The shocking cheating scandal that has rocked the Atlanta public school system left the public wondering about other metropolitans and their ethical standards. But D.C.’s schools chancellor said the District school system does not tolerate a “culture of cheating” and should not be compared to other school districts.
In an assessment conducted by Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, alleged cheating was found in 44 of the 56 Atlanta schools. An investigative team found that 178 teachers and 38 principals were involved with tampering scores for Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT), a benchmark to determine if a state meets No Child Left Behind standards.
“In Atlanta it’s 40-something schools , we don’t have that here,” said Kaya Henderson, D.C. Public Schools’ chancellor. “Anytime people have flagged any potential testing improprieties, we move swiftly, we investigate…we remove that teacher from the testing environment and don’t allow them to test.”
But D.C. came under scrutiny in March after USA Today investigated a highly unusual number of erasure marks in more than 100 schools from 2008 through 2010. As a result, the Office of the State Superintendent Education (OSSE) took action and tossed out DC Comprehensive Assessment System (DC CAS) results.
“In three DCPS classrooms, OSSE will invalidate test scores because the investigation found evidence or a strong suspicion of a test security violation,” OSSE stated in a press May press release.
Henderson said that preventive measures such as a tip hotline and making sure tests are in “schools’ hands for as minimal as possible” help prevent a tradition of cheating—as revealed in the Atlanta school system. She also added that a check and balance system is in place where the superintendent is able to flag “irregularities” among schools.
“I actually think we have a lot of systems that are already in place that we’ll continue to use to ensure that people understand that cheating is not tolerated here,” she said. “Further, I’ve asked the inspector general to come in and do an investigation.”
Henderson asked Inspector General Charles J. Willoughby to examine eight schools for math and reading exams that were given in 2009 after the city hired Caveon Consulting Services, which found no wrongdoing.
“I understand people’s sensitivity around what’s going in Atlanta and Baltimore, but to be frank, we hired a national company to come in and investigate whether or not cheating was occurring in these classrooms that were flagged by the state.”
In Baltimore, Md., two elementary schools were caught cheating on the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) test from 2009-2010, according to a report released by Andrés A. Alonso, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools, and Nancy Grasmick, Maryland’s state superintendent.
The D.C. chancellor said she will act on any results that reveal cheating in D.C. public schools. But for right now, business is as usual, and she refuses to point fingers.
“As soon as someone shows me some evidence of cheating, I’m happy to move on it, but I’m not going to give into the witch-hunt type of environment that’s happening now because of what happened in Atlanta.” Results of erasure marks that indicated cheating will not be made available until the fall, the chancellor has publicly stated.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan issued a letter June 24 to state officers asking school systems to prioritize their ethics when it comes to state assessments.
“…I am writing to urge you to do everything you can to ensure the integrity of the data used to measure student achievement and ensure meaningful educational accountability in your State,” he stated.
Pennsylvania was also hit with a cheating investigation. The Notebook, an independent news outlet for parents, educators and students in of the Philadelphia Public Schools reported that 60 schools were flagged for “improbable jumps” in a student’s performance. Unusual erasure patterns were also observed and flagged.
