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DEL.ICIO.USCheating: Put To The Test
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve been trying to catch up on some education news since I returned from vacation, and I just finished reading the first article in this timely series about widespread cheating on state exams in Texas, where I used to work.
Using statistical analysis, The Dallas Morning News found more than 50,000 cases of possible cheating during the past two years at public schools across Texas. That total represented only a fraction of all student tests, but the reporters found that fully one-third of all campuses showed evidence of cheating.
Some of the cases were so egregious that test experts told The News that there was no other possible explanation for the results than cheating — either by students copying off each other’s work or teachers and administrators colluding to improve scores.
Of course, this made me wonder how prevalent cheating is on Georgia’s state exams, which overall continue to show that the majority of kids are passing at relatively high rates. My colleague Paul Donsky, who used to cover Atlanta Public Schools for the AJC, tackled the topic a couple years ago.
“In Georgia, teachers have resorted to various tricks and schemes to boost scores,” he wrote in May 2005. “They’ve given extra time on tests, changed answers after exams were turned in, and prepped students with material taken directly from the test.”
Paul found that allegations of cheating accounted for only about 5 percent of all complaints received during state testing that year. Obviously, all the cases aren’t reported or caught.
So, is cheating as out of control in Georgia as it appears to be in Texas or not?
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By WhatWillBridgetDo?
June 8, 2007 10:49 AM | Link to this
First, let’s be clear: Donsky TRIED to report on the cheating, until he got blasted by AJC higher ups who refused to let him follow the story.
We KNOW cheating occurs. What we don’t know is why the AJC higher ups won’t let reporters REPORT.
You as an employee may not be able to respond to this, I understand. But…where do reporters go to blog, so we the readers can get the REAL story?
By SET
June 8, 2007 11:04 AM | Link to this
NCLB is designed to produce cheating.
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 11:05 AM | Link to this
I don’t know if it’s as prevalent as in Texas, but it certainly wouldn’t surprise me to find out it existed.
In Steven Levitt’s book Freakonomics he discusses research that he did on high-stakes testing and cheating. He found, not surprisingly, that the more pressure there was on results, the more likely someone was to cheat. He also found that the numbers were low (3 - 6%) and that poor performing classrooms in one year were much more likely to be caught cheating the next.
His article in Education Next, “To Catch a cheat” is linked here
As for me, my kids laugh and don’t believe me when I tell them that I have NEVER cheated on any test (brought up hard-core Catholic, I was convinced God was watching and I would get caught, LOL).
As far as the CRCT goes, there’s really no reason to cheat. The state has released tests from previous years to use and an online assessment system for practice and remediation. My textbook provided both a test prep workbook specifically for the Georgia CRCT, and each chapter review in the textbook had a test prep section with 4 - 6 questions. Additionally, there are test prep booklets from several companies in all the tested subjects available (so someone other than the testing companies is making money, too). With all those resources, who needs to cheat?
As far as my results go, I had no surprises. The handful of kids that did not pass science for me also were not passing my class. They were my chronic absentees, my significantly below level readers, and my new ESOL students (on-level, non-ESOL supported science is one of the classes they take first).
Final note, based on Levitt’s research - attach merit pay solely to the results of the CRCT and watch cheating levels SOAR!
By catlady
June 8, 2007 11:09 AM | Link to this
I don’t know of any cheating, although there probably is some. I am aware of what I would call unethical testing procedures that ended up penalizing students, however.
The whole CRCT testing is so regimented it is incredible. I had a child who had the stomach virus (came to school anyway—we push perfect attendance!) and had to leave the room to throw up. Then he went home. He was not allowed to continue the test section when he was well enough to come back, although I can document what time he fell ill (it doesn’t matter anyway, as he had extended time as an accomodation). Of course, as he was only 10 minutes into the test, he failed it miserably. People expressed dismay that I did not allow him to vomit in the room on his test book, as that gives us “evidence” to turn in to the state!
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 11:12 AM | Link to this
Bridget - another thought:
As I said, I don’t doubt for one minute that cheating occurs, but your suspicion came in part due to the “relatively high pass rates.”
Isn’t the whole point of the exercise to get everyone passing by 2014? That we’re not going for a Bell Curve type result, and that kids don’t get promoted (LOL on that, I know) unless they pass the test? That ultimately, if only those that can pass, do pass, then high pass rates ARE what we’re looking for?
(and low cut scores are the way to achieve it, apparently)
By catlady
June 8, 2007 11:17 AM | Link to this
I am not kidding about the above. We even have special “evidence” baggies given to us!
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 11:23 AM | Link to this
Cat - we DID have a student vomit on the test this year! (Thank goodness, not in my room - a brand new teacher, poor thing).
The test had to be cleaned off (gross) and an administrator had to re-bubble the test on a clean document. both had to be turned it.
You are right about the regimentation. Outside of a teacher literally giving his/her kids the answer in the classroom during the test, I can’t see how cheating could happen, unless the administration condoned it.
For my non-CRCT administering friends: The tests are locked up and teachers had to report to the guidance counselor to count out and sign for the tests. The booklets were sealed until the students open them. There were 8 different testing forms in my homeroom. They were immediately turned in and locked back up after testing (after another count and sign off). Very regimented - that doesn’t even include the pre- and post- test training and the signing away of your life stating that everything was done properly!
