Atlantic Public School Scandal Analysis

1402 Words6 Pages
In 2011 the largest testing scandal in United States’ history broke in the critically acclaimed Atlantic Public School District. “State investigators found that almost 180 teachers and principals had illegally tampered with scores on state tests, both by telling students the right answers and by secretly correcting the work students handed in” (Quinton). Within the past months the cases have finally started to come to a close. From arrests to conviction it took close to four years for prosecutors to get unethical teachers and administrators behind bars. Where is my thesis? The scandal is thought to have been going on for as early as 2005. According to Vogell (2015) “Superintendent Beverly Hall and her top aides ignored, buried, destroyed…show more content…
“Atlanta is now cited as an example of everything wrong with test-based accountability” (Quinton). 180 teachers and educators brought shame upon their district when they began cheating. One of the most troubling aspects of the scandal, is that the district repeatedly refused to properly investigate or take responsibility for the cheating. Moreover, the central office told some principals not to cooperate with investigators. In one case, an administrator instructed employees to tell investigators to "go to hell." When teachers tried to alert authorities, they were labeled "disgruntled." One principal opened an ethics investigation against a whistle-blower. (Jonsson) There was no denying the unethical actions occurring in these schools; but rather whose opinion. Whistle-blowers were often threatened with job loss and suspensions when they refused to cheat. With a growing number of states evaluating schools and teachers solely on test scores, the field is becoming increasingly dangerous. There are also enticements that go along with the test scores; if their students score highly teachers can be rewarded up to $25,000 in bonuses
Show More
Related

  • Atlantic Public Schools Scandal Analysis

    1442 Words  | 6 Pages

    In 2011, the largest testing scandal in United States’ history broke in the critically acclaimed Atlantic Public School District. Quinton (2015) reported that “state investigators found that almost 180 teachers and principals had illegally tampered with scores on state tests, both by telling students the right answers and by secretly correcting the work students handed in”. Within the past months, the cases have finally started to come to a close. From arrests to conviction it took close to four

    Read More

More about Atlantic Public School Scandal Analysis

Open Document