Cheater, cheater!

Why does it come as no surprise that yet another school administrator was busted for cheating on his school’s standardized tests? A Georgia elementary school principal has resigned after allegations that he changed answers on a state math test. Someone actually went in and erased more than forty answers on an individual test, a process that takes a bit of time and deliberation.

Why would any administrator in their right mind do such a thing?

A. Money

B. Stupidity

C. Desperation

D. All of the above

The tests are linked to federal money, and by changing the answers, the administrator assured that his school would receive “adequate yearly progress,” which was necessary to avoid cuts in federal funding. This strikes me as an act of desperation — a foolhardy and dishonest one, to be sure, but desperate just the same.

This particular principal is not alone, either. Ever since the No Child Left Behind act linked federal funding to test scores, cheating has been on the increase. Sometimes students cheat, but the worst offenders are teachers and school administrators. There are many well-documented cases of cheating all over the place.  It’s pathetic that educators feel so pressured to make the grade that they would resort to cooking the books.

Isn’t it time we reconsidered linking desperately needed funds to schools based solely on test results? If the principals and the teachers are feeling such pressure, what is that doing to the students? I interviewed a principal the other day, and he said he goes into every classroom in his elementary school before they take the MCAS, the test mandated for third grade and above in Massachusetts. He tells them that the only thing he expects is that they do their best. He says he can feel the collective sigh of relief these little people release when they realize that they’re not going to be penalized forever if they don’t perform well on one day of their young lives.

I’m all for accountability, and I bet the adminstrators who resort to cheating are, too. But they’re operating out of fear, and that fear is being pushed onto the children they are supposed to be teaching. And that’s a damn shame.

Oh, in case you were wondering, the answer to the question above is D. But you probably figured that out on your own.