizes the next teacher in the chain who can’t understand why her student who scored proficient in reading the year before now can’t sound out a sentence. Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, those students may have qualified for tutoring based on their undoctored scores, says Mathers, of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. “Students were deprived of those opportunities.”
Superintendent Hall should not waste a minute arguing with the state’s findings. As a clearly concerned Gov. Perdue told us yesterday in an hour-long meeting, “The facts are what the facts are. Trust me, we will not allow this to be whitewashed. I can’t think of any superintendent who has the students’ best interests at heart who won’t want to find out what happened and where.”
Gov. Perdue met with the AJC Tuesday to share a stunning study of how often test answers were changed on last year's CRCTs.
Perdue said he is counting on systems to investigate and right any wrongs, including getting true assessments of their students and providing academic help to kids who aren’t really proficient.
“There is strong evidence here,” he said. “It is not my job to impugn or indict any one person or school. I may change my mind as I go down the line.”
When you look at the lists – and our AJC technical staffers have been working all night to get this data from the state in easy-to-use form for you — you will see that the schools with the greatest instances of tampering are poor and minority. These are the schools that have the farthest to go to get their kids to proficiency on state tests.
You do not see the suburban powerhouse counties on the list. I also have to note that some districts with high poverty enrollments are not on the list. (Along with the 74 truly problematic schools, the state assembled a list of 117 schools with moderately troubling test irregularities.) So, between the severe- and moderate-concern schools, there are 191 or 10 percent of the state’s elementary and middle schools that have test results that merit monitoring.
But the searing findings raise so many questions. Where did the cheating take place — in the classroom or after the answer sheets were turned into the school offices?
In some instances, as many as 48 answers on a test sheet were changed from wrong to right. Why would a teacher or principal go that far to ensure a single student passed? How desperate were they?
Are the honest teachers turning a blind eye or are their complaints ignored?
How does APS rebuild after this? Why did so many Atlanta schools resort to cheating when national testing showed that APS was, in fact, raising achievement? Or, are those test results now in doubt, too?
How can teachers at the 43 APS schools on the state’s most extreme list go to work tomorrow knowing that all their good work – and there is clearly some good work amid this wreckage – is now in question?
We need to talk about whether we are asking too much of students or too little of schools?
Let’s start.
(I just received the official statement from GOSA on this and am tacking it on here as it gives more information on the process:
The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) today released the results of a spring 2009 Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) erasure analysis. GOSA partnered with CTB-McGraw Hill (CTB), the state’s testing vendor in charge of developing and scoring CRCT exams, to conduct a comprehensive examination of all statewide CRCT answer documents for grades 1 through 8. The analysis focused on the number of wrong answers that had been changed to right answers on individual student answer sheets in Reading, English-Language Arts, and Mathematics.
“The analysis looked on average at 125,000 test takers in every subject and grade level at which the CRCT was administered and provided a clear picture of typical student test behavior against which all schools could be compared,” said GOSA Executive Director, Kathleen Mathers. “Our recommendations are intended to eliminate future problems and help students who have been adversely affected by test tampering.”
In the analysis, CTB psychometricians scanned answer documents to identify total erasures per classroom, flagging those classrooms in which the number of wrong-to-right changes proved to be three standard deviations (SDs) or more above the state average. Less than 0.15% of test takers would be expected to fall in that range naturally.
Based on the analysis, schools were placed in varying categories according to their percentage of flagged classrooms. 80% of Georgia’s elementary and middle schools fell into the “Clear” category, meaning less than 6% of the classes within a given school were flagged; 10% fell into the “Minimal Concern” category with 6%-10% of classes flagged; 6% were determined to be in the “Moderate Concern” category with 11%-24% of classes flagged; and only 4% were termed “Severe Concern” as defined by a school having 25% or more of its classes flagged for wrong-to-right changes.
Recommendations on which the State Board of Education will vote range from requiring local Superintendents to conduct internal investigations to determine the causes of testing irregularities to schools rotating teachers during the 2010 CRCT test administration so that they administer the test to students they have not taught. In addition, state monitors will be placed in all schools in the severe concern category during this spring’s test.
“Important decisions will be made from this data that are critical to the future of Georgia’s children,” said GOSA Deputy Director, Dr. Eric Wearne. “Overall, Georgia’s schools are performing well and continue to excel in student achievement.”
The CRCT is a standardized assessment given to students in grades 1-8 in Georgia. The test is designed to measure how well students at each grade level have learned the state’s curriculum. CRCT results are used to determine whether schools have made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as required by No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
GOSA plans future analyses of standardized test scores, possibly including End of Course Tests (EOCT) and Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT) and will also examine graduation and dropout rates and other factors that determine student achievement. Please visit www.gaosa.org to see the full 2009 CRCT erasure analysis report.
