State gets reports on possible test cheating, except Atlanta's

By Kristina Torres

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

State officials have received all reports but one from systems across Georgia required to investigate schools for possible cheating on standardized tests.

Still, it will be another few weeks until the full scope of any potential scandal is known. Reports have been coming since last month, but while some have been finalized, others have just come in and are under review.

The Governor's Office of Student Achievement earlier this year gave systems a soft deadline of May 14 to turn in the reports, which stemmed from an analysis that found unusual patterns of erasures on the state's Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests last spring. The tests, of students in first through eighth grade, help determine whether schools meet federal benchmarks.

One system, Atlanta, specifically requested an extension until mid-June, largely because 58 of its schools -- more than two-thirds of the city's public elementary and middle schools -- needed to be reviewed. A report for the city system is due June 16.

In all, the state required investigations of 191 Georgia schools in 34 systems.

In an update two weeks ago, state officials said 22 of the 34 systems statewide required to conduct investigations had turned in reports. Of them, the state expected five to refer 11 employees for testing violations, with possible sanctions ranging from a reprimand to loss of license.

More could be referred, depending on the outcomes of the reports still being reviewed, officials said.

Of the 22 systems, 13 were classified as complete, and nine were sent back for additional information or clarification. Those nine systems were required to resubmit their reports by Monday.

As of Tuesday, state officials said another 11 reports had been received, leaving just the Atlanta system to file its report.

According to 10 completed reports obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution under Georgia's Open Records Act, schools in several systems said the erasure marks were caused in part by test-taking strategies that included students double-checking work or making extra marks to eliminate answers. In those cases, students erased wrong answers or the extra marks themselves. Other systems said teachers under supervision erased stray marks, including students' doodles on answer sheets, but did not change answers.

At least one, Walton County, said it did not find violations but expected to put a letter of concern in a teacher's file.

None of those 10 systems referred employees for test violations. The state is not releasing reports that include referrals because they are considered ongoing investigations.