ATLANTA
— In a dramatic conclusion to what has been described as the largest
cheating scandal in the nation’s history, a jury here on Wednesday
convicted 11 educators for their roles in a standardized test cheating
scandal that tarnished a major school district’s reputation and raised
broader questions about the role of high-stakes testing in American
schools.
On
their eighth day of deliberations, the jurors convicted 11 of the 12
defendants of racketeering, a felony that carries up to 20 years in
prison. Many of the defendants — a mixture of Atlanta public school
teachers, testing coordinators and administrators — were also convicted
of other charges, such as making false statements, that could add years
to their sentences.
Judge
Jerry W. Baxter of Fulton County Superior Court ordered most of the
educators jailed immediately, and they were led from the courtroom in
handcuffs. Judge Baxter, who presided over a trial that began with
opening statements more than six months ago, will begin sentencing
hearings next week....
To me, what is the most interesting about the teacher cheating thing is what happened in Montgomery County, Maryland at the same time. The same newspaper, the Atlanta Constitution Journal, also discovered and reported on not believable performance at Highland Elementary School in Silver Spring, Maryland. In this 95% Hispanic elementary school where 2/3 of the children were in ESL, the students in one year suddenly were performing mostly above grad level in English in the Maryland state assessment (while still tanking in science and math, and while still needing remedial English instruction). The school won a statewide 'Blue Ribbon' award and then the same cohort went back to bombing in English after a couple of years of the miraculous scores. It was as blatant a case of cheating as one is likely to ever find.
ReplyDeleteMontgomery County Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr went on a tremendous DC media blitz in one or two days, calling the accusers racists for not believing Hispanics could perform well. Everyone ran for cover and the story faded.
In a bit of irony lost on most, Superintendent Starr was sacked a few months ago for failing to close the Gap. MCPS has no appreciation for how he saved them from utter humiliation and disgrace by falsely calling everyone a racist in order to kill that cheating scandal. The Parents Coalition reported on this at the time, but most people were too cowed by Starr's slanders to face the truth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0xhq8_G4q8&feature=player_detailpage
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