Cherokee schools investigate CRCT misconduct

By Christopher Quinn

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Cherokee County school system is investigating two allegations of improper teacher conduct during last week's Georgia Criterion Reference Competency Tests.

A spokesman declined to comment further or to name the schools where the alleged incidents took place. The district will not respond to questions about specific incidents until investigations are complete, Mike McGowan said.

"We expect the conduct of teachers and staff to be above reproach in this regard," he said in an email.

There was a great deal of tension during the administration of the tests this year because of a state-wide investigation into whether teachers or administrators changed students' answers to improve their scores in last year's tests. The tests use standard scoring sheets where students mark a multiple-choice bubble that represents the right answer.

Scores determine whether students are being educated according federal guidelines. According to a state report released in February, 191 Georgia schools required investigation because they showed unusual patterns of erasures. None of the schools were in Cherokee County.

--Christopher Quinn