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216 comments Add your comment
Teachasa2ndCareer
February 10th, 2010
11:28 pm
I have been an APS teacher for 7 years. This is a calling for me and I teach in what is classified as an urban area. Also, I have been an APS Parent for over 14 years. I have met some outstanding teachers and now I consider myself one of them. I work hard as a teacher by not only guiding my students through their education but continuously representing a model of learning. Cheating is not something that I have seen at my school. We tell our children (& my own children) to go back and review your answers. I have seen at least 3-5 erasures on each test over the years. A few kids are nervous and don’t look forward to this time of the year at all. So, are we not to tell children to check their answers especially those that they aren’t quite sure about?
We are constantly bombarded with reform models and overloading of testing before we even take the state test. We are asked to guide kids who come to us 2-3 years behind, who can’t read, who come through the door with a lot of emotional baggage. I don’t mind accountability and I don’t mind being assessed to see what a child knows.
What I do mind…are politicians and others who don’t have a clue of what’s involved; 1 test that determines the movement of a child instead of a percentage of the final grade; administrators who don’t involve teachers in the decision process of curriculum and instruction; funds that are cut for tutoring; parents who refuse and don’t take the time out to get involved with their child’s progress; students who angrily and sometimes violently interrupt classes on a daily basis; connecting pay to the CRCT; the uneven support from political, social, corporate, and educational groups between the predominant urban areas and the predominant suburban areas; no pre-k program for all kids; no mandatory schooling until the age of 6 (i.e. kids don’t have to attend kindergarten); comparing and trying to model American schools that are homogenous to schools around the world that are mostly heterogeneous where some test less–have longer school days—go to Saturday schools—have more teacher planning time—less school days; and that I am the only one that should be accountable. We all are responsible and accountable and until we begin to listen and incorporate both worlds then we will never get close to solving this issue.
Bottom line…I love my family & I love my calling. On test day, the kids know what they know and they remember what they can.
By the way, my husband and I are parents that have 3 kids and do what we are suppose to do….check the teachers, check our children, check ourselves and make absolutely sure that homework is completed, teachers are contacted, and our children are supported when material is difficult!
Ditto, TeachToo!
Teachasa2ndCareer
February 10th, 2010
11:38 pm
I wonder why schools like Cobb, Gwinnett, Fayette, etc. don’t have enough erasures to report? Are you saying that they don’t cheat? Is it because these predominantly caucasian counties are passing because of more opportunities, support, and exposure for their students? or Do they get the test beforehand like college kids did back in the 80s? Are you saying that urban children can’t possibly be working hard enough to improve their educational deficiencies? Are we doing blanket accusations with not concrete proof just stastical data? Tell me, what are we saying?
Stressed Educator
February 10th, 2010
11:54 pm
Finally! What took GOSA so long to confirm what teachers in APS have been reporting for years. I teach in APS and know firsthand that cheating occurs on the CRCT. There are some great teachers in APS that work in the trenches every day to educate children who are more than 2 grade levels below grade level, but greedy principals, money hungry executive directors, fake model teachers and incompotent instructional coaches overshadow the true work of teachers. At the beginning of this school year, the staff was informed by the new principal that she would place anyone on a Professional Developement Plan who did not have at least 77% of their students passing the test. She also told us to make sure students pass by any means. Humm? Wonder what she really meant? It was rather funny to see that the school she headed last year had one of the largest percentages for erasure marks.
At my former school in APS, when we received kids from the elementary schools and were asked by the students, while taking a district benchmark, how were we going to “tap” out the answers—I automatically knew something was wrong! When we complained to the Executive Director, not only did she get rid of our principal but threatened to have our jobs if we spoke of our findings to anyone else. The principal wrote letters to the OIR department and made phone calls to report it, but the Director of OIR swept that under the rug just like she did all the other complaints. It is time for Dr. Hall to clean house from her office (Augustine, Executive Director, Office of Research, etc.) all the way down to principals and classroom cheats who do not care about the education of children. Let the REAL teachers teach. So you see Maureen, APS teachers report cheating and try to follow protocol, but most have stopped this since those who report cheating seem to lose their jobs or are forced out of the system.
teacher2
February 10th, 2010
11:58 pm
Well the ones of us who teach in neighboring counties have known this for years. We get kids all the time who have outstanding test scores but can hardly read. Will ole Bev have to give back those big ole bonuses she has gotten for great test scores. boo hoo
teacher2
February 10th, 2010
11:59 pm
OMG surely you are not playing the race card here?????
