High CRCT test scores trumped honesty

[proud2BlibKansan]

When a teacher at Venetian Hills Elementary School heard that two other educators had helped students cheat on a standardized test, she went straight to an administrator.

The administrator’s one-syllable response: “Shhhh.”

With that, the teacher said nothing more — until this spring, when she was interviewed as part of an investigation into possible cheating at Venetian Hills and 57 other Atlanta schools.

Her tale, like dozens of others sprinkled through an investigative report released last week, provides new insight into a culture of dishonesty that apparently existed at many of the schools, where student achievement was sometimes promoted by any means necessary.

Teachers at some Atlanta schools, according to the report, whispered into students’ ears and pointed to correct answers on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test. At some schools, administrators grabbed stacks of test papers and changed wrong answers to right. Two schools kept students’ test papers in their possession for three extra days; both later posted statistically improbable increases in CRCT scores, as did many other schools under scrutiny.

more . . . http://www.ajc.com/news/high-crct-test-scores-587272.html

[txlibdem]

1. Dumb school administrators produce dumb students

And our cheaters-always-win society goes on. No accountability.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. With increasing emphasis on testing we can expect even more stories like this

[txlibdem]

3. You mean with SOLE emphasis on testing

There is nothing wrong with testing in my view. I just don't want it used as a tool to destroy the teacher's union or to fire teachers. The test results should be used to single out the teachers and schools that we may need to keep an eye on, yes, just as outcome based reviews are the norm in a lot of jobs today.

But the idea that school administrators bear no culpability in the failure of teachers under their charge is short sighted at best and downright criminal at worst.

I've got an idea. If more than 5% of a school's teachers do poorly on those tests then the entire school board and all the school administrators get fired -- and lose their pension.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. I'm not in favor of taking anyone's pension

My pension is MY money. I contributed half and the other half is salary. Fire poor employees but don't take their pension.