Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal

The Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal refers to the accusation that teachers and principals in the Atlanta Public Schools (APS) district cheated on state-administered standardized tests and the subsequent fallout. The scandal began in 2009 when the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published analyses of Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) results which showed statistically unlikely test scores, including extraordinary gains or losses in a single year.[1] An investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) released in July 2011 found that 44 out of 56 schools cheated on the 2009 CRCT.[2] 178 teachers and principals were found to have fixed incorrect answers entered by students.[3] The size of the scandal has been described as one of the largest in United States history.[3][4][5]

The scandal has thrust the debate over using high-stakes testing to hold educators accountable, mandated by the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, into the national spotlight.[6] Teachers who confessed to cheating blamed "inordinate pressure" to meet targets set by the district and said they faced severe consequences such as a negative evaluation or termination if they didn't.[6]

Prior to the scandal, the APS had been lauded for making significant gains in standardized test scores. Between 2002 and 2009, eight-graders' (the grade level at which the CRCT is taken) scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress reading test jumped 14 points, the highest of any urban area.[5] Superintendent Beverly Hall, who served from 1999 to 2010, was named Superintendent of the Year in 2009.[7] The GBI's report said Hall "knew or should have known" about the scandal.[2] Hall's lawyer has denied she had any knowledge of cheating practices.[5]

References

  1. ^ Vogell, Heather; Perry, John (October 19, 2009). "Are drastic swings in CRCT scores valid?". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. http://www.ajc.com/news/are-drastic-swings-in-165974.html. Retrieved October 13, 2011. 
  2. ^ a b Flock, Elizabeth (July 11, 2011). "APS (Atlanta public schools) embroiled in cheating scandal". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/aps-atlanta-public-schools-embroiled-in-cheating-scandal/2011/07/11/gIQAJl9m8H_blog.html. Retrieved October 13, 2011. 
  3. ^ a b Johnson, Patrik (July 5, 2011). "America's biggest teacher and principal cheating scandal unfolds in Atlanta". The Christian Science Monitor. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2011/0705/America-s-biggest-teacher-and-principal-cheating-scandal-unfolds-in-Atlanta. Retrieved October 13, 2011. 
  4. ^ Resmovits, Joy (July 5, 2011). "Atlanta Public Schools Shaken By Cheating Report". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/05/atlanta-public-schools-cheating_n_890526.html. Retrieved October 13, 2011. 
  5. ^ a b c Koebler, Jason (July 7, 2011). "Educators Implicated in Atlanta Cheating Scandal". U.S. News. http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/high-school-notes/2011/07/07/educators-implicated-in-atlanta-cheating-scandal. Retrieved October 13, 2011. 
  6. ^ a b Sarrio, Jamie (July 10, 2011). "Cheating scandal adds fuel to debate over high-stakes tests". Atlanta Journal Constitution. http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/cheating-scandal-adds-fuel-1007784.html. Retrieved October 13, 2011. 
  7. ^ Thomas, Kristina; Vogell, Heather (November 20, 2010). "Atlanta superintendent Beverly Hall to step down". Atlanta Journal Constitution. http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/atlanta-superintendent-beverly-hall-747762.html. Retrieved October 13, 2011. 

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