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[*MAFIA* Meeester]

Not sure how many of you have heard about this, but every day for the past month or two there has been nothing in the news other than the cheating going on in 44 elementry schools. Those schools all had teachers changing answers on CRCT Standardized tests to increase their passing rates.

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/atlantas-testing-scandal-adds-1007201.html

Pressure to meet testing targets was a major reason cheating took place in 44 Atlanta schools involving 178 educators, according to a state investigation released last week. The revelations, called “deeply disturbing” by the Obama administration, have tarnished Atlanta’s Cinderella story of school reform.

[*MAFIA* Beatlejuice]

Yeah I've heard about it.  So everyone thought the schools were turning around in Atlanta, but the teachers were cheating.  Were the students involved too, or was it done after the tests were turned in?  I'm not justifying it, but there is a lot more pressure on teachers nowadays.  

In Florida in 2014, supposedly we will have the option of having either tenure and a base salary forever (we had planned increases, or "steps"), or giving up tenure for the chance to gain an increase in pay.  It's all based on student achievement, which is good, because if you're a good teacher, then hopefully the students are achieving.  However, the way they determine it isn't valid.  It's based on one test given every year, and the test always changes.  I don't think most teachers got into the profession for money - yeah it's their job and they get paid, and some will tell you they did it for vacation time - but now everything is based on that one test and if the students don't show "x amount" of improvement then the teachers will get paid less.  I like the idea of reform and trying to make our education system better, but this isn't the best way to do it.  Some of the new laws and standards are passed by people who've never even taught in the classroom.  It doesn't make any sense.  And now there's a huge shift toward technology too.  So what do I suggest they do instead?  I don't know...

Back to the Atlanta thing - schools as a whole are also graded, not just individual teacher and student performance.  If the schools don't show a specified level of improvement over a period of time, they threaten to bring in "experts" and change everything around.  It's not like the schools aren't trying, it's just hard sometimes.  But the bar is also being raised each year, and according to No Child Left Behind, they want ALL students on grade level, which is impossible.  Not everyone learns the same, and we're never going to have all students with the same amount of intelligence.  So I can see why they did it, but I don't agree with it.  Sadness  

[Loaded]

Beatle you have a way out of that. Work at a semi privet/privet school, get out of the public system. The way I understand it the FCAT is nothing more then a test to show the "Feds" you all are doing something to teach the kids, bad grades, less FED money and because of the deal made, less money for you. Another unknown fact, any kid can op-out of that test, with no negative outcome toward student or the teacher.

My daughter's teacher had her so frighten over this damn test, saying if my daughter failed she would fail the grade. Well that didn't go over well with me and I had to go to the school, talk to the Teacher and Principal together, said my peace and added, next is the news papers and school board over this "scare tactic". My daughter relaxed after her and I talked, she did very well on the test.

I know it had nothing to do with me, but that Principal is no longer at that school for this next school year, something tells me this frighting of kids was a unwritten rule toward the teachers in that school and other parents seen what was going on and reported it.

[*MAFIA* Meeester]

@Beatle: There was nothing in the news about student involvement in this. It was all the administration's doing. The principals of the involved schools even punished whistle-blowers. There was even an instance where the teachers organized an impromptu school dance so the faculty could stay late and change answers on all of the tests. One school's passing rate even went from 44% to 81%, I may be off with the numbers but it was a huge increase and the principal was given a lot of recognition for his huge improvement.

@Loaded: At the local elementary school where my mom works at least 1/3 of the teachers there have tenure and are dead set on doing the bare minimum in terms of teaching and work to keep it. Those who don't have tenure yet are fighting hard for it through the freight tactics you mentioned. I'm sure this happened even when I was going to this school over 10 years ago.

[offline]

One school's passing rate even went from 44% to 81%

Jesus, how bad are the children in these schools?

[*MAFIA* Manowar]

Jesus, how bad are the children in these schools?

Only as bad as their parents allow them to be.  It is the parents obligation to ensure all work is done by these students, not the teachers.