Atlanta Superintendent Knew About Cheating: Good article

Report: Atlanta superintendent knew about cheating

By DORIE TURNER, Associated Press – 4 hours ago

ATLANTA (AP) — Former Atlanta schools Superintendent Beverly Hall knew about cheating allegations on standardized tests but either ignored them or tried to hide them, according to a state investigation.

An 800-page report released Tuesday to The Associated Press by Gov. Nathan Deal's office through an open records request shows several educators reported cheating in their schools. But the report says Hall, who won the national Superintendent of the Year award in 2009, and other administrators ignored those reports and sometimes retaliated against the whistleblowers.

The yearlong investigation shows educators at nearly four dozen Atlanta elementary and middle schools cheated on standardized tests by helping students or changing the answers once exams were handed in.

The investigators also found a "culture of fear, intimidation and retaliation" in the school district over the cheating allegations, which led to educators lying about the cheating or destroying documents to cover it up, according to the report. School officials had "warnings" as early as 2005 that there was cheating on standardized tests, but those signals were ignored, according to the report.

More at link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gCMCstcTn58lqyTqfCeNkXa2ny1g?docId=ef823f37faed450e9959d82b0a7af321

Note: Our local paper also ran a photo of Ms. Hall receiving her Superintendent of the Year award in 2009!!!

this is not an excuse for her but this is what happens when the all-important test scores are all that are looked at.

You make test scores the end all be all and people will do what they need to do to keep their jobs.

NGU.

"All educators in the report also will be referred to the state Professional Standards Commission, which licenses teachers in Georgia, to determine whether they should have their licenses suspended or revoked, Deal said."

How many are fired remains to be seen.