teacher2
February 11th, 2010
12:04 am
Ditto on the bought degrees. I am in Clayton County and we are fully staffed with administrators who are Dr.’s. Most of them are weak at best. Is there a Dr.in the house? With a big ole loan to pay for your bought degree that no self respecting educator respects at all. It is a joke and the funny thing is in Clayton they don’t even get paid for them. But they do enjoy being called Dr. Maybe that is worth $60,000.
edutest
February 11th, 2010
12:06 am
Can you say diploma mill? Clayton’s new supt. actually thought those were “real” degrees. Maybe he has figured that out by now.
edutest
February 11th, 2010
12:08 am
The new super in Clayton actually thought those were legitimate degrees. Maybe he has figured that out by now. Can you say diploma mill?
ed
February 11th, 2010
12:11 am
The funny thing is those bought Dr.’s will never even make back what it cost them to buy the degree. But I guess being call Dr. is worth it. Dr. Dumb.
Lou
February 11th, 2010
12:28 am
BlondeHoney, I was referring to the countless amount of teachers teaching in the classroom who buy another degree to get another notch on the payscale. As a parent and taxpayer, that is okay with you? To apply online for a school, get in with relative ease and take classes with questionable rigor? Also, I have taught in two different APS schools and have been told by teachers they were only getting their master’s or doctorate for higher pay, not to become better teachers…they were already near retirement and just wanted the money. On top of that, they were doing class work when they should have been teaching kids. Now. I don’t know what you could be offended by, since If you went to school there, it is no secret that those are not very reputable schools overall and you know it. Granted experience and work ethic counts, but overall those schools with the flashing banners on your email are not great.
Lou
February 11th, 2010
12:36 am
Big difference between being educated and being intelligent people. Way too many doctorates and master’s floating around on the pay scale. There was a Dr. so-so as principal at my school who was rather inarticulate and couldn’t correctly format a letter without grammar mistakes. I mean even with spell check? I am sorry, but I have yet to meet a University of Phoenix, Walden, Capella grad that I respect.
uberVU - social comments
February 11th, 2010
2:06 am
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by AJCGetSchooled: APS appears to have a culture of cheating based on new shocking state review of CRCT test sheets. ? http://bit.ly/cpTcrX…
Ben
February 11th, 2010
5:13 am
As a teacher I can assure you that there is a tremendous amount of pressure to perform on the test. Yet, there are easy fixes to this problem. First, stop allowing systems to place students that do not meet standards. They do not have to go back into a traditional classroom but into a “different” classroom. There are many teachers I work with that would love to work with this group. Systems do not want or are unwilling to admit they have problems. Second, stop classroom testing. If you are going to test – do it in the gym or lunchroom. A large setting with multiple monitors. Third, stop making excuses about where students come from. Special ed students have learned to game the system and so have other students. Set a standard and make them meet the standard. Finally, I wish I would meet a politician that would admit that every child is not college bound. Allow students a vocational track. Do not track them but let them choose. I just read an article where plumbers, welders heating/AC repair and mechanics would always be in demand. Open this up WITH academics. I am sure there are many exploratory/connection classes where this would work. Just how valuable is a computer class where students spend class drawing flowers every day? How valuable is a career class where they copy career information off a board? These are fillers that serve as babysitters. The school I work at has a lead teacher whose only job is to get the lowest of the low to the next grade. He puts enormous pressure on teachers to make each kid pass and then at the end of the year makes them justify (in report format) why this kid did not pass. So, they do no meet standards, go to the next grade, don’t perform and teachers are under extreme pressure. Cheating is never right and NEVER should be tolerated. BUT, why not deal with the causes at the same time? If the lead teachers are so great (coaches, etc.) why not let them have the students that cannot and make them cans. ALSO, how many posters to this article are non-teachers? Do you mentor in the the public school system? Tutor? Volunteer?
Ben
February 11th, 2010
5:15 am
As a teacher I can assure you that there is a tremendous amount of pressure to perform on the test. Yet, there are easy fixes to this problem. First, stop allowing systems to place students that do not meet standards. They do not have to go back into a traditional classroom but into a “different” classroom. There are many teachers I work with that would love to work with this group. Systems do not want or are unwilling to admit they have problems. Second, stop classroom testing. If you are going to test – do it in the gym or lunchroom. A large setting with multiple monitors. Third, stop making excuses about where students come from. Special ed students have learned to game the system and so have other students. Set a standard and make them meet the standard. Finally, I wish I would meet a politician that would admit that every child is not college bound. Allow students a vocational track. Do not track them but let them choose. I just read an article where plumbers, welders heating/AC repair and mechanics would always be in demand. Open this up WITH academics. I am sure there are many exploratory/connection classes where this would work. Just how valuable is a computer class where students spend class drawing flowers every day? How valuable is a career class where they copy career information off a board? These are fillers that serve as babysitters. The school I work at has a lead teacher whose only job is to get the lowest of the low to the next grade. He puts enormous pressure on teachers to make each kid pass and then at the end of the year makes them justify (in report format) why this kid did not pass. So, they do no meet standards, go to the next grade, don’t perform and teachers are pressured. Cheating is never right and NEVER should be tolerated. BUT, why not deal with the causes at the same time?
