Posted on 05/21/2011 5:45:11 AM PDT by Libloather
Test Results Thrown Out in 3 DC Classrooms Because of Alleged Cheating
By BOB BARNARD/myfoxdc
Updated: Thursday, 19 May 2011, 11:31 PM EDT
WASHINGTON - There is more fallout from the standardized test score scandal rocking D.C. Public Schools. Three elementary school teachers are now accused or suspected of cheating.
At issue is the 2010 DC Comprehensive Assessment System or CAS Test.
Three classrooms (out of 3,800 across the city) just had test results thrown out because of alleged cheating.
"At one [classroom], there was clear evidence of cheating and the teacher admitted it," says D.C. State Superintendent of Education Hosanna Mahaley. "In the other two, there was a suspicion of cheating. But because we take test security so seriously, we decided to invalidate those test scores as well."
She would not name the three schools involved, but sources tell FOX 5 they are C.W. Harris, Leckie and Noyes Elementary Schools.
One teacher has been dismissed. The other two are being disciplined.
"There's a lot of pressure," Mahaley says. "And I believe that most teachers want to do the right thing and sometimes just in the interest of trying to be helpful to children, a teacher may do something that may not be appropriate."
Their union president says teachers are under a great deal of pressure when it comes to testing.
"Unfortunately, some individuals will consider an option of cheating," says Washington Teachers Union President Nathan Saunders. "Not only is the teacher evaluation based on it to a large degree, but there's also compensation. If the grades go up, then you'll get an additional compensation."
(Excerpt) Read more at myfoxdc.com ...
Make DC the 57th State!
Cheating - do it for the children.
Sigh
They use cheating as an excuse to exclude the school’s scores from the district stats. There’s federal money involved.
Instead of teaching children useful knowledge and skills, they teach them that it's OK to cheat to get what you want.
Thank you, Jimmy Carter, for the Department of Education. Another scar from his depressing and lamentable term in office.
Well of course the teachers are going to help the kids cheat. They want to look good and they don’t want to lose their jobs. Do DC teachers get merit pay at all?
Here’s another one, you know what to do.
Didn’t they just fire the one person interested in making things better in DC? The new mayor canned her as soon as he was elected and all the incompetent teachers fired came back as promised. You just can’t make this stuff up. Some people just do not care about kids. They care about themselves.
Getting them DOWN to the level of Detroit!
As evaluations based solely on student performance become more common around the country, so shall you see many more incidents similar to this one...
Oh how I LOVE the law of unintended consequences...:-)
The WDC school system...corruption and fraud every day and every way. Search DC school system corruption or DC school system fraud and you’ll be disgusted at how much comes up.
As an educator myself, I can attest to the frustration teachers feel when they are judged SOLELY by the performance of thugs and "thugettes" who couldn't give two squirted pisses about doing well on any "standardized" tests. These lowlifes only seek to complete the tests (or skip most of the test) as quickly as humanly possible so they can screw around or sleep. Unless a particular teacher has all HONORS classes, he or she is almost GUARANTEED not to have a good chance of merit-based pay raises within the system in which I teach...(inner city)
Being Washington D.C., I can imagine how corrupt the system is. Hell, just take a gander at the politics!!! lol
Why do the school administrators allow each teacher to give the test to their own class? Why not shuffle the teachers among the classes? This would discourage a teacher from cheating to improve the scores in another teacher’s class. I would think that few teachers would risk their position to cheat on behalf of another teacher. Also, the schools could seek volunteer monitors in each class while the tests are being taken. I would be very happy to be a monitor in a class where I live.
There are simple and cost free ways to prevent the cheating during the testing procedure.
Those who can...do. Those who can’t...teach. Those who can’t teach...cheat or become university professors.
What. They couldn't figure out how to properly deploy a condom onto a cucumber on their own?
They didn't know what the third "R" meant after "Reduce" and "Re-use"?
They didn't know which states were stolen from Mexico?
They didn't know which was healthier, a french fry or a rice cake?
Preparing the kids in DC for their affirmative action Government jobs.
So what if I cannot read? I have a Diploma.I am black and although I didn’t get a passing grade on the test for Police Officer or Fireman, you have to hire me. That’s the law.
Better yet — don’t even announce the testing dates beforehand. Just have an outside “auditor” (from the state or an independent testing service) conduct these tests on a random basis with 48 hours’ notice in any given classroom.
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