By catlady
June 8, 2007 11:26 AM | Link to this
What I will find interesting is the nexus between CRCT and NCLB. Doesn’t NCLB say all kids will be on GRADE LEVEL? Yet, if CRCT is scored so that kids pass, but in reality are still NOT on grade level, what then? For example, if a 3rd grader passes CRCT (due to low cut scores, cheating, good guessing or whatever), but they are actually in a reading level that is end of first grade, are we “victorious” in regards to NCLB?
By catlady
June 8, 2007 11:35 AM | Link to this
And the teacher has to keep the tests within her view every moment after she signs them out. For example, as a resource teacher, I go around from class to class picking up the students I will be testing. I have to lug the tests and answer sheets with me. And, for the kids with the accomodation of writing in the test book, I have to bubble in their answer sheets in the principal’s office with an administrator there. And, every sheet of paper, such as that used for math computation, has to be labeled with the child’s name and turned in. Next, I expect that each child’s name will have to be engraved on their pencils and those turned in and destroyed also, although no one seems to have thought of that yet (You know, you could write the answers or formulas on the pencil and take it to the testing site…)
By decaturparent
June 8, 2007 11:45 AM | Link to this
I read these posts in disbelief! Do y’all see the lunacy in these comments?
Do you see the child abuse in this? Could you imagine how you would feel if you were six and threw up on your test and your teacher bagged it up as evidence..? would you be traumatized? What if you were the kid sitting next to this kid? I have a child with an extreme fear of vomiting… she has actually seen a psychologist for it. I can’t imagine what would happen if a kid next to her threw up and the teacher put it in a baggie for evidence… she would run out of the room crying hysterically for sure. Would that destroy the “security” of the whole test for the whole class?
CRCT is meaningless anyway… my daughter’s high and low scores do not correlate at all to what I and her teachers know are her strengths and weaknesses from years of teaching her. They are diametrically opposed.
DAM**T - THESE ARE LITTLE KIDS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!
By catlady
June 8, 2007 12:01 PM | Link to this
decaturparent: Yes, it would mess up the security. Your daughter would fail that part of the CRCT because she would not be allowed to finish it, when she calms down. (She might have faked the hysteria just to go look up an answer in the bathroom, for example.) As long as the teacher kept the rest of the class working and gave them how many extra minutes her disruption took from their testing, I think the rest of the class would be okay. It would have to be reported to the state, however. I am not kidding.
By catlady
June 8, 2007 12:04 PM | Link to this
THESE ARE LITTLE KIDS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!
No, according to the state, they (and their teachers) are Potential Cheaters.
By catlady
June 8, 2007 12:12 PM | Link to this
By the way, decaturparent, it IS lunacy. Sometimes teachers forget that parents don’t KNOW about this stuff. In my crazier moments, I have wondered what would happen if I threw up during the test. Would it invalidate the children’s test section, because it would take several minutes to get someone in to take over? Meanwhile, I cannot leave the room—that would be a strict security-breaker. There I would stand, a complete mess. And I don’t throw up gracefully, either. It would have to be reported to the state. (Would it go in my Professional Services file?) Talk about trauma for all!
By catlady
June 8, 2007 12:17 PM | Link to this
Bridgett’s question: So, is cheating as out of control in Georgia as it appears to be in Texas or not?
Reminds me of a situation years ago where a man from Kansas is referring to Texas as being the “outlying” neighbor of Kansas. A voice comes from the back of the room and says,” Buddy, ain’t NOBODY who can out-lie Texans!” LOL
By 30YearsIn
June 8, 2007 12:21 PM | Link to this
If a child has a restroom emergency and leaves the room with the proctor, they are allowed to return to the test during testing. (I think, or I am remembering the “testing rules” incorrectly)
By jim d
June 8, 2007 12:26 PM | Link to this
While I’m sure some students resort to cheating to improve test scores, let’s be totally frank here. “Teachers do it as well”
Point and case—My child found the correct answers to 4 questions posted on the board, in one of his classes, when he took the CRCT this year. Now I’m almost positive they were not put there by a student in an earlier test period since it was his first class.
I’m rather curious as to how the teachers blogging here feel about that and if any of them were aware that some of their peers resorted to these cheating tactics?
By WhatWillBridgetDo?
June 8, 2007 12:36 PM | Link to this
Catlady,
You must not have heard about the hamster that got out of its cage in a classroom and got a hold of one of the test. THE HAMSTER PASSED THE TEST!
The sad thing is despite that individuals STILL have to cheat. (Sorry catlady, there is no “probably” about this, everywhere from Houston, where Rod Paige sold his own people up the river for political gain, to Georgia, cheating is a fact of life in education)
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 12:37 PM | Link to this
30yearsin - we were allowed to let them go if it was “an emergency,” however, it did have to be documented. We have a special form just for that. Ironically, in the name of good brain hydration, all our kids were given bottles of water in the AM (and peppermints).
Cat - it the testing window for elementary the same as middle school? We tested for about 2 1/2 hours. They didn’t want us to let them go, but emergencies do crop up. I always tell them, “It’s like a long car ride - go now, or forever hold your pee!”
And you’re right about the math sheets - I had one chronic non-direction follower crumple his up and throw it away - I made him go through the trash to get it out (an 8th grader, BTW - he should’ve known better, and the trash wasn’t that bad).