Concerned Parent
February 11th, 2010
5:29 am
Posted earlier today on Kyle Wingfield’s AJC blog where he said that testing shouldn’t be eliminated. Thought I would share here as well.
“Kyle, I agree with you that testing has to stay, however, No Mas has a GREAT POINT. I am a parent at one of the schools in the “moderate” category and I am extremely active (PTA Board, room parent, Local School Council). I am also a former teacher from another state w/a Masters degree from a top 10 school and I CHOOSE to volunteer right now rather than work so that I can do what NCLB claims will strengthen schools and that is to be a participating parent. Keep in mind that in addition to the standardized tests, there are also tests every 3 weeks to monitor progress at many schools. These are not spelling tests, etc., but data driven tests to make sure students are on target and to re-teach if they are not.
My principal is phenomenal, but today that same Principal will be sneered at for something I know wasn’t done under his/her watch. Let’s keep in mind that teachers are not the only people who have access to the tests. The tests go thru the hands of proctors from outside of the school who are on the grounds to supervise, they go thru the hands of paraprofessionals, learning specialists, assistant principals and a host of other staff depending on who is designated to do what on testing days. Remember that also, in addition to making state standards, that APS has it’s own set of TARGETS that they brag are more strenuous than what the state needs. They put the thumb of pressure on these educators in a way that I have never seen. It’s sad but done openly. Then they have a big rally or luncheon to “celebrate” all the schools that made or exceeded their targets while everyone around the table smiles, knowing that they’ve earned a bonus directly linked to test scores.
My question is this: Why not go back 5 years and investigate? THAT’s how you will really be able to see a pattern! You need to follow teachers and principals from school to school over the past 5 years if you truly want to see trends because many schools knew they were being watched closely in 2009 but no one would have thought the technology to “see” erasures existed 5 years ago. Going back one year proves little to nothing on it’s own. If you really want to see fireworks AJC, dig deeper. By only focusing on 2009, you’re missing the meat of the story. If you spend enough time around Georgia educators you will hear stories of cheating. Of course they always tell the story of someone else cheating, but still, it’s cheating. This little limited investigation will end up ending the careers of some people who had absolutely nothing to do with cheating, while others, who have moved out of the classroom and into the higher ranks or to other districts will get away scott free.”
Finally caught
February 11th, 2010
6:20 am
This is a true story. A certain principal in APS posted the pass rates of all teachers in a high school on a standardized tests. He insinuated that teachers with low pass rates were bad teachers. These teachers taught majority low income children from those AYP middle schools. The kids came not being able to read. Teachers who had high pass rates taught majority magnet students. The new young women from Teach for America had not performed any miracles. They had the real high achievers. Pullouts began. That is when students do not go to class for weeks because they are being coached to pass the GHSGT. This unqualified principal was one of those crony picks in APS. Two very smart teachers protested. One was called names by the principal in writing and APS did nothing. Scores had to go up by any means necessary. What happened? Honest teachers stayed to work with students but they were too busy running around making babies and fighting. Someone had made it possible for them to reach high school and they were unprepared. Their CRT scores were a lie. Scores went up for the school in the one area where the children did not go to class for SIX weeks. Classroom scores went down and scores on other standardized tests like the EOCT. Learning was not important, just passing the test. The NAEP or whatever national test APS got accolades for was taken by the top 10% of students to make the system look good. Teachers know how to teach. They just want them to teach to the test. The teachers whose scores had been posted tried to explain that their kids came without reading and math skills. But they passed the CRT. Something went wrong in APS.
The principal at that high school said teachers were not teaching. He took the responsibility totally off parents and students. The administrators said the teachers could not teach. So, the teachers started trying to teach to the test. Any parrot or untrained Teach for America person can do that. Learning for the sake of learning no longer takes place. Veteran teachers have classes of students who won’t pick up a book to read anything. If the student does not pass the test you are blamed. Just differentiate instruction. Excuse me. This is 11th grade and 27 of my 30 students read on 2nd grade level. The GHSGT is not differentiated. We are frustrated. The kids coming to us cannot do high school work. Somewhere in elementary school something went wrong.
