Test pressure didn’t create the CRCT cheating scandal
The numbers were good — too good. They kept rising, beggaring belief. The people who should have questioned them, should have inquired as to how those producing the numbers kept moving from strength to strength, instead got caught up in celebrating them, even taking credit for them.
The numbers were good — too good to be true.
Enron? Major League Baseball?
Atlanta Public Schools?
Let’s stipulate that the state’s review of dodgy CRCT results, prompted by an earlier AJC investigative series, does not on its own explain exactly what happened in Atlanta’s schools during last year’s standardized tests. The state’s analysis of erasure marks on student test sheets does not reveal who did, or knew, or ignored what. For that reason, Gov. Sonny Perdue and his staff have been wisely patient in waiting for the rest of the facts to come to light.
But let’s also acknowledge that cheating occurred. Barring some anti-APS conspiracy by the state, no innocent explanation suffices for a system whose schools were vastly overrepresented among the suspicious.
Surely, there are many innocent teachers and administrators — just as the majority of major leaguers didn’t take steroids, and only a handful of executives cooked the books.
Still, the alternate explanations from Superintendent Beverly Hall don’t cut it. The idea that Atlanta students are just really diligent about double-checking their test answers (and just happen to get dozens of questions right the second time around) doesn’t pass the laugh test any more than Barry Bonds insisting he was just a vitamin-popping gym rat.
When the next phase of investigation ends and — let’s hope — we learn more about how the cheating took place, some people will rationalize it as the inevitable result of an emphasis on testing.
That rationalization isn’t laughable, it’s abominable.
Start with the fact that some of the people who will take this broad-brush swipe at educators’ integrity are the same ones now bemoaning an unfair rush to judgment following the state’s CRCT inquiry.
Plenty of teachers and administrators in plenty of school districts faced the pressure to perform without cheating. Of the state’s 188 districts, 175 managed to avoid having a single school on the “severe concern” list that ensnared three-fifths of APS elementary and middle schools. Statewide, 80 percent of the schools under review were deemed in the clear.
So, clearly, cheating is not a reflexive reaction to pressure. We ought to be gravely concerned about any leader who would suggest that it is.
That’s particularly true for anyone who works with children and teenagers. If schools are not equipping students to face this kind of pressure, they will be even worse off as adults than we thought.
We can’t simply trust people to do the right thing, but we can verify it. For too long, we didn’t verify education results.
Now that we’ve begun to verify, the answer isn’t to de-emphasize tests. Baseball didn’t react to steroid use by playing down home runs, and Wall Street still measures earnings.
There’s one last commonality among APS, steroids in baseball and financial fraud.
Baseball players didn’t use steroids to be all-stars; they cheated to achieve the unprecedented: 66, 70, 73 home runs in a season. Enron didn’t cook the books to be merely profitable, but to reach soaring earnings and share prices.
And the scores of APS students didn’t just rise; they skyrocketed. Yet Atlantans didn’t demand that APS double its passing rates within a decade, only that it record steady, sustainable improvement.
Now, like fans and investors, we have to wonder whether we got even that.
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220 comments Add your comment
dewstarpath
February 18th, 2010
5:50 pm
LA – 5:48 pm – Lame.
LA
February 18th, 2010
5:51 pm
dupestar writes: I didn’t first attack you
Yet, this morning she wrote:
Horrible Horace and LA – I’m guessing you two have shacked up
- as “life partners”.
Stupid meet dupestar, dupestar meet stupid.
“You don’t know the meaning of most words. You’re probably
about to have a heart attack trying to spell correctly.”
LOLOL
Yet you thought Troglodyte was a word from World of Warcraft!!!!!
dupestar gives a new meaning to the word stupid.
LA
February 18th, 2010
5:52 pm
“LA – 5:48 pm – Lame.”
Yes, dupestar is lame.
LA
February 18th, 2010
5:52 pm
“You’re probably
about to have a heart attack trying to spell correctly.”
LOLOL!!!!!!!!!! I might die of laughter at the site of such stupidity that is dupestar!
dewstarpath
February 18th, 2010
5:57 pm
AH! – 5:51 pm – How do you know what word is in World of Warcraft
if you don’t play it all day? Idiot.
LA
February 18th, 2010
5:59 pm
“How do you know what word is in World of Warcraft
if you don’t play it all day? Idiot.”
LOL!!!!! Dumbest comment of the day.
1: You brought up World of Warcraft, dumb a$$.
2: Everyone knows what that game is.
Bottom line: You’re an illiterate little girl who spends her day pmsing all over a blog.
LA
February 18th, 2010
6:01 pm
dewstarpath
You brought up the game. I didn’t. You brought it up because you have no clue as to what it means. You then try to turn it around on me.
Bottom line: you are one dumb person.
dewstarpath
February 18th, 2010
6:02 pm
Now I know who I am dealing with. A desperate little twenty-something
fool that thinks I’m easily caluminated by such insults as:
“dewstarpath is an illiterate little girl (5:48 pm)”
It looks like LA Axelfraud’s pea-brain is on overload.