By catlady
June 8, 2007 12:39 PM | Link to this
30: leaves the room with supervision and comes back=okay. leaves the room and cannot come back (vomiting up his toenails)=invalidates that section of the test for that child.
jim d—our administrators go through our rooms the evening before the test and the morning of the test to be sure everything is covered, erased, put up. Even the ABCs have to be covered. Last year I had to cover a bulletin board that showed a kid climbing to the mountain of success. Perhaps we have some OCD administrators.
While older students might cheat, I think the fear in the lower grades IS that teachers will cheat. We’re all such a Bad Bunch.
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 12:42 PM | Link to this
I WAS talking about teachers, jim d - I don’t think most kids would cheat because I don’t think they care enough to - at least for my subject, because “it doesn’t count.”
As far as reading and math (which do count for 8th graders), there’s really no way to cheat, other than to go back to a section you already worked on (have caught kids doing that every once and awhile) or to look at the kid next to you - they have different test forms, so that doesn’t help.
Reading and math are not like a regular test where you could have a crib sheet or something - in math they even give you the formulas.
By holdingAJCaccountable
June 8, 2007 12:42 PM | Link to this
jimd,
Last time cheating was brought up on this blog, the first response was from a teacher who reported her principal walked into the room and told a child to change the answer.
What you have to understand is that the monitors (read: administrators) actually encourage teachers to cheat.
Why do you think they make such a big deal about “covering up all the walls”?
It’s a show to pretend cheating doesn’t occur.
By jim d
June 8, 2007 12:47 PM | Link to this
Cat,
Sorry if the inrerence was that all teachers cheat. That was not my intent.
My child say’s the number and the correct coresponding letter to bubble was simply written on the board. He didn’t realize they were the correct answers until he got to and answered those particular questions.
I personally know of all the safeguards that are supposed to be in place, which causes me to question if this is being condoned by school administrators.
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 12:49 PM | Link to this
jim d - the things that bothers me the most about your “answers on the board” example is that MY perfomance will be judged against that person’s and mine would be found lacking. That’s why cheating sucks.
That is also an example of administrative failure (and co-worker failure, too, possibly). As catlady said, we are supposed to take everything content-related down, or cover it up. The boards are supposed to be blank except for testing directions.
Out of curiosity, did you report what your son saw to anyone?
By holdingAJCaccountable
June 8, 2007 12:49 PM | Link to this
No catlady, the fear is they will get caught. Wake up and smell the coffee on this one.
By jim d
June 8, 2007 12:53 PM | Link to this
Holding,
I just wish that one of the morally rightous teachers that complain about student cheating would step up to the plate and say they were directed to cheat by an administrator.
Think it’ll ever happen?
By catlady
June 8, 2007 12:54 PM | Link to this
luvs, our testing time was about 3 hours, but we were allowed a bathroom break half the way through. These are 3-5 graders, however. I also provided a little high protein snack at that time.
I have never heard the hamster or Terry Shaivo (sp) stories that are circulating. However, I can tell you one of my new Latino students (less than a year of English, read on a beginning first grade compehension level) almost passed the reading CRCT 3 years ago. At that point, any faith I might have had was gone.
One thing about the testing regs: totally non-English speaking students can be exempt during the rest of the year they come in, except for the math portion, which is mostly WORD PROBLEMS. Hahaha It is not for a calendar year. So, the boy who entered school with 2 weeks left this year, speaking not word 1 of English will have to take everything next year, which will be quite a challenge. He is not literate in any language, has never been to school, and will be taking the 5th grade tests. Now that is child abuse to me, but who cares? Obviously not someone in government, who could recognize the idiocy of it if they thought FOR ONE MOMENT.
By holdingAJCaccountable
June 8, 2007 12:59 PM | Link to this
From luvs2teach: “…is that MY perfomance will be judged against that person’s and mine would be found lacking. That’s why cheating sucks.”
And that’s why cheating happens
By jim d
June 8, 2007 12:59 PM | Link to this
Nope I didn’t since it would have been hearsay (my childs word against the teacher)and I really did like that teacher. He/she had done an excellent job all semester.
Besides, knowing how teachers stick together through anything I suspect he’d have had a very difficult time next year possably damaging his opportunities to continue his education after high school.
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 1:17 PM | Link to this
holding - no doubt.
I simply don’t care enough so that the consequences are worth the risk. I trust that I have done my best - the rest is on the kids.
You know, I love what I do, but the day my performance is judged solely on the result of one test, that’s the day I walk away.
jimd - was it the EOCT or the GHSGT? High school teachers, help me out here - isn’t the EOCT no longer used for NCLB? If it was the EOCT, maybe the teacher realized she didn’t cover the material, and gave them the answers so their grades wouldn’t be negatively affected by something that was her fault. Or, perhaps there was some error, and she was told to put those answers on the board. who knows - without knowing the whole situation, it’s hard to say if that was teacher-led cheating, admin-led cheating, or evn cheating at all.
Of course, if it was cheating, it still sucks.
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 1:17 PM | Link to this
holding - no doubt.
I simply don’t care enough so that the consequences are worth the risk. I trust that I have done my best - the rest is on the kids.
