Teachers caught cheating on student test scores

[JakeStarkey]

A cousin of mine taught at the high school for 31 years, retiring last year. All of those 31 years he sent home Parent Cards along with Report Cards. He told every parent who came to the principal's office that they should work harder with their kids on the school work. He never backed down.

 

[AllieBaba]

Wow..that's really..irrelevant.

 

[Ravi]

Of course the students don't think they are, Ravi. That is a given.

Teachers, they don't like them because it provides an overview of the job they're doing.

As the teachers in Atlanta figured out. Hence the cheating. It's that old relativism cropping up again...lying is bad for YOU but okay for ME.

Actually, it does no such thing.

It may or may not prove that teachers can teach kids to take tests. Which, IMO, is one skill they learn anyway.

It may also show that the teachers the kids had up until that year may or may not have been good teachers. It says nothing really about the current teacher.

Yeah, more relativism.

In this specific case, it shows the teachers are liars and cheaters.

When are you going back to school? I think your brain is atrophying from lack of use.

 

[chanel]

A cousin of mine taught at the high school for 31 years, retiring last year. All of those 31 years he sent home Parent Cards along with Report Cards. He told every parent who came to the principal's office that they should work harder with their kids on the school work. He never backed down.

I met a math teacher who said a mom wanted a phone call for every missed homework assignment. He told her "I have 140 kids. You have one. How about if you call me when he doesn't do his HOMEwork at HOME?"

 

[xsited1]

America's biggest teacher and principal cheating scandal unfolds in Atlanta - Yahoo! News

What ever happened to the day when teachers actually cared about their students? Please tell me we still have some left.

What a mess. There is no excuse for this, but I wonder if the No Child Left Behind Act has anything to do with this? I wonder because many of my friends who send their kids to Public Schools complain that the kids spend an inordinate amount of time preparing for taking tests to achieve a high score to meet Federal guidelines. Any Act whose chief author is Ted Kennedy is suspect in my book.

 

[chanel]

It is inexcusable; but totally understandable. A classic example of the "ends justifying the means". Our district strives for a 100% graduation rate. There is unbelievable pressure on 12th grade teachers to "pass everyone". Those that don't fall in line are "guilted" and/or bullied by the students, parents, guidance counselors, etc. Who wants that? And does it really matter if a kid is given a H.S. diploma, which many feel is "just a piece of paper"?

Professional ethics are not valued. Numbers are.

 

[JakeStarkey]

It is inexcusable; but totally understandable. A classic example of the "ends justifying the means". Our district strives for a 100% graduation rate. There is unbelievable pressure on 12th grade teachers to "pass everyone". Those that don't fall in line are "guilted" and/or bullied by the students, parents, guidance counselors, etc. Who wants that? And does it really matter if a kid is given a H.S. diploma, which many feel is "just a piece of paper"?

Professional ethics are not valued. Numbers are.

We fight those attitudes as hard as we can, but we also are on our administrators and principals to improve the rates. That has led, in some cases, to principals and vice-principals, who look at their jobs as entitlements, to sweep matters under the rug or to try to blame teachers.

 

[xsited1]

It is inexcusable; but totally understandable. A classic example of the "ends justifying the means". Our district strives for a 100% graduation rate. There is unbelievable pressure on 12th grade teachers to "pass everyone". Those that don't fall in line are "guilted" and/or bullied by the students, parents, guidance counselors, etc. Who wants that? And does it really matter if a kid is given a H.S. diploma, which many feel is "just a piece of paper"?

Professional ethics are not valued. Numbers are.

You seem to be echoing what I just posted. My information comes from conversations I've had with a few parents who send their kids to Public School, but you're in the trenches so I would put significantly more weight on your opinion. Should NCLB be repealed or is there a bigger problem at work?

 

[AllieBaba]

Actually, it does no such thing.

It may or may not prove that teachers can teach kids to take tests. Which, IMO, is one skill they learn anyway.

It may also show that the teachers the kids had up until that year may or may not have been good teachers. It says nothing really about the current teacher.

Yeah, more relativism.

In this specific case, it shows the teachers are liars and cheaters.

When are you going back to school? I think your brain is atrophying from lack of use.

Er..I'm in school, Ravster. Had a short break of a few weeks.

Which has nothing to do with being able to recognize the fact that these teachers are liars and cheaters.

I see you're again supporting the liars and cheaters. Way to go!