I saw it first hand. My daughter went to Peyton Forest in 1st grade from private school. She loved to read. After two months she would not pick up a book. Her love had been destroyed. They just teach them to test. The joy of reading for the sake of reading fades fast. She is in 4th grade now and it took everything in me to get her back to reading and it is a fight. Peyton Forest only teaches kids how test.
That is why they cannot critically think when they come to high school. And then they say it is our fault because school did not make AYP. GSU taught me how to teach and make kids think. That is not what APS wants. They hire their cronies to intimidate teachers who have inherited their mess fro elementary school.
I just want to cry. I am still trying to undo some of the damage of Peyton Forest. Parents do not let your children go to APS unless you have money for enrichment and you can get them in magnet and northside schools that do not fear Dr. Hall. They will only learn test otherwise.
just wondering
February 11th, 2010
6:20 am
All we can hope is that there will be a bright side to this exposure. We have to start dealing with the realistic capabilities of these students. When the teachers put in great effort to teach students and the only way for the students to pass is through cheating then we have to change our way of thinking. What can they do? What is the most they can hope to achieve in life? We need to target our education more appropriately. So many of these children have problems that are real barriers to learning, i.e. drug-using parents, fetal alcohol syndrome, lack of role models, moving to a new apartment when the rent comes due, neglect, unhealthy diets, foster care, etc. They are not prepared to learn and it is a waste of our limited resources to pretend we can fight these things and put them on equal ground with our own advantaged and enriched children. I wonder if opening orphanages for these children is not a better solution than welfare to parents to remove them from their pitiful current situations. We might save a few that way.
Attentive Parent
February 11th, 2010
6:36 am
“Opening orphanages”?
Let’s at least insist that APS move away from the discredited constructivist model that it mandates and celebrates. Even Howard Garner himself said that it is the higher performing children from motivated families who can learn well in a discovery setting. To work students need readiness skills that are increasingly lacking anywhere.
Moving to an explicit instruction model that stresses background knowledge for reading and math is much more sensible than alleging race or talking of taking children away from parents. It can work with kids from disadvantaged backgrounds read Work Hard. Be Nice. as an example.
Maureen,
Given the severity and extent of this scandal, can the AJC request copies of all contracts between the State DOE and APS that involve EOCTs, CRCTs, and preparation of the GPS in any subject areas, including the Frameworks?
CTMC
February 11th, 2010
8:06 am
This is SO BOGUS. Small children are taught test taking skills of elimination. When they go through the elimination process THEY erase any answer they find may be incorrect and mark the correct one.
They should not generalize and think any erased answer was done by some adult.
john konop
February 11th, 2010
8:07 am
I will remind everyone after DeKalb cheating scandal any rational person would know we have a problem. Instead of looking at was caused the problem Kathy Cox has hidden test results and lied about using the Massachusetts ‘framework” for her new failed math curriculum. This is not just an APS problem. Students are cheated everyday by this one size fit all teach to the test system. Also Kathy Cox has set a tone of people who point out issues that do fit her lobbyist driven agenda are clearly put in their place or pushed out! I challenge anyone to talk to teachers how they were treated for speaking up about this scandal, failed new math curriculum…… This is culture set by Kathy Cox that allowed and promoted this behavior!
We need to let students foster their skill sets they have an aptitude for, instead of pounding square pegs into round holes. And we need a new leader who will set a tone of honestly dealing with issues over covering it up the problems and spinning lobbyist driven curriculums for CASH, jobs…. over what is best for the kids.
July 9th 2009
…..Superintendent Cox emphasized that the overwhelming majority of schools administer state tests honestly and in full compliance with state and federal law.
“The vast majority of educators are highly ethical and deeply concerned with following the rules,” she said. “While any cheating is cause for concern, I am confident it is not a widespread issue and that we have a valid, trustworthy testing program in Georgia.”…..
http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/pea_communications.aspx?ViewMode=1&obj=1843
ATLNative
February 11th, 2010
8:25 am
These are some very interesting statistics being reported on. However, regarding cheating, I do want to throw out one more scenario. Isn’t it possible that teachers could tell students to “leave all answers you are unsure of blank” and then go through and fill in the right answers. This scenario would presumably escape the methodology adopted by the state and accomplish the same objective.
Attentive Parent
February 11th, 2010
8:26 am
John,
This article from EdWeek yesterday also contains studies showing that Georgia’s new math curriculum disregards the evidence of what works in so many ways.