You know, I love what I do, but the day my performance is judged solely on the result of one test, that’s the day I walk away.
jimd - was it the EOCT or the GHSGT? High school teachers, help me out here - isn’t the EOCT no longer used for NCLB? If it was the EOCT, maybe the teacher realized she didn’t cover the material, and gave them the answers so their grades wouldn’t be negatively affected by something that was her fault. Or, perhaps there was some error, and she was told to put those answers on the board. who knows - without knowing the whole situation, it’s hard to say if that was teacher-led cheating, admin-led cheating, or evn cheating at all.
Of course, if it was cheating, it still sucks.
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 1:18 PM | Link to this
holding - no doubt.
I simply don’t care enough so that the consequences are worth the risk. I trust that I have done my best - the rest is on the kids.
You know, I love what I do, but the day my performance is judged solely on the result of one test, that’s the day I walk away.
jimd - was it the EOCT or the GHSGT? High school teachers, help me out here - isn’t the EOCT no longer used for NCLB? If it was the EOCT, maybe the teacher realized she didn’t cover the material, and gave them the answers so their grades wouldn’t be negatively affected by something that was her fault. Or, perhaps there was some error, and she was told to put those answers on the board. who knows - without knowing the whole situation, it’s hard to say if that was teacher-led cheating, admin-led cheating, or evn cheating at all.
Of course, if it was cheating, it still sucks.
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 1:18 PM | Link to this
holding - no doubt.
I simply don’t care enough so that the consequences are worth the risk. I trust that I have done my best - the rest is on the kids.
You know, I love what I do, but the day my performance is judged solely on the result of one test, that’s the day I walk away.
jimd - was it the EOCT or the GHSGT? High school teachers, help me out here - isn’t the EOCT no longer used for NCLB? If it was the EOCT, maybe the teacher realized she didn’t cover the material, and gave them the answers so their grades wouldn’t be negatively affected by something that was her fault. Or, perhaps there was some error, and she was told to put those answers on the board. who knows - without knowing the whole situation, it’s hard to say if that was teacher-led cheating, admin-led cheating, or evn cheating at all.
Of course, if it was cheating, it still sucks.
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 1:18 PM | Link to this
holding - no doubt.
I simply don’t care enough so that the consequences are worth the risk. I trust that I have done my best - the rest is on the kids.
You know, I love what I do, but the day my performance is judged solely on the result of one test, that’s the day I walk away.
jimd - was it the EOCT or the GHSGT? High school teachers, help me out here - isn’t the EOCT no longer used for NCLB? If it was the EOCT, maybe the teacher realized she didn’t cover the material, and gave them the answers so their grades wouldn’t be negatively affected by something that was her fault. Or, perhaps there was some error, and she was told to put those answers on the board. who knows - without knowing the whole situation, it’s hard to say if that was teacher-led cheating, admin-led cheating, or evn cheating at all.
Of course, if it was cheating, it still sucks.
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 1:18 PM | Link to this
holding - no doubt.
I simply don’t care enough so that the consequences are worth the risk. I trust that I have done my best - the rest is on the kids.
You know, I love what I do, but the day my performance is judged solely on the result of one test, that’s the day I walk away.
jimd - was it the EOCT or the GHSGT? High school teachers, help me out here - isn’t the EOCT no longer used for NCLB? If it was the EOCT, maybe the teacher realized she didn’t cover the material, and gave them the answers so their grades wouldn’t be negatively affected by something that was her fault. Or, perhaps there was some error, and she was told to put those answers on the board. who knows - without knowing the whole situation, it’s hard to say if that was teacher-led cheating, admin-led cheating, or evn cheating at all.
Of course, if it was cheating, it still sucks.
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 1:18 PM | Link to this
holding - no doubt.
I simply don’t care enough so that the consequences are worth the risk. I trust that I have done my best - the rest is on the kids.
You know, I love what I do, but the day my performance is judged solely on the result of one test, that’s the day I walk away.
jimd - was it the EOCT or the GHSGT? High school teachers, help me out here - isn’t the EOCT no longer used for NCLB? If it was the EOCT, maybe the teacher realized she didn’t cover the material, and gave them the answers so their grades wouldn’t be negatively affected by something that was her fault. Or, perhaps there was some error, and she was told to put those answers on the board. who knows - without knowing the whole situation, it’s hard to say if that was teacher-led cheating, admin-led cheating, or evn cheating at all.
Of course, if it was cheating, it still sucks.
By holdingAJCaccountable
June 8, 2007 1:25 PM | Link to this
Even if a teacher did report it, the retaliation would be enormous as the entire system, from Cox on down has a vested interest in keeping the facade in place.
If someone who’s left the profession (is Jeff out there?) or a parent who they couldn’t retaliate against were to issue a complaint, it might gather some steam.
But given the lack of integrity Cox has shown on the whole testing business, I doubt it.
What would fix it? Outside monitors to come into the schools, something that will never happen because it would “cost too much”.
I’d like to see the state PTA lobby for a monitoring bill, where concerned parents could volunteer to monitor (perhaps they could be trained through a State Board of Ed/PTA partnership)
Put in place that they monitor a school other than their child’s school and now you have a group that would have a vested interest in finding cheating, not covering up cheating.
Take my idea and run with it Jimd. Ask Kathy Cox (ideally in a public forum) if she’d be in favor of exploring that idea…and then watch her squirm
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 1:25 PM | Link to this
jim d - another question - I can understand why your son didn’t say anything, but what about the other 27 kids in the class?
