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Georgia report on 'cheating' documents test pressure as main reason

Bob Schaeffer - December 21, 2011

This morning, December 20, 2011, the Georgia Governor's Special Investigators issued a report on cheating in a second major jurisdiction, the Dougherty County School System. They named 49 educators involved in misconduct, including 11 principals, in a scandal comparable in scope to Atlanta when judged by the percentage of personnel implicated.

In a section of the report titled "Why Cheating Occurred," (pp 107 - 111), the investigators cite No Child Left Behind (NCLB) "pressure to meet AYP targets" as "a significant motivation for cheating" finding, "This pressure drives some individuals to cross ethical lines."

Their conclusion: "Since the enactment of NCLB, standardized testing has become more about measuring the teachers, principals and schools than accurately assessing the children's academic progress."

The complete 293-page report is available on line in two parts.

http://www.gadoe.org/_documents/gaosa/Volume%201.pdf

http://www.gadoe.org/_documents/gaosa/Volume%202.pdf

FairTest has now documented confirmed cases of test cheating in 30-states and the District of Columbia over the past three academic years. A list is available on request.

Bob Schaeffer, Public Education Director

FairTest: National Center for Fair & Open Testing

ph- (239) 395-6773 fax- (239) 395-6779

cell- (239) 699-0468



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