Here’s the article http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/02/10/21algebra_ep.h29.html?tkn=SLWFswhOcFWGJUb0rHf44TMbUilBIcab%2F0J4&cmp=clp-edweek
Please note that there are several points in here that each creates problems with Ga’s current math.
1) You have to fix the foundation in arithmetic before anyone is ready for Algebra
2) Heterogeneous math classes lower what any group is able to do.
3) The one standard for all holds back the highest achieving kids.
There are lots of gold nuggets in the story without even getting to the problem of explicit instruction vs a discovery focus.
There are real problems with CRCTs in Georgia but the low thresholds of proficiency are well established. As teachers are poignantly describing here, this cheating scandal is fundamentally an attempt to cover up the fact that too many APS kids are not learning to read well or do basic arithmetic.
This cheating scandal denies parents and taxpayers the opportunity to fix the problems before more children’s futures are compromised.
#RTTT and #NCLB accountability mentality so bad that Elementary School Students are cheating! « Transparent Christina
February 11th, 2010
8:27 am
[...] Check out the lead in story below…..full story: HERE. [...]
Shar
February 11th, 2010
9:16 am
The day before yesterday I called my neighborhood APS middle school to ask when they start their Saturday School for CRCT preparation. I’ll be there on February 27, along with my two kids who graduated from that school, to tutor. I urge any of you to do likewise, either at your elementary or middle schools, to help the students and to gauge for yourselves the level of mastery these kids have attained. If your school is not holding Saturday classes, you might want to ask why.
This morning Cox and Hall are righteously claiming that they will launch “deeper investigations” of the data to “get to the bottom of what happened in those classrooms.” That’s more tax money being spent by those with a vested interest in making sure this problem goes away. No, no more, no way. No administrator who is affected by these findings should be allowed to direct investigators or allocate money. Based on the postings to this blog, their previous attempts to deny or minimize the problems and the extent of the cheating, they are far too exposed to permit honest answers to surface. All further investigation must be done by contractors with no prior association with the state DOE or APS.
The only thing that talks, of course, is money. For that reason, students in schools with extensive cheating should be given vouchers. No child should be trapped in a school where the staff is so eager to betray them.
APS Employee
February 11th, 2010
9:27 am
What I find upsetting is that the “reccomendation” for schools on the severe list is for the supernintendo to do an investigation. Um…. I don’t think Beverly Hall is going to turn herself in, do you? “Scandals” such as this one have come out before and nothing is ever done. I hope this raises the eyebrows of some folks who are in a position to take some real action.
APS Employee
February 11th, 2010
9:28 am
By the way, I am an APS employee who is on leave (unpaid) – Just wanted whoever read this to know that I’m not using taxpayer $ to sit around and yack on the computer.
APS Employee
February 11th, 2010
9:39 am
Here’s APS’s reply on their website. Sounds like the excuses are already coming:
APS Initiates Investigation into State CRCT Test Erasure Findings
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FEBRUARY 10, 2010
ATLANTA — APS has launched an investigation into the findings of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement’s analysis of Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) answer sheets for the 2008-2009 school year, which indicate that a large number of district schools experienced a high frequency of erasures in comparison with other school districts around the state.
APS is working closely with state officials to determine the root cause for this finding involving district schools. At the state’s request, the district will conduct a thorough and detailed review and analysis of CRCT test administration and procedures at the schools that experienced a higher than average frequency of answer sheet erasures on last year’s test. The district will also commission an independent review and analysis.
APS agrees with the state and independent testing experts that a larger than average number of erasures warrants further investigation, although erasure frequency in and of itself does not constitute evidence of testing irregularities in the absence of other factors.
Prior to the administration of the CRCT, students are specifically instructed to thoroughly review their answers and erase or change them as appropriate.
In the event the investigations uncover testing irregularities, APS will take immediate action.
d
February 11th, 2010
9:56 am
d took over my log in d.
Sub
February 11th, 2010
10:09 am
What I don’t get is why so many teachers here report seeing cheating firsthand. My question to all of you: What did you do about it when you saw it?
A teacher who would complain to an Administrator about cheating would be in danger of losing their job. Doesn’t take a brilliant mind to figure that out.
Sub
February 11th, 2010
10:18 am
What I find most disturbing is the suggestion that teachers should be rewarded for the test socres of their students. It all depends on the population of the students. For example, if I teach ELL at Northview as oppossed to ELL at Centenial, which school teachers will eventually get higher pay? Obviously Northview, not because the teachers are better, but because the parents of Northview students are more involved.
Happy Teacher
February 11th, 2010
10:20 am
Teachers in the nicer schools will actually have the harder time Sub, because the formula used will be a value-added system that rewards improvement over the course of a year. No passsing rates…that’s the (too) common misconception.