Isn’t this like being an accessory to the possible cheating?
BTW - I will give no other details, so don’t ask, but I no personally of a teacher fired due to intended cheating on the CRCT (it didn’t happen, but could’ve). The offense was caught through the testing administration safety nets. So, it happens, and people are caught. Not everyone is in collusion.
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 1:29 PM | Link to this
Yikes - I SWEAR I only hit the post button ONCE.
Sorry, y’all.
Bridget - can’t you remove the extra posts?
By catlady
June 8, 2007 1:34 PM | Link to this
Hey, Holding! I don’t drink coffee. LOL
Now, jim dear, don’t give us the song and dance about teachers speaking up if YOU are not going to! Yes, I know having your child involved changes things. But if I speak up and lose my job, my children (both my own and those I teach) are punished for something I did, too.
This year I went to administrators about a teacher who had talked about doing something wrong. It was NOT in the children’s favor, and doing it should lead to the teacher’s dismissal or at least severe reprimand, plus reporting to the state. The problem is, because of who her husband is, she can do just about anything and our principal cannot do anything about it. But I went ahead and reported it. The children are more important than any one person—her or me. The administrator asked her if she had done this thing, she denied it, and they left it at that. They did not even interview the kids in the room. I am going to track down the test results on the kids she tested and see how many did not pass. I remind myself there are things I cannot control, but I do my part: to report my concerns to the proper administrator. It especially galls me because this teacher has made it clear that she doesn’t like “certain kinds of children”, and these children are “those kind”.
By jim d
June 8, 2007 1:35 PM | Link to this
L2T,
So are you saying it sucks to the 7th degree? LOL
By catlady
June 8, 2007 1:38 PM | Link to this
Luvs, I was going to ask if you would let the rest of us talk? lol I have been having ajc posting trouble the last several days, too.
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 1:45 PM | Link to this
cat & jim - I’m just trying to make up for those months I was too busy to post!
Hopefully this will only post once :-)
By jim d
June 8, 2007 1:48 PM | Link to this
L2T,
I had to go back and look at the testing dates. Indeed it was on an EOCT. But does that make it ok?
Cat,
Actually you know how a student would be treated for informing on a teacher bending the rules—first nothing would come of it and secondly the student wouldn’t be able to pass a course there after. And of course any parent that reported such an incident would automatically be labled a “trouble maker” The system really does work well at keeping everyone (including teachers) in line. That in itself is a major problem with education today.
By jim d
June 8, 2007 1:50 PM | Link to this
L2T,
OK, but do you find it necessary to do all at once? :-)
By catlady
June 8, 2007 1:51 PM | Link to this
luvs—talk all you want, really. You make sense (which means I agree with you most of the time.)
Seriously, I like discussing things with intelligent people—it opens my eyes! :)
By JustMe
June 8, 2007 2:01 PM | Link to this
There are some schools and school systems that cheat in GA - there is no doubt about that….
I grew up in South GA and am familiar with some of the schools. I go back there to visit familiy often and some of my family are teachers. Most of those schools report extemely high passing rates on everything from CRCT to EOCT to GHSGT - and those kids cannot even write a complete sentence or add 5 plus 6 !!!!!!! Something is wrong.
IMHO, the GA DOE needs to set up a cheating possie to go around and surprise check on these schools and school systems whose scores are way out of line with, for example, the average SAT scores coming out of those same schools.
By jim d
June 8, 2007 2:03 PM | Link to this
“The system really does work well at keeping everyone (including teachers) in line”
OH and did I mention, It works well with reporters as well, generally speaking.
By catlady
June 8, 2007 2:03 PM | Link to this
jim, sadly, yes, I do know how you/I/your child would be treated. While you have this feeling over this one incident, imagine feeling like this over a lot of stuff that directly or indirectly has an impact on many students. THAT is why teachers are so backward about trying to get things changed. We can, however, be subversive, if it is to a good cause :)
By Janine
June 8, 2007 2:06 PM | Link to this
I can’t believe how luvs2teach and I have such similar thoughts! Especially post @ 12:42. In all the years I have given these tests [after test after test ] I have rarely had students who care enough to cheat!!! And why would they???For students there are NO consequences for not passing. IMO, it is much more likely that a teacher, administrator,even the superintendent and the state dept. would cheat. There are negative consequences for each of these. ANd, in case you haven’t noticed, most of us here seem to believe that the State Dept. is doing just that in there manipulation of scores…. AS for kids…..insignificant, I think.
By jim d
June 8, 2007 2:10 PM | Link to this
Cat,
Hmm, I guess I just never thought about teachers caring about students the same way a parent does. Perhaps I need to adjust some of my thoughts reagrding some teachers actions and reactions based on that premise.
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 2:10 PM | Link to this
jim d - I don’t know if it makes it OK or not - that’s why I asked the HS people about the EOCT. If it’s not part of NCLB (which I’m thinking it isn’t), and it’s just given as a “normal test” worth 15% of the grade, then maybe the teacher had a legitimate reason for giving the answers.
