If a teacher resists a directive from a principal, he or she risks harassment or even being fired, but cheating on standardized tests risks any chance he or she ever has a career again.
The tests are stupid and not a measure of learning by students. They certainly aren't designed to measure teacher performance. But cheating isn't right in any circumstance.
Underlying it all, the teacher believes, was a mandate to bring test scores up and meet the school’s federal Adequate Yearly Progress performance targets.
“The prevailing message was, ‘We have to make AYP this year, or they’re going to shut our school down and you’re all going to lose your jobs.' At every professional development [session], that’s what we discussed.”
In response, adult cheating was “widespread” and “constant," she claimed:
“Math teachers were sitting down in the seat next to the children, with a pencil, actually working out problems with them. I saw that many times.”
By her account, administrators regularly saw such incidents and said nothing.
Not worth it, I am afraid.
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