Elizabeth
February 11th, 2010
10:22 am
Excuse me– but unless I can no longer read, I did NOT hear anyone “defending cheating” in this blog. What I heard was people explaining how much ther pressure of perfoming leads to frustration, fear, and panic. CHEATING IS WRONG AND I WILL NOT DEFEND IT.But in case you did not notice, it is widespreqd in all professions, not just education. Why else are we bailing out Wall Street, banks, and companies like AIG?
In my classroom kids try to copy homework, classwork, and anything else they can, and they do not think that LETTING someone copy your work is cheating. We fight a lsoing battle against plagiarism because kids think that copying and pasting from the internet is okay and is not cheating.When they then receive a zero on their research paper, the parents complain and I am forced to change the grade.
I truly do not know how teachers do the cheating on thes tests. At my school, we don’t have materials long enough to do erasures at this level. But the test administrators have access to the locked room where the materials are stored. They are the ones who have the time and the access.
Those who state that merit pay will aggravate the situation are correct. It is inevitable. Teachers do not expect to make millions, but they do expect to make a living wage. There are always greedy people who will exploit the system. However, I do not believe that most of us do that even when they are labeled, as they are in this blog, as “poor performing teachers” because they do not teach gifted or advanced students and have no way to control what goes on at home.
By the way,I agree that we could raise prices on some things. But school lunch prices are FEDERALLY controlled and cannot be altered by school systems. This is just another example of outsiders who have never been in a school thinking that they “know” what goes on.
ed
February 11th, 2010
10:32 am
How about looking at the schools in Clayton County who had 20% erasers. We will see if the new super has the guts to investigate them. He should is all I am going to say. And one of them was the Principal of the Year. Oh excuse me , Dr. Principal of the Year. Can you say joke?
TAKE ACTION!
February 11th, 2010
10:32 am
You think cheating is bad now? What is SB 386 Merit Pay passes??? Join the Facebook group GEORGIANS AGAINST MERIT PAY.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=299584138908
Barb
February 11th, 2010
10:33 am
No the Clayton Co. superintendent is too busy investigating his chief of HR and his ladies.
Barb
February 11th, 2010
10:34 am
Wait I should have said trying to cover for his chief of HR and his ladies.
Maureen Downey
February 11th, 2010
10:38 am
Sub, Then why not report it to the state?
Maureen
Critical Parent
February 11th, 2010
10:41 am
After this scandal, I can’t imagine anybody would still support any system that ties compensation to test scores (or test score improvements). We’ve gone from teaching to the test to teachers taking the test as a result of all this emphasis on testing. The new merit system has not been fully thought out and situations like these show it.
RJ
February 11th, 2010
10:44 am
Maureen, to answer your question, I think that teachers feel that somehow their name may be leaked. It could be professional suicide.
Chana Paige
February 11th, 2010
11:23 am
No matter what anyone says, conclusions have already been drawn by GOSA that cheating has occurred. Everyone knows that if any of the teachers had told anyone, it would have cost them their job or caused them to get railroaded forever. There is no way to determine how many erasures were made by the actual student. All of this is ludicrous and now that the entire state of Georgia is looking ridicoulously STUPID, the message is to not make assumptions! GIVE ME A FREAKIN BREAK!
Mac
February 11th, 2010
11:42 am
“Maureen, to answer your question, I think that teachers feel that somehow their name may be leaked. It could be professional suicide.”
PSC will not accept a complaint without a name – that name is not confidential.
Many times you will be retaliated against. Just an unfortunate fact.
MyOpinion
February 11th, 2010
11:46 am
@ATLNative
One reason why a teacher may not tell students not to leave an answer they are unsure of blank is because on scan-trons there is a strong possibility that the student will forget to skip the line for the unanswered questions and continue on to the next question. So if I meant to skip question 2 but answered question 3 on question 2 line, it is hard for young students to recognize the mistake.
This is a scenario for me even now in college. In middle school I had to erase one entire side of my scan-tron because I did not skip the answer line for the question although that was my intention, which was about 40 questions out of 100. If I did this today in school, my class could possibly be reviewed for cheating because I recognized my mistake and corrected 40 percent of my test.
I’m not saying that there is not cheating in schools, but before everyone just outright assume there is cheating for everyone, please take into account that students can correct there mistakes if they recognize them while taking the exam.
If you really want to stop cheating, during the testing periods, assign teachers different schools to monitor. So if I were a teacher at King, during the week of testing I would be assigned another local school like Parks to monitor for the week. Have all testing in the gym, with no faculty or staff of the home school allowed in the gym during testing time. People might be willing to cheat for their own, but they are less likely to cheat to make another school look good.
