Teachers cheating? Who could have guessed?

by David Safier

Do between 1% and 3% of teachers cheat to boost their students' scores on standardized tests? Or is it more like 4% to 5%? And how many administrators encourage test score manipulation by their staff or even pull out the eraser themselves at the end of the school day?

A NY Times story says cheating by teachers and administrators is a growing problem nationwide.

Expect to see more stories like this. And expect teachers and principals to become ever more skilled and clever at devising undetectable ways to boost student scores.

After all, if teachers get pay raises based on their scores, isn't it likely a significant minority will resort to cheating if it makes the difference between an inadequate and a livable salary?

And if teachers' jobs hang in the balance and a few extra points will ward off a pink slip, that kind of pressure can push an otherwise honest teacher to step over the line.

And that's just cheating, which is the most blatant example of score manipulation in our increasingly test-centered schools. Classrooms are becoming test taking mills. Students are being turned into test performance machines. If it's not on the test, it's likely to get shoved in a dusty corner of the curriculum.

As the stakes are raised, the validity of high stakes test scores, which are driving the educational agenda in this country, becomes ever more questionable.