AJC.com > Blogs > Get Schooled > Archives > 2008 > July > 08
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Who’s cheating?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett school officials have asked the state to investigate two teachers accused of cheating on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests.
According to Aileen Dodd’s story, a seventh-grade math teacher was accused of telling students what they would see on the test. The article also says a third-grade teacher was accused of “looking ahead in a student’s test booklet and sharing information on the social studies exam with” co-workers.
Cheating is more than giving kids the answers. An AJC reporter wrote about this issue a few years ago and discovered the different tricks teachers use to boost scores. They’ve given kids extra time on tests, prepped kids with material taken directly from the exam and changed answers after kids finished the tests.
The vast majority of teachers are honest and ethical. But I wonder if some are taking this drastic step because of the enormous pressure to increase test scores.
Why do you think teachers cheat? How widespread a problem is this?