Adam
February 11th, 2010
12:17 pm
MyOpinion,
It’s not hard to tease out legitimate erasures from widespread cheating.
People are notoriously poor at forging random results. When crooks embezzle money, they are unable to randomize the last digits of monetary values.
Trust me, rooting out these cheats is not going to be difficult. What’s going to be difficult is convincing an innumerate community of the findings.
Oldspartan
February 11th, 2010
12:18 pm
LOL, “It’s all part of the plan”– to embrass public schools; NCLB (biggest joke ever on public schools) was designed to destroy public schools by 2014. Is there any way to have 100% anything? Well except in nuclear power, but thats another arguement. Everything being brought to bare is about vouchers. All this about high stakes testing is just another way to misdirect. How in the world did America survive for over 200 years without these test? All of our forefathers could not have been educated or men of renown because there was not an ITBS, CRCT, PSAT.
catlady
February 11th, 2010
12:29 pm
To follow up on Mac: and there is NO special protection for the reporting teacher.
On the cheating: the next question is: at what level did the cheating take place? Was it in the individual classroom (teacher points to the answer, teachers’ voice indicates the answer (on part that is read to the students), or after the books are collected but before they are sent off to be graded. Most likely you’d think it was after the tests were completed, but before being sent off, as most of the test for most of the grades–certainly 3rd and 5th–are not read TO the students, and if a teacher was pointing to the correct answer it would be hard to go around and point to enough corrections during a testing session while still proctoring the test.
My vote would be during the “clean up” time, when staff checks for stray marks on the answer sheets. This could still have been done by individual teachers, perhaps, but more likely has involvement by testing administrators higher up than the teacher level.
Is Sonny smiling in this picture because he recognizes how foolish it is to base pay on something as poor and out of control as the CRCT is?
Echo
February 11th, 2010
2:05 pm
Now What, at 10:31, 2-10-10, YOU JUST HIT THE NAIL SQUARE ON THE HEAD!!! Hell seeth no fury like a principal who has it in for a teacher. I won’t go over it again because Now What said it well. Principals DESTROY teachers who make waves about wrong doings in their schools. Some of you know how shamefully certain teachers are targeted by a principal, but you are too afraid for your own job to intercede on behalf of the targeted teacher.
Get a sampling of some of these cases. It would shock and appall you.
Echo
February 11th, 2010
2:36 pm
I only WISH an AJC Reporter would contact me about what happened to a Cobb teacher. She sent this info to AJC but with no response. No one would help this lady and she was severely abused by a Cobb principal, one reason was because she balked about changing grades of PTA member’s children as the principal DEMANDED of her teachers.
For a solid year, the principal gave this sought after teacher living hell, then forced a non-renewal option to being terminated. I only WISH her story could be told. This same teacher was one of the principal’s star teachers until she turned on her. The teacher didn’t drop dead under the pressure of the trip through hell, but honestly, I don’t know why she didn’t. It was terrible. Absolute power should never rest in the hands of only one person.
DeKalb Parent
February 11th, 2010
2:56 pm
I never considered copying homework to be cheating. In fact, in one of my advanced math courses in college, four of us – among the best students in the class – regularly assembled in the canteen and worked any problems any of us had with the homework together, then copied the results onto our papers. Our homework counted toward very little of our grade, but our working together prepared all of us for testng better than we would have been prepared otherwise. Explaining to someone else how to work the problem clarified it in the explainers mind and being able to quiz the explainer until we understood what s/he was saying helped the learner understand the material better. I have copied homework and learned as I copied.
What bothers me most about this are the students who are being shortchanged by not repeating a class or getting the instruction they need. In grad school, I skipped a course and went to the advanced course with permission of the instructor. It was like they were speaking different language and I had to go back and study the material for the skipped class before the current class was anything other than goobledey gook.
Sub
February 11th, 2010
3:09 pm
Why not report it to the State?
Is that supposed to help the whistleblower keep a job in the APS, or anywhere in GA for that matter? Are you naive?
Sub
February 11th, 2010
3:17 pm
Happy Teacher writes: Teachers in the nicer schools will actually have the harder time Sub, because the formula used will be a value-added system that rewards improvement over the course of a year. No passsing rates…that’s the (too) common misconception.
My argument remains the same. Teachers at “nicer” schools will get raises because parents are what make “nicer” schools. Parents who are involved make sure their children study. They also monitor teachers more closely. Finally, ethnic background makes a huge difference. In no time at all, Johns Creek will be one of the top academic schools in the State. Bank on it.