Eleven Atlanta educators accused of cheating lost their teaching certification Thursday, a swift and severe punishment that indicates how the state might deal with similar cases moving forward.
The Georgia Professional Standards Commission, which licenses educators, voted to revoke the teaching certificates of three administrators and impose two-year suspensions on eight teachers. Some of the educators were from Parks Middle, cited by state investigators as an egregious example of the test-cheating culture in Atlanta Public Schools.
Educators can appeal the sanctions through a multi-step legal maze that could take years to resolve. But leaders and testing experts say this first round of stiff punishment speaks to Georgia’s growing reputation as a tough-on-cheating state. A revocation severely damages an educator's public school career, as the sanction would show up in a national database searchable by other states.
“We’re going to protect the integrity of this profession, and we’re going to protect the students entrusted to educators,” said Kelly Henson, executive secretary of the commission.
The commission is investigating almost 200 cases of unethical behavior from APS teachers and hopes to have all cases resolved by January. The range of punishments involving certification can go from warning to revocation. A revocation will make it tough for an educator to work in a public school in Georgia or another state, as the sanction would show up in a national database searchable by other states.
Revoking or suspending a teacher’s certification is a more aggressive punishment than seen in other states where cheating is swept under the rug, said Walt Haney, a testing expert and a professor of education at Boston College. He cited a recent case in Connecticut where teachers involved in test tampering lost 20 days pay and were forced to serve 25 hours of community service by tutoring students.
“I applaud Georgia for taking this issue seriously,” he said. “And I am thrilled the higher-ups who encouraged or condoned this behavior are getting a stiffer penalty than the ground troops. It’s so unusual.”
Atlanta's school cheating scandal is considered a unique case, not only because of its scope but because of how it came to light. Following a series of articles in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, former Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed a team of seasoned criminal investigators to look into unusual test gains. Using their power to subpoena sources, they crafted a detailed report on the culture of fear and intimidation in APS that nurtured widespread cheating. In the end, about 180 Atlanta Public Schools employees were implicated and test tampering was uncovered at 44 schools.
Tim Callahan, spokesman for the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, the state's largest teacher advocacy group, said the cheating alleged to have taken place in APS warrants significant sanctions. But educatorsalso deserve the chance to defend themselves, something that doesn't happen before the commission makes its ruling. Educators can appeal the PSC's vote to an administrative law judge.
"[Thursday's] actions were based in large part, upon the GBI report and the allegations made in it. It was not the “day in court” that they will be entitled to at the appeal," Callahan said.
A similar story could also play out in neighboring DeKalb County Schools. There, 24 educators were singled out in January for possible test security violations. Of those, 11 were expunged by the commission, one was revoked and two were given two-year suspensions. The remaining cases are still awaiting action.
DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James told the AJC Thursday that his office is investigating testing irregularities at multiple schools. Two attorneys and six investigators are working on the case, and James hopes to conclude the work early next year.
Abby Martin, a parent of Grady High and Inman Middle students, said without knowing the identities of educators, its hard to tell if the punishment fits the crime. But she is pleased with the state’s stance on cheating.
“I think this goes to show that Georgia is taking a more serious view toward public education, which is positive,” she said. “I think Georgia is treating educators as professionals and holding them accountable.”
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