By Janine
June 8, 2007 2:14 PM | Link to this
If anything is going to change,parents or politicians are going to have to do it. One or both are going to have to investigate the numbers from year to year and if they are in fact being manipulated. I think monitors for that phase of the procedures would be much more helpful and telling that monitors in the schools during the tests. If the cut off pass score is lowered from year to year , then surely more students passing does not support “improvement”.
By jim d
June 8, 2007 2:14 PM | Link to this
Just me,
Problem is that the state dosen’t care about the cheating if it raises scores! So dear, it will never happen.
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 2:16 PM | Link to this
Janine - you know what they say - “great minds think alike!”
I’ve even had kids ask me, “What’s the big deal if these tests don’t even count?”
By Janine
June 8, 2007 2:19 PM | Link to this
OOPS….for the spelling/usage police..that would be THEIR manipulation!!
By jim d
June 8, 2007 2:22 PM | Link to this
L2T,
*”maybe the teacher had a legitimate reason for giving the answers.”
Do you mean like not having covered the materials or perhaps knowing that by giving 4 answers out that every student in their class would pass?
Let’s think on this for just one moment. If a teacher knew from previously given tests during the year that there were say half a dozen questions that were poorly worded to the point that students consistantly got wrong and that those exact questions would be on the EOCT. Would there be any incentive for the teachers to assure those questions were answered correctly?
By 30YearsIn
June 8, 2007 2:40 PM | Link to this
Speaking of poorly worded tests…the CRCT this year FINALLY corrected the instructions (that we are supposed to read word by word, no paraphrasing) to include “now students turn your test booklet to page …., and you may begin” In previous years, the instructions page has been horrific and the test questions are worded pretty badly too!
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 2:45 PM | Link to this
Yes - that’s exactly the type of “help” and the reason for the help I’m talking about. I don’t know if there is an incentive or not, because I’m not sure how the EOCT is used. Is it like the CRCT which are reported to the state, used to determine both student promotion as well as whether or not a schools makes AYP, or is it just another test?
I was under the impression that the EOCT (which is not given in every subject) was NOT used for state rankings under NCLB. I know that they are 15% of a student’s grade (unlike the CRCT, which have no bearing on grades). I was also under the impression that the EOCT is a locally administered and corrected test. I don’t know if it’s a state-written or written by the teachers at the school.
I was thinking, that if the test is locally written, and isn’t used for state rankings, and a teacher knows a question is badly worded or what not, that giving the answers in that case would not be the same as giving answers for the CRCT.
I know I have found awkwardly worded, ambiguous, or just plain bad questions on tests I’ve developed for my own classes, and I’ve given kids those answers so my mistake doesn’t impact their grade negatively.
By catlady
June 8, 2007 2:57 PM | Link to this
jim, some teachers do care very much for their students en toto, sort of like a parent does. Not just about CRCT scores, or grades, or behavior, but about the long term. I ask myself a number of times a day, if this student is watching me, what will they take away for the long term? That the right way to act, as modeled by their teacher, is cold, or cynical, or makes fun of people? or that they should grow up right, to be honest, humble, self-controlled, hardworking, supportive of others? Long after they forget what Georgia’s state bird is, there are other things that a good education provides. I want them to have the knowledge, skills and attitudes and character-istics that will make them successful, because they are important to me. Most of the teachers in my school share this view, I think.
By Kage
June 8, 2007 3:00 PM | Link to this
I have never seen teachers cheat, but the subject did come up at the beginning of the year. My district was one of the lowest in the state. The superintendent called a meeting at every school so we could be lambasted and shamed. We then had to do an activity - make a poster that explained why our scores were so low. We had a few teachers who transferred from the Atlanta area. All of them said that the fact that we don’t cheat was a contributing factor. They reported on rampant cheating in the schools they came from. One system was to have corners designated A, B, C, D. The teacher would go to the corner that corresponded with the answer, kids would mark their sheets. Wow. At that point, our low scores were almost a source of pride. Okay, not really, but I was proud that we don’t do that.
By lovelyliz
June 8, 2007 3:54 PM | Link to this
The whole Houston Miracle was based on cheating. Students who were would bring the test scores down were encouraged to miss school on testing day. The TAKS flu or something. Scores were raised miraculously and the superintendent became the Secretary of the Department of Education!!!
By Tony
June 8, 2007 4:12 PM | Link to this
As a school principal, I take my job of monitoring CRCT seriously. The teachers in my school did an excellent job of following protocols and testing guidelines.
There was one thing that disturbed me greatly during the testing, though. In one of the classes I heard the teacher reading the test aloud (for students who were given this accomodation). The question had a egregious erron in fact so I notified our system testing coordinator of the problem. She notified the state office who responded, “How would anyone know what was on the test? That is a violation of the rules for testing.”
The mentality of the testing craze is tantamount to child abuse, too. We had one child who has failed the test because of illness. The child got sick and threw-up shortly after beginning the test. I’m sure there are many cases like this.
It is time for educators and parents to take back the classrooms from the politically based testing frenzy.
By thomas
June 8, 2007 4:18 PM | Link to this
Quite frankly I don’t understand the mania. Why cheat? In the end, it hurts everyone. If you have a child who is going to fail, let them fail. At least let the truth be know. Perhaps then, they can get some help. You see my friends, only failing students get “help”. Whatever help is.
Our schools only allocate resources to “struggling” students. Everybody else be d_mned.