LA
February 18th, 2010
6:02 pm
Come on dupestar, continue to put your foot into your mouth.
LA
February 18th, 2010
6:03 pm
“It looks like LA Axelfraud’s pea-brain is on overload.”
LOL! This, coming from a little girl who can’t spell, read or figure out that other people are making fun of her.
Stupid meet dupestar, dupestar meet stupid.
dewstarpath
February 18th, 2010
6:04 pm
Is that the best you can do?
YOU brought up World of Warcraft last year. I’ve never played it,
but you’re dumb enough to say that “troglodyte” is not in the game.
LA
February 18th, 2010
6:04 pm
“A desperate little twenty-something
fool that thinks I’m easily caluminated by such insults as:”
LOL!!!!!!!!! Again, you misspelled a word!
What is “caluminated?”
LOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!
LA
February 18th, 2010
6:05 pm
“YOU brought up World of Warcraft last year.”
Please post proof of that claim, ma’am.
“I’ve never played it,
but you’re dumb enough to say that “troglodyte” is not in the game.”
LOLOL!!!!! You first accuse me of spending my time playing that game……….and then you admit to playing it!!!!!
I NEVER SAID IT WAS IN THE GAME!!!!!! YOU DID!!!!!!
Look little girl, you are really embarrassing yourself.
dewstarpath
February 18th, 2010
6:06 pm
Lying to yourself about who you think is on your side in a
“blog” is the height of anal retention in a fringe-right lunatic such
as yourself. The only one throwing insults at me is you.
How can I throw insults if I can’t spell? What are you reading, Doofus?
LA
February 18th, 2010
6:07 pm
“Is that the best you can do?”
Better question: Is that the best I can do to embarrass you?
NOPE! I don’t have to say anything. You’re embarrassing yourself all by yourself.
dewstarpath
February 18th, 2010
6:07 pm
What part of “I’VE NEVER PLAYED IT” don’t you understand?
LA
February 18th, 2010
6:08 pm
“How can I throw insults if I can’t spell? What are you reading, Doofus?”
LOLOL!!!!!!! Dupestar doesn’t even know that she misspells her own insults!!!!!
What am I reading? Well for one, I am reading your crappy grammatical errors.
“Lying to yourself about who you think is on your side in a
“blog” is the height of anal retention in a fringe-right lunatic such
as yourself. The only one throwing insults at me is you. ”
Ma’am, do you really not understand that you are retarded?
LA
February 18th, 2010
6:09 pm
“What part of “I’VE NEVER PLAYED IT” don’t you understand?”
I know you play it because you brought it up.
LA
February 18th, 2010
6:10 pm
“The only one throwing insults at me is you. ”
No, Horrace also threw out insults at you but you were too stupid to not understand them.
dewstarpath
February 18th, 2010
6:17 pm
I’m through talking to this idiot. I have better things to do.
You win, twenty-something. Now go change your diaper.
LA
February 18th, 2010
6:18 pm
“I’m through talking to this idiot. I have better things to do.
You win, twenty-something. Now go change your diaper.”
LOLOL!!!!!! Sure thing, ma’am. Go back to flipping burgers!
LA
February 18th, 2010
6:18 pm
“Now go change your diaper.”
Is that what you tell your baby daddy?
dewstarpath
February 19th, 2010
6:35 am
LA has to be the dumbest blogger in the history of the
internet. Now all of his vitriol is online for all to see.
dewstarpath
February 19th, 2010
6:37 am
Maybe after a good night’s sleep she can read english again.
dewstarpath
February 19th, 2010
6:38 am
“Is that what you tell your baby daddy ?”
Proof of an ignorant racist mentality.
dewstarpath
February 19th, 2010
6:48 am
LA – 6:04 – It’s a keystroke error – it’s supposed to be “calumniated”.
Look it up and see what it means.
LA
February 19th, 2010
8:41 am
“LA has to be the dumbest blogger in the history of the
internet. Now all of his vitriol is online for all to see.”
LOL! This, coming from a gal who can’t spell and attacked me first! What a hypocrite she is.
LA
February 19th, 2010
8:42 am
“Maybe after a good night’s sleep she can read english again.”
Yes, maybe you will dupestar.
LA
February 19th, 2010
8:42 am
“Proof of an ignorant racist mentality.”
LOL! So, by calling you what you really are, a baby mama, you call me a racist?
LA
February 19th, 2010
8:43 am
“Look it up and see what it means.”
I don’t have to because I already know what the word means. You on the other hand can’t spell.
LA
February 19th, 2010
8:44 am
dewstarpath
I love how you show up on Kyle’s blog, say absolutely nothing about the subject of his topic, call me names and then pretend to be this innocent little toddler.
Bottom line: grow up, get out of the ghetto and get a life.
Horrible Horrace
February 19th, 2010
8:45 am
“Proof of an ignorant racist mentality.”
