Newspaper Investigation Digs Up Evidence of Schools Cheating on Standardized Tests

Lubbock, TX, Avalanche-Journal ^ | 01-01-05 | AP

[Theodore R.]

Newspaper investigation digs up evidence of schools cheating on standardized tests Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — A newspaper investigation has found evidence that a Houston elementary school celebrated for its high test scores obtained at least some of its success from cheating.

"You're expected to cheat there," said Donna Garner, a former teacher at Wesley Elementary who said her fellow teachers instructed her on how to give students answers while administering tests. "There's no way those scores are real."

The Dallas Morning News investigation also found evidence of cheating at two other schools affiliated with Wesley.

Wesley, which has been the subject of many flattering profiles, was the spot where George W. Bush went when he wanted to declare education his No. 1 priority during his run for governor in 1994. And the school where desperately poor students outscored children in the wealthiest suburbs was the subject of an Oprah Winfrey profile on a school that "defied the odds."

The News' analysis found troubling gaps in test scores at Wesley, Highland Heights, and Osborne elementaries — all three in the Acres Homes neighborhood in Houston. Scores swung wildly from year to year and schools made shocking test-score leaps from mediocre to stellar in a year's time.

After the newspaper shared its findings with Houston officials on Thursday, Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra issued a written statement: "We have reviewed the anomalies in the test scores of the Acres Home schools as pointed out by The News, and we agree that these anomalies identify performance that is highly questionable."

[proxy_user]

Well....they asked for it.

At my workplace, every project is on schedule and under budget. We are very skilled at getting the results management wants.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Hmmm. I'm sure they wouldn't cheat if they had more money and less accountability.

[yevgenie]

LOL. It is very sad, but, recalling my days in school, I am surprised that the scores were that high given the fact students got help from teachers.

[Clara Lou]

Well....they asked for it.
I've taught for 15 years. If there is cheating at these schools, they need to be sure and nail the teachers, and then move up to the prinicpals. The higher-ups are exerting the pressure for this to happen, directly or indirectly. it's the principals who set the tone at public school campuses.

[seastay]

Guess they will have to revise their thinking;

"At Mabel B. Wesley Elementary School in Houston, Texas, the debate about the best way to teach children to read is over. A recent Associated Press story in the Missoulian described a typical classroom in the poor, mostly black school.... direct instruction, as it is known, has brought the barbed-wire-encircled school to national prominence because of its efficacy in raising test scores. First graders at Mabel B. Wesley ranked in the top thirteen of Houston’s 182 schools in reading; the other twelve schools were all from the well-heeled parts of town.

http://www2.umt.edu/comm/f98/hippo.html

[valkyrieanne]

Another example of the "Texas Education Miracle," coming soon to a nice suburban school near YOU, as NCLB extends its octopus-like stranglehold over public education everywhere.

[Theodore R.]

The higher-ups are exerting the pressure for this to happen

Not much doubt about that. It's friendly administrators eyeing rewards and recognition who pressure the teachers to cheat to make the school look good. That way, the children, the parents, the community, the society, all feel better about themselves.