Arizona is getting ready to go all in on last year’s AzMERIT scores. We already know the overall passing rates for the state. Scores are down from the AIMS test. And we know why: because the bar was intentionally set higher. But we have yet to learn the individual school scores. Before we see the scores, though, we have a pretty good idea which schools will be the high fliers—schools that draw students from high income families—and which will be criticized for failing their children—schools that draw students from lower income families. But which schools will beat the odds? We won’t know that for awhile, nor should we feel confident those “Why can’t other schools be that successful?” results actually reflect student achievement.
Here’s something that, as Donald Rumsfeld might say, is a known known: Attaching high stakes to standardized tests decreases whatever validity the tests might otherwise have. If the test results are important enough, schools and teachers will find all kinds of legitimate ways to help students get higher scores than if they weren’t coached. Take, for an example, oh, say, me. When I was teaching in Oregon during the first few years of our high stakes state tests, I’m reasonably sure I helped a number of students just make it over the passing line on their 10th grade writing tets by teaching them the best way to approach the writing sample. I tried to make them better writers in the process, but if I hadn’t given them approaches focused on boosting their scores, some passing students wouldn’t have made the cut.
And then there are the illegal ways of raising student scores that involve cheating, not by students but by teachers and/or administrators. How often does it happen? The probable answer is, it happens far more often than we know about.
Here are some cases of proven and possible cheating which have made the news:
Atlanta, Georgia. The biggest cheating scandal in the country was in the Atlanta schools, where eleven educators were found guilty of cheating and eight of them went to prison. That should have been enough to scare every other Atlanta teacher straight, but it doesn’t looks like it did.
When a jury convicted 11 former Atlanta educators in a test-cheating conspiracy in the spring, some education experts thought it may signal the end of high-profile academic misconduct cases for the 49,000-student school system.
But the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported on multiple cases of possible improper grading practices in recent months, “including cases of principals pressured to alter grades; retaliation against those who balked; and supervisors allegedly ignoring or implicitly approving the signs of cheating,” the Associated Press writes.
Why would the latest group of cheaters be so stupid after seeing what happened to some of their colleagues? Well, if they had cheated before and didn’t do it this time, the significantly lower test scores would be a smoking gun pointing to earlier test fixing, and maybe they were under so much pressure to get those scores up and keep them up, they felt they had to continue regardless of the risk.
Before the scandal broke, I should add, Atlanta schools were considered some of the most successful in the country because of their high test scores. They got an award from Ed Sec Arne Duncan.
New York City. Teachers College Community School in Harlem, connected with the prestigious teachers college, was getting raves for the work it was doing with poor kids, until it was accused of cheating.
The principal of a popular elementary school in Harlem acknowledged that she forged answers on students’ state English exams in April because the students had not finished the tests, according to a memorandum released Monday by the New York City Education Department.
The tragic aftermath of the principal’s admission is, she took her own life.
In response to problems across the district, the New York City Department of Education is creating a task force to focus on test-related problems. New York state keeps a database of allegations of test fraud in public schools, district and charter, and parochial schools. It lists 670 allegations between the 2002-3 school year and the 2010-11 school year, though there’s no information about how many of those were followed up or proven.
Whitehall, NY. The scores of seventh and eighth grade students have been invalidated at a district school because of problems with test security. It’s not clear if there was any test tampering, but two tenured teachers were put on leave and the district wants to fire them.
Philadelphia, PA. A multi-year investigation of cheating recently added two more educators to the list of those who have been disciplined. A total of 53 district schools are being looked at because of suspicious erasure patterns on tests and large gains on the schools’ test scores.
Arizona. In Nogales, Wade Carpenter Middle School was accused of cheating on the AIMS test. An independent investigation concluded that, yes, cheating by adults took place. Who did it? The investigation wasn’t able to find out for sure, but evidence points away from teachers and district officials and toward a library media specialist and a guidance counselor. Before the cheating was discovered, the school bragged that it was the top Title 1 school in the country, and other Arizona schools with students from low income families were asked, “If Nogales can do it, why can’t you?”
How many other Arizona schools have used illegal methods—as opposed to the legal and encouraged methods of teaching to the test—to boost student scores? No one knows, but seven schools were cited by the Department of Education as having suspicious patterns of erasures on their AIMS tests. I haven’t seen any follow up about investigations, but it’s unlikely these allegations were cooked up. More likely, they’re a sampling of what’s happening at other schools in Arizona — and schools around the country.
My two conclusions from the cheating stories I’ve read are: (1) High stakes tests can lead educators to unscrupulous behavior they would have thought themselves incapable of, simply because the stakes are so high for them as individuals as well as for their schools and school districts; and (2) Standout success stories of schools defying the odds and getting higher-than-expected test scores should be viewed with an appropriate level of skepticism. They may mean a school is doing a fantastic job with its students, or they may mean the school is doing a good job of creating scores that give an inflated picture of student achievement.
This article appears in Aug 20-26, 2015.
Let’s face it, all schools want to look good in the public eye, especially those in “Lower Income” aeras. The only way to prevent such cheating is to have students take the test from an independent source and, have the questions chosen randomly for each class.
Passing tests does not necessairly mean students are learning, just getting better at tests. Graduation rates are still low in Tucson. Who’s at fault? The student or the teacher, it depends on whom you ask.
The low income school areas have been convinced of the need to lie because of supposed low wages and unfair funding.
They couldn’t help it. The media and the unions convinced them it was ok to lie.
…And besides they only really failed the student andcwecall expected this outcome anyway.