 

[chanel]

NCLB was full of good intentions. But it does not compare "apples to apples". Public schools are run by the states. Either we have a nationalized curriculum with a nationalized test; or we don't. Federal regs; state regs; and local school boards are often in conflict.

Here's an example of how flawed NCLB is. Every year each "subgroup" must make AYP (annual yearly progress). If five"poor" "Black" "special ed" kids fail the test, it is counted THREE times - once for each subgroup. Five kids failing the test can put an entire school with a 99% pass rate into the category of "in need of improvement". Not only does it put the school in jeopardy of losing funding; millions of dollars must be spent to show "improvement". But the "improvement" is only measured by testing an entirely different group of kids the following year. I can't tell you how many workshops and new "methods" have been forced upon us because of a handful of kids. No one really expects us to get anything out of it. It just "looks" like we are doing something. It's a fucking racket.

 

[xsited1]

NCLB was full of good intentions. But it does not compare "apples to apples". Public schools are run by the states. Either we have a nationalized curriculum with a nationalized test; or we don't. Federal regs; state regs; and local school boards are often in conflict.

Here's an example of how flawed NCLB is. Every year each "subgroup" must make AYP (annual yearly progress). If five"poor" "Black" "special ed" kids fail the test, it is counted THREE times - once for each subgroup. Five kids failing the test can put an entire school with a 99% pass rate into the category of "in need of improvement". Not only does it put the school in jeopardy of losing funding; millions of dollars must be spent to show "improvement". But the "improvement" is only measured by testing an entirely different group of kids the following year. I can't tell you how many workshops and new "methods" have been forced upon us because of a handful of kids. No one really expects us to get anything out of it. It just "looks" like we are doing something. It's a fucking racket.

Wow. Well, based on your post I'm going to go out on a limb and say you're not too fond of NCLB. As I've said before, any Act whose chief author is Ted Kennedy is suspect in my book. America can and should do better.

 

[editec]

There's nothing wrong with standardized testing if the test truly measure something real.

What may be wrong is how the schools are being measured based on the testing outcomes.

I hate to sound like an elitist, but the difference between the average kids going to a school in a tony burb like Cos Cobb, CT, versus the average student going to a shithole school in Bridgeport CT is vast.

And the difference for the schools' median test scores is to be substantially different regardless of how well the teaching staff does its job in either school.

I've taught in inner city schools, and I also taught in very expensive private schools.

Believe me when I tell you that what the kids bring to the school is far more important to standardized test outcomes than anything about the staff at that school.

It's a pleasure to teach AP kids, and its a Herculian task to teach kids who are just not interested in getting an education.

And usually when kids are not with the program you'll discover that their attitude is reflected by their parents' indifference to school and education, too.

You can only lead the horse to water, you cannot make it drink.

 

[chanel]

Exactly editec. You may be interested in this article I posted in another thread: Firing Line: The Grand Coalition Against Teachers | Truthout

Ed reformers have only one response to this reality: anyone who brings up out-of-school factors such as poverty is both defending the status quo of public education and claiming that schools can do nothing to overcome the life circumstances of poor children. The response is silly and, by now, tiresome. Some teachers will certainly be able to help compensate for the family backgrounds and out-of-school environments of some students. But the majority of poor children will not get all the help they need: their numbers are too great, their circumstances too severe, and resources too limited. Imagine teachers from excellent suburban public schools transferring en masse to low-performing, inner-city public schools. Would these teachers have as much success as they did in the suburbs? Would they be able to overcome the backgrounds of 15.6 million poor children? Even with bonus pay, would they stay with the job for more than a few years? Common sense and experience say no, and yet the reformers insist they can fix public schools by fixing the teachers.

 

[AllieBaba]

So what are you saying, chanel? That it's pointless to attempt to reform our education system so it's more effective? We should just accept that certain populations aren't going to do well, and not ask teachers to meet any sort of standard when it comes to teaching?

 

[Ravi]

Yeah, more relativism.

In this specific case, it shows the teachers are liars and cheaters.

When are you going back to school? I think your brain is atrophying from lack of use.

Er..I'm in school, Ravster. Had a short break of a few weeks.

Which has nothing to do with being able to recognize the fact that these teachers are liars and cheaters.

I see you're again supporting the liars and cheaters. Way to go!

Don't be silly. The teachers cheated and deserve to be fired.

I was discussing the merits of the test.

You suck at constructing strawmen.