By catlady
June 8, 2007 4:30 PM | Link to this
Our system will hunt you down if you miss CRCT. Hound you to get the math and reading sections done, at least. Literally. We have 99% at least who are tested. I would like to withdraw some of the kids for a few days.LOL
By Bill
June 8, 2007 4:34 PM | Link to this
The four question example happened because we were told that 1 form of the test was incorectly written and if a child had that version to tell them to mark a particular number.
I don’t worry about myself cheating because I know I am doing what I believe is the best of my ability to teach my students. I do worry about others.In the past me have had monitors in the rooms with us so there could be no cheating by adults.
I think the whole covering everything up, including the clock, is inane. If there is poster in the room the student would have to be pretty savvy to use it the same for word walls. The student would have to know what the word was and its definition.
The children are given up to 60 minutes per section of the test - 2 sections per academic subject and if needed an additional 10 minutes so 2 hours and 20 minutes could be used to answer an average of 50 questions.
I look at the tests as a measure of what a child can do a particular day at a particular time. I try and not let the test define me.
Thanks.
By thomas
June 8, 2007 4:35 PM | Link to this
We can’t blame the children because of our stupid mania. For one thing, schools are allowed to have make-up days. I tell my students “IF YOU ARE SICK, STAY AT HOME.” People who are ignorant to the system pressure kids to come to school everyday. For the CRCT, only reading and math are AYP tests. The attendance rule was put in place to discourage the games that occurred in some states (encouraging potential “low performers” to miss the test).
If you are sick, stay home. I’d rather you come to school healthy and have to make-up a test in the afternoon, than take a test in the morning sick and and do poorly.
By the way, test mania has gone on for decades. When I was in elementary school in the early 80’s, I remember a girl who was so tense and nervous, she wet her pants during the test. She was scared to tell the teacher she had to use the restroom. This was so far back, we had the California Achievement Test (CAT) then. It’s been one test or another for decades: CAT, Stanford, ITBS, CRCT, and probably some others that I have forgotten about. In the end, does it really matter??? Not one of these tests made a d__n bit of difference for any of us.
By HS Teacher Too
June 8, 2007 4:36 PM | Link to this
Bridget,
Yes, it is rampant, at least in the system I was in. If you’re curious to hear more, email me independently of this blog. I can probably even provide you with hard copies of memos that directly contradicted the state instructions.
Regardless of where anyone stands with testing, to make a mockery of it is unfair to everyone who actually does take it seriously.
This experience was actually yet another reason on the long list of reasons why I left.
By HS Teacher Too
June 8, 2007 4:44 PM | Link to this
Jimd, Last year I had all the documentation ready in hand to show ANYONE who would listen. Not a single teacher would fight the battle with me.
So I left.
By jim d
June 8, 2007 4:54 PM | Link to this
Thomas,
I was under the impression that these tests are infallible (well according to the system.) According to test acceptance procedures, wouldn’t an invalid or incorectly written question invalidate the test?
I’m asking because this was an issue parents addressed in Gwinnett County many years ago regarding poorly written questions on the “Gateway test”. We were lead to believe this was the case, however the county refused and still refuses nearly 10 years later to release the test questions even though much of the test has been scrapped.
By luvs2teach
June 8, 2007 5:37 PM | Link to this
Thanks Bill - I had a feeling it had to be something like that - I just couldn’t imagine the answers being put on the board and no one, no one at all, coming forward about it.
By Tony
June 8, 2007 5:58 PM | Link to this
There are cases where an invalid question could invalidate the test and cases where it might not. There are always a number of field test items on any given CRCT. These questions will be used for future tests if they “pass” but they do not count for or against students during this testing session. In the case of the item I questioned, I don’t know if it was a field test item or not. Hopefully, the item was and it will be scrapped.
By Well, well, well
June 8, 2007 6:39 PM | Link to this
What about administrators who withdraw certain students on FTE count day so there won’t be a sub-category to count against their scores??????? Go figure. She was reported by the lead person of the department,and guess who got transferred? Not the principal.Ms Principal worked out the remainder of the year and has gone on to greener pastures.Wonder about the saying sh*! floats?She’s moving on to the central office……go figure!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By jim d
June 11, 2007 8:08 AM | Link to this
Tony,
Not meaning to be argumentative, I must say I’m somewhat confused.
As I understand it. If in fact a bad question were a field test question it doesn’t count for or against a students score.
That being said, I would think that giving the correct answer to a question of this nature would help validate it for future tests thus assuring it would appear as a bad question in the future, where it would count. How would validating a bad field test question be a good thing?
By jim d
June 11, 2007 8:34 AM | Link to this
Scuse me Bill,
We have a bad question so we give them the answer rather than throw it out?
I fail to see the logic. Wouldn’t it be simpler to ignore that answer on the results and then correct the question on future tests? Thus eliminating the appearance of any impropriety?
By jim d
June 11, 2007 9:03 AM | Link to this
Well well well,
Sounds like something from GCPS.
By AnObservation
June 11, 2007 12:27 PM | Link to this
I have read all of the comments about this topic and I notice that most of the comments, if not all, are from elementary or middle school level educators. As a high school graduate I can honestly say that during my time in elementary and middle school I did not care about the tests I took because they were not a major deciding factor in my life. If I passed I passed if didn’t I didn’t, but that was because I did well on those test. The emphasis was on doing your best instead of passing which made a huge difference from then and now.
