Approve the funding needed to audit tests
Eric Cochling, VP of Public Policy
(This commentary was published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
The recent allegations that public school officials falsified CRCT results have sent shockwaves through our public education system.
The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement found that in four Georgia public elementary schools, CRCT scores for students who retook the exam far exceeded scores they received earlier that year. Investigators discovered that an unusually high number of incorrect answers had been erased and corrected. So far, administrators at one school have been suspended and several from other schools are under investigation.
The test answers in question were for the crucial fifth-grade math CRCT that students must pass in order to move on to sixth grade.
CRCT results also contribute to whether a school makes Adequate Yearly Progress, as required by federal law. Not surprisingly, the fifth-grade CRCT scores at all four of the schools under investigation significantly improved their AYP status.
Given that this investigation only involved review of one year of testing, only examined a few schools and only reviewed one test at one grade level, there is considerable concern that this type of cheating is widespread. Although we spend over $14 billion on public education in Georgia annually, we have spent almost nothing on auditing test results. We applaud the Office of Student Achievement for the courage to conduct this analysis, and we encourage the Legislature to give them the tiny bit of money needed to audit all tests.
What happened at these schools is appalling. For starters, it taints the majority of educators who work honestly and diligently to teach Georgia’s students.
A more comprehensive auditing system would not only root out cheaters, but validate the honest achievement made by the students of hardworking educators.
But the real tragedy is what this does to kids.
School officials have apparently acted to elevate their own status at the expense of their students. Promoting kids who are not prepared and falsifying their achievement is not only a betrayal of the public trust, but it is primarily a betrayal of the students and their families. It meant these kids could have been deprived of the remedial help they needed while being set on a course of frustration and struggle that could affect them the rest of their lives.
What cannot be measured is how the poor example set by these educators affects students who hear that public school officials are cheating on tests.
With so many of our children’s futures at stake, it is time for the state to match high achievement standards with the resources to ensure the integrity of our testing system.
Eric Cochling is vice-president of public policy for Georgia Family Council.