 

[JakeStarkey]

When are you going back to school? I think your brain is atrophying from lack of use.

Er..I'm in school, Ravster. Had a short break of a few weeks.

Which has nothing to do with being able to recognize the fact that these teachers are liars and cheaters.

I see you're again supporting the liars and cheaters. Way to go!

Don't be silly. The teachers cheated and deserve to be fired.

I was discussing the merits of the test.

You suck at constructing strawmen.

She bridles at the criticism that her beliefs are, ipso facto, not facts. If she is in college, that is one that does not teach critical thinking skills.

 

[Ravi]

Er..I'm in school, Ravster. Had a short break of a few weeks.

Which has nothing to do with being able to recognize the fact that these teachers are liars and cheaters.

I see you're again supporting the liars and cheaters. Way to go!

Don't be silly. The teachers cheated and deserve to be fired.

I was discussing the merits of the test.

You suck at constructing strawmen.

She bridles at the criticism that her beliefs are, ipso facto, not facts. If she is in college, that is one that does not teach critical thinking skills.

I think she's going to Bible college.

 

[random3434]

NCLB was full of good intentions. But it does not compare "apples to apples". Public schools are run by the states. Either we have a nationalized curriculum with a nationalized test; or we don't. Federal regs; state regs; and local school boards are often in conflict.

Here's an example of how flawed NCLB is. Every year each "subgroup" must make AYP (annual yearly progress). If five"poor" "Black" "special ed" kids fail the test, it is counted THREE times - once for each subgroup. Five kids failing the test can put an entire school with a 99% pass rate into the category of "in need of improvement". Not only does it put the school in jeopardy of losing funding; millions of dollars must be spent to show "improvement". But the "improvement" is only measured by testing an entirely different group of kids the following year. I can't tell you how many workshops and new "methods" have been forced upon us because of a handful of kids. No one really expects us to get anything out of it. It just "looks" like we are doing something. It's a fucking racket.

Let's not forget the special needs kids. I had a third grader two years ago that HAD to take the test, he had an IQ of 56. He had no idea what to do, but God love him, he tried.

NCLB needs to be thrown out or changed. Trust me, teachers are NOT for it, be them libs or cons or middle of the road.

It came into effect in 2001, when GWBush was in office. Obama's pledge was to change it, but that hasn't happened yet that I know of, which pisses me off.

NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office.
The bill, shepherded through the Senate by co-author Senator Ted Kennedy, received overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress.

Get rid of it, or overhaul it is my opinion.

 

[xsited1]

NCLB was full of good intentions. But it does not compare "apples to apples". Public schools are run by the states. Either we have a nationalized curriculum with a nationalized test; or we don't. Federal regs; state regs; and local school boards are often in conflict.

Here's an example of how flawed NCLB is. Every year each "subgroup" must make AYP (annual yearly progress). If five"poor" "Black" "special ed" kids fail the test, it is counted THREE times - once for each subgroup. Five kids failing the test can put an entire school with a 99% pass rate into the category of "in need of improvement". Not only does it put the school in jeopardy of losing funding; millions of dollars must be spent to show "improvement". But the "improvement" is only measured by testing an entirely different group of kids the following year. I can't tell you how many workshops and new "methods" have been forced upon us because of a handful of kids. No one really expects us to get anything out of it. It just "looks" like we are doing something. It's a fucking racket.

Let's not forget the special needs kids. I had a third grader two years ago that HAD to take the test, he had an IQ of 56. He had no idea what to do, but God love him, he tried.

NCLB needs to be thrown out or changed. Trust me, teachers are NOT for it, be them libs or cons or middle of the road.

It came into effect in 2001, when GWBush was in office. Obama's pledge was to change it, but that hasn't happened yet that I know of, which pisses me off.

Get rid of it, or overhaul it is my opinion.

NCLB should never have happened. It was GWB "reaching across the aisle" which was a huge mistake. Ted Kennedy had good intentions, but oh what a huge mistake!

 

[Tank]

The Widening Racial Scoring Gap on the SAT College Admissions Test

The racial scoring gap on the SAT test has now become wider than has been the case for the past two decades. Many believe that in the years to come the gap may grow smaller, not because blacks are catching up to whites in educational achievement, but rather because the test makers are adding a writing component to the test that may be manipulated to lessen racial differences and therefore reduce public criticisms of the test.

The Widening Racial Scoring Gap on the SAT College Admissions Test