Today I see children filled with stress because of the constant testing they endure. My question is ‘How is a child suppose to learn when they are tested two and three hours of multiple days to see what they should have “learned”?’ When my younger cousin was in the fifth grade (two years ago), she endured a week long of testing and about a month later she endured another week of testing. “That is mental and emotional child abuse.” My little cousin would come home tired and drained, not from the physical exertion of physical education, but from taking a test.
It was my understanding that if a child does not pass the CRCT at the fifth and eight grade levels, they are held back in that grade. If that is true, that is an incentive for a lot of people to cheat (students, teachers, administrators, etc.). If a child fears being “left behind” (which would contradict the NCLB act) while his/her peers move on, then that could make a good student cheat.
In my opinion the test are not fairly generated for any level in grades K-12. These test do not take into account a class of slower learners versus a class filled with challenge/advanced students. When testing time comes around, the challenge students would have already learned what they needed to know for the test while a teacher with a low performance class might still be teaching the information that needed to be covered. If the class continues to fail the test due to not having enough time to fully teach the information, then yes some teacher might start teaching the information directly from previous test or cheat. With the teacher’s class constantly failing test or the teacher’s class starts to pass due to cheating, their job is still at risk.
As far as high school, students may not cheat the first three times taking the GHSGT. But around the forth or fifth time students become desperate. For teachers whom have commented on this page, image telling a high school student this: “Although you passed all of you classes with a 3.0 GPA and have enough credit hours to receive your high school degree, if you do not get over your test anxiety and pass the GHSGT this final time you will not graduate.” Then ask the student after they have received their degree did they cheat. Now ask yourself would you have cheated. Not my situation but have happened to friends of mine.
Sorry for the long comment, just saying what’s on my mind.
AnObservation
By luvs2teach
June 12, 2007 6:35 PM | Link to this
AnObservation - you have some interesting points - it’s refreshing to see from another point of view.
As far as the tests go, most teachers don’t love them - they weren’t our idea. Instead they were a package of political mumbo-jumbo meant to make parents feel secure in thinking that the government was going to instill accountability in education.
You did fall into the trap of misunderstanding the unfortunately named “No Child Left Behind” law - it doesn’t mean no child held back. It actually refers to what you refer to later in your comment:
“These test do not take into account a class of slower learners versus a class filled with challenge/advanced students. When testing time comes around, the challenge students would have already learned what they needed to know for the test while a teacher with a low performance class might still be teaching the information that needed to be covered.”
It’s those slower students that aren’t meant to be “left behind” academically - in other words, the law is supposed to force teachers, through the accountability of testing, to make sure they do everything in their power to bring those kids up to speed - to not leave them behind the others.
The “gateway” years for the CRCT are 3, 5, and 8. A student has to pass only the reading portion of the test in 3rd, and both the reading and math in 5th and 8th in order to be promoted.
If they don’t pass, they go to summer school, and take the test again. If they still don’t pass then a committee decides whether or not they will be retained - with the end result being that most get passed on.
Passed on and still behind.
By Lisa B.
June 13, 2007 10:49 AM | Link to this
Good post Luvs. You describe exactly how NCLB works. VERY few children are retained based on CRCT scores.
By Lee
June 13, 2007 2:50 PM | Link to this
Let me see if I got this straight:
Teachers and administrators want to be considered highly trained professionals.
A significant percentage of these highly trained professionals were [are] passing students from grade to grade who should have been retained.
As a result, our public schools are graduating students who are functional illiterate, some of whom are reading on an elementary school level.
The NCLB, end of course tests, graduation tests, et al., are simply a response to this phenomenom.
In light of all of the above, should we be surprised to learn that a significant percentage of teachers and administrators cheat (or perpetuate and facilitate cheating) on the CRCT and other tests?
I think we all know the answer to that one, don’t we…..
By luvs2teach
June 13, 2007 4:32 PM | Link to this
“A significant percentage of these highly trained professionals were [are] passing students from grade to grade who should have been retained.”
No, Lee - it’s not the teachers - we are being overridden. Our ‘votes’ don’t count.
You have no idea how disheartening it is to keep paperwork on a child for an entire year documenting the “strategies” used and parent contact and whatnot, only to be told during the retention conference essentially that all that work was for nothing; the student is going on.
See, we have this dirty little secret in education called “placement” - a child who did not do what they needed to do in a given grade level won’t get “promoted,” but can (and often does) get “placed.”
Doesn’t matter to the kid - biggest lessons/he learned is “I can still goof off and stay with my friends anyway.”
Theoretically, NCLB was supposed to do away with social promotion by catching the kids in these gateway years, and ensuring that they had the skills to go on before they did indeed go on. Unfortunately that’s become another paperwork shuffle and educrat shell game.
And on the cheating aspect - I don’t doubt for one minute that it occurs (I know for a fact that it has, actually - and was dealt with as I said). however, I think it only happens in schools where the incentive to cheat (pressure from above) is greater than the pressure not to (as found in Levitt’s Chicago testing research).
I think he found that roughly 10% of people will most likely to be found inherently dishonest - at least situationally. I wouldn’t be surprised if a 10% cheating rate were to be found. On the flip side though, that would mean about 90% are not cheating - that’s an A in my book, LOL.