If you associate racism with that phrase and wear the label then you are the racist. AHH HAHAHAHAHAAAAA!
Churchill's MOM
February 19th, 2010
8:49 am
Wing boy you have lost control of the board..
LA
February 19th, 2010
8:53 am
Horrible Horrace
dupestar made some homophobic statements as well. Maybe she’s a closet lesbian?
Just sayin’
Horrible Horrace
February 19th, 2010
9:04 am
Agreed Churchill. Its a shame that when posters like myself and LA attempt to have an adult conversation or discuss a topic we are constantly harrassed by these little wanna-be’s and stragglers.
Yes these stragglers, bad eggs and rotten apples who want to bring down society, who are a drag on society and have nothing to contribute other than white noise.
LA
February 19th, 2010
9:04 am
“Wing boy you have lost control of the board..”
LOL
This is NOTHING compared to Bookman’s blog.
LA
February 19th, 2010
9:06 am
Horrible Horrace
Yesterday dupestar said that I attacked her first and then I posted exactly what she had written on the first page. She fired the first shot and then had the nerve to say that she was under attack from me.
Dupestar has never contributed to any of Kyle’s topics. If you go back and look at all the pages where she come on the scene you’ll notice that the only thing she does is call me names.
LA
February 19th, 2010
9:08 am
Washington Post Suggests Crazed Pilot Joseph Stack Was A Tea Partier
YET THEY FORGOT TO INCLUDE THIS RANT FROM THE PILOT.
Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well.
The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.
The capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed.
Joe Stack (1956-2010)
02/18/2010
Yep, those tea party people sure are railing on the US Constitution and bragging about communism…
Yep.
Horrible Horrace
February 19th, 2010
9:12 am
Anything to discredit the T Party. Dems and dupestart are running scared.
sam
February 19th, 2010
9:20 am
kyle, how would you know what drove these teachers to do what they did? are you inside their brains…while if its true, what they did it is absolutely wrong I can absolutely understand why they did it. imagine going to work every day, working your tail off, and because of a small number of kids who either just cant learn or dont want to , yours and familys livelihood is in jeopardy..many teachers in these ‘needs improvment’ schools were told that they would be fired if it didnt happen…and unfortunatly there’s no teachers union in georgia to protect them…i do not condone what they did (if they did it) but can absolutely understand why they did it….by the way, the baseball/steroid thing had nothing to do with HR records, like everything else it was about money….so you’re wrong on 2 points in this article.
sam
February 19th, 2010
9:22 am
this guy that crashed the plane is a tea partier? what a shocker…not.
LA
February 19th, 2010
9:25 am
“this guy that crashed the plane is a tea partier? what a shocker…not.”
LOL!!!!!! Yet he quoted the communist manifesto and railed on capitalism!!!!!
He was a liberal terrorist.
LA
February 19th, 2010
9:27 am
“and unfortunatly there’s no teachers union in georgia to protect them”
Ah, THAT’s what it all comes down to! LOL.
Teachers unions exist all over the country yet…….public schools are terrible.
“how would you know what drove these teachers to do what they did?”
Hey Sam, in case you don’t understand what an opinion blog is all about…………it’s an opinion by the writer of the blog.
Like Cynthia Tucker admitted the other day, “she don’t present facts, just her own opinion.”
sam
February 19th, 2010
9:34 am
my opinion, kyles opiniions are wrong and not based in facts….
sam
February 19th, 2010
9:36 am
most public schools are just fine by the way…the ones with good parents, good teachers, and good kids produce good students…the others do not. pretty simple really.
what exactly is a liberal terrorist?
LA
February 19th, 2010
9:36 am
“my opinion, kyles opiniions are wrong and not based in facts….”
So you are right and Kyle is wrong…..
Well, maybe you should write for the AJC since you’re the one who is right.
Now, please provide some facts to back up your statement about the IRS bomber being a tea party activist.
Horrible Horrace
February 19th, 2010
9:39 am
“while if its true, what they did it is absolutely wrong I can absolutely understand why they did it. imagine going to work every day, working your tail off, and because of a small number of kids who either just cant learn or dont want t”
Oh boo hoo…another liberal bed-wetting crybaby. The teachers took the job. If they dont like it then change career, stop the cheating or be fired.
Its really quite simple until a liberal chowder head chimes in. You guys could turn the preparation of a Big-Mac into an hour long discertation. Which BTW some of you already do.
“Whats your job title son?
Im the Big Mac preparation engineer, suh”.
LA
February 19th, 2010
9:40 am
“most public schools are just fine by the way”
Again, your opinion with nothing to back it up with.
“what exactly is a liberal terrorist?”
One who loves the communist manifesto, rails on the US Constitution and kills himself trying to take out a building.
sam
February 19th, 2010
9:40 am
abolish the governmet, hates the TARP, hates the irs, rails against taxation without representation……sounds famililar.
LA
February 19th, 2010
9:41 am
“Im the Big Mac preparation engineer, suh”.”
That’s what dupestar tells his buddies.