Total Views: 523
| Cheating in Atlanta schools apparently widespread, though not coordinated by district officials |
 |
 |
 |
| Written by Maryanne Euthalia |
| Wednesday, 18 August 2010 22:35 |
|
Governor Perdue calls for investigation, possible criminal charges There's bad news and marginally better news about the problem of alleged widespread cheating in Atlanta Public Schools. The bad news is that, according to an investigative panel looking into suspected cheating at 58 schools earlier this month, there appeared to be a coordinated effort to alter scores at twelve schools. The not-so-bad news is that the evidence uncovered did not implicate superintendent Beverly Hall or other top officials. However, the panel recommended further investigation into or disciplinary actions against 108 district employees, including principals, assistant principals, testing coordinators, and teachers. And while Supt. Hall wasn't implicated, the onus is clearly upon her to aggressively address the situation. That pressure increased significantly today, when Senator Vince Fort, in concert with the Fulton County Taxpayers Foundation, called for her resignation, along with that of school board president LaChandra Butler Burks. If that weren't pressure enough to get something done, Governor Sonny Perdue announced this morning that he will appoint a special investigator to look into the problem, adding that this individual will have full subpoena power. Once the investigation is complete, the special investigator will present the evidence collected to the state Board of Education for administrative action, as well as to law enforcement, should evidence of criminal activity be uncovered. The investigation into cheating had been ordered by the state of Georgia after a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution cited statistically improbable Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) scores in Atlanta and other areas of the state last year. Statewide, 191 public schools required review because of unusual erasure patterns on the CRCT. Atlanta had the dubious honor of having the most schools flagged in any system. For this year's tests, Atlanta and the state took extra precautions that included test monitors and various other security measures. Interestingly enough, many of the schools that had been flagged had significant declines in CRCT scores, and at some elementary and middle schools in Atlanta the test failures doubled, tripled, or in some cases quadrupled from last year. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites |
