Since the No Child Left Behind Act, teachers have been increasingly evaluated based on their students’ performance on a single standardized test, which tempts some of them to cheat for their students. Three dozen teachers have been accused of cheating on the tests this year, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Test scores not only shape public opinion of schools but also determine government funding. The goals set in place for these schools to receive government funding and not go into “program improvement” are the same for all students, including ESL and socioeconomically disadvantaged students, according to EdSource, a nonprofit education policy organization.
“It is very difficult for [some ESL and socioeconomically disadvantaged students reach proficiency], but at the same time they have to take that test. We are responsible for teaching them all the California content standards,” Claudia Karnoski, principal of Covina High School, said. “It is our responsibility to give them resources and support with intervention so that they can be successful.”
The No Child Left Behind Act is an education act passed during the Bush administration, and it has an end goal of 100 percent ‘proficient’ or ‘advanced’ test scores by all American students and schools by 2014. Although standardized testing has been required in California since 1997, the pressure on California schools from the higher expectations of this newer legislation is encouraging some teachers to cheat for their students by reading the questions and responses out loud, using actual exams as a means to prepare students, giving hints during the test, changing incorrect answers or filling in questions that were left blank.
Local schools, such as Covina High, have not found any teachers cheating within their districts, but can understand why teachers working for other districts within the state might feel pressured to do so, Karnoski said.
Those temptations are especially prevalent in school districts where test scores are the only means of evaluating teachers, according to Greg Kaiser, chair of the Department of Teacher Education at APU. He feels, however, that a teacher should never have to feel that level of pressure.
“If it comes down to losing your job or cheating, I’d lose my job because a job is not worth having…if it requires cheating,” Kaiser said.
Standardized tests are scored based on Academic Performance Index (API), which was developed shortly after the implementation of standardized testing. It categorizes student test scores as ‘below basic,’ ‘basic,’ ‘proficient’ and ‘advanced.’ The API system was devised to help raise test scores of the lowest ranking students.
Kaiser agrees with the measures of standardized testing and sees their relevance within public school systems. However, when it comes to the evaluation of a student, a teacher, and an entire school, he does not trust API scores to ultimately dictate whether a student is learning or not.
“We need to know how far [students] have come instead of just them taking a snapshot and saying, ‘Well you’ve failed as a teacher because not everybody has made it above basic.’ It should just be a part of the evaluation,” Kaiser said. “Classroom observation, parent opinion, working with colleagues and the ability to be collegial—all that needs to come into play.”
If a school continuously does not meet testing standards, it will likely go into “program improvement,” requiring teachers to help students gain significant ground in their test scores, according to EdSource. Getting out of “program improvement” becomes more challenging the longer students do not meet the required scores, and it can eventually lead to a complete restructuring of the school.
Many local schools were did not know of any cheating within their own district, which is evidence that stopping public school teachers from cheating is not impossible. Despite the pressures connected to standardized testing, many educators, such as Karnoski, still see honest education as a realistic goal.
Loading ...