12-19-2004 Texas Schools May Have Cheated
DALLAS - Dozens of Texas schools appear to have cheated on the state's redesigned academic achievement test, casting doubt on whether the accountability system can reliably measure how schools are performing, a newspaper found.
An analysis uncovered strong evidence of organized, educator-led cheating on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills at schools in Houston and Dallas, along with suspicious scores in hundreds of other schools, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Jim Impara, a former state assessment director in Florida and Oregon, said he believes such school rating systems are changing the culture of education.
"When you have a system where test scores have real impact on teachers' lives, you're more likely to see teachers willing to cheat," he said.
DALLAS - Dozens of Texas schools appear to have cheated on the state's redesigned academic achievement test, casting doubt on whether the accountability system can reliably measure how schools are performing, a newspaper found.
An analysis uncovered strong evidence of organized, educator-led cheating on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills at schools in Houston and Dallas, along with suspicious scores in hundreds of other schools, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Jim Impara, a former state assessment director in Florida and Oregon, said he believes such school rating systems are changing the culture of education.
"When you have a system where test scores have real impact on teachers' lives, you're more likely to see teachers willing to cheat," he said.