They rated them on how they view themselves. The worse they were academically, the better they saw themselves.
So, then, it’s the students’ value system that is the problem here. Doing poorly in school means you are doing okay! And to think these mean teachers were trying to ruin their self-esteem by changing their answers so that they would actually do well on the test! It’s a wonder these poor children didn’t suffer irreversible damage at the hands of these vultures!
Man! How far we have fallen!