David Safier wrote: “Scores are down from the AIMS test. And we know why: because the bar was intentionally set higher.”
Maybe higher. Or maybe lower but more convoluted? Who could tell? After all, the gatekeepers of the instructional classroom (read: teachers ) aren’t contractually allowed to look at the assessment. Both teacher and student are judged by it but neither can report back to parents about its contents. Crazy. The question is: why? Why aren’t parents opting their kids out of these unproven but yet data-grabbing tests?
Rat, Your troll comment is so pathetic, that even though I hate to feed trolls, I have to reply. A majority of teachers in low income schools work harder than you’ll ever understand. They don’t have to lie to themselves about unfair funding. The evidence is in the readily accessible declining numbers of state funding. You can also add in the obstinance that Ducey and the lege have shown to pay up the court ordered $331 million owed to K-12 (out of a total of $1.3 billion).
Teachers show up everyday in spite of the low wages for which they were contracted. They make due each year with less and less resources. And if you believe the media and the unions (in a right to work state) are responsible for teachers lying or cheating, I ask you, what’s YOUR reason for lying about public education and bashing teachers?
As a longtime practitioner, I can tell you definitively as soon as students and teachers become familiar with the test structure, the scores will rise. As soon as a new test structure is imposed (note the verb) results will go down until familiarity is in place again. And you cannot compare one test brand to another test brand. There was the CAT, the ITBS, the AIMS, and now the PARCC and AZMERIT, and others I have forgotten over time. Same song, 6th verse.
Also, in TUSD over time, there have always been the wonder schools: Cavett, Hollinger, C.E. Rose, Pueblo Gardens, which become the flavor of the year with magnificent principals and teachers, and then they too fall from grace and another school gets the beauty diadem for a time. Testing is cyclical, as are students. In elementary they are there for 6 years at best. In middle school, 3 at the most, in high school 4 years. Barely enough time to become test proficient in the latest flavor.
Students will tell you in heartfelt language about test anxiety, how they felt paralyzed by the time limits and the pressure. Students will tell you how they know the information, can do fine in class or on teacher tests, but get the sweats when facing a test for which no specific knowledge prep has been done, and for which they will never receive the results in a time frame which would help them or the teacher. And then there are the high school students who ask a teacher if the test will make a difference in their grades, are told no, and just blow off the test as a consequence.
It was not for nothing that teachers called NCLB No Child Left Untested. It has contributed little or nothing to student performance, and has stolen valuable curriculum time from teachers and students.
Just look at history. TUSD history and national history. Districts lie, teachers cheat, and they seldom get punished. They have allowed education to be torn down. But they all share in the failings.
Atlanta GA
A state investigation in 2011 found that educators gave answers to students or changed answers on tests after they were turned in. Evidence of cheating was found in 44 schools with nearly 180 educators involved, and investigators found teachers who tried to report it faced retaliation.
The public schools are so full of fraud and corruption that honest teachers can’t turn in the violators for fear of retaliation. Some decide to join them.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/teacher-detention-educator-elite-public-elemenraty-school-yanked-classrom-lying-test-grades-article-1.1224855
Most of this started when they added testing at state levels. And that was because of poor, unregulated results. But now it’s broke beyond repair.
I’m just the messenger.
How long before Tucson schools become a Camden or Trenton, NJ tier public school system?
Don’t dismiss Rat T just because his facts don’t fit your narrative. Don’t let facts get in the way of whatever ideology you blindly subscribe to.
Just blame it on the Koch Bros or Soros, just as long as you don’t think, right?
Soros hasn’t contributed anything to speak of since Baby Bush was running for his 2nd term and then it was 48 million. Don’t kid yourself Old Pueblo ……there is big money behind people saying what Rat T says…. same ole’ same ole’….. trash public education… but I know you know that…. I think it would be a real novel idea for any of the trolls here to say anything other than what is Koch playbook. You all sound the same on any education blog… no substance just trash anything that helps middle America or attempts to stop the propaganda machines. Just wait … when Campbell Brown comes out with her own show on the evils of public education which is paid for none other than the Koch brothers, it’ll be national same ‘ole trash.
To the contrary. It is public education’s to lose and they have done a magnificent job of losing it.
The times they are a’changing.
David,
Your focus on income inequality as the determining factor in test results, for that matter education is misplaced. I respect your many years in this field however,I recognize that successful education is a multi-faceted effort. Income inequality is a minor contributor, in my view. I have worked with schools and education systems in many countries and, except in extreme cases (rural central Africa), income differences are not a driver in success or a predication of failure .
If one looks closely at those countries that consistently have high test results and, I suppose, good education, there is a common factor – cultural homogeneity – not racial, but cultural. Japan, China, the Nordic countries and much of Northern Europe come to mind.
Here, the US wrongly pushes a cultural identity agenda. With this, we have a self-destructive black sub-culture and a “Latino sub-culture” (this is nuts, as there is no true Latin culture as such – I have lived in a number of Latin countries and am of Mexican descent). So now we have each group, speaking some variety of unintelligible English, and not able to be educated for mostly self-induced reasons. These then enter the labor force with no communication skills and few marketable talents. This perpetuates the “income inequality” that so concerns you.
Once we all tried to integrate. To be sure it was imperfect, but for this boy it worked and worked well. My heritage was a distant second to the fact that I was an American. The difference (not disparity) of family incomes meant nothing, nothing at all.
Where are those of Asian descent???? Oh yes, they integrated and now fill the halls of Harvard, Sanford and Cornell. I guess all Asians are rich.
BINGO…!