54 New Jersey Schools Reveal Irregular Testing, Report Shows

Asbury Park Press:

A three-year state investigation has discovered a high percentage of erasure marks on standardized tests at some New Jersey public schools, raising the possibility of cheating to boost scores.

The Asbury Park Press and New Jersey Press Media Group successfully sued to get the reports from the state Department of Education. The test erasure reports, though, do not definitively label suspect schools as cheaters.

"This is one data point that we use to investigate schools for wrongdoing, among many other data points," said Justin Barra, a spokesman for the department. "We combine this data, along with other slices of data and cheating tips that we receive throughout the year, to investigate potential cases of wrongdoing. And this has been happening throughout the year."

It is not yet clear if the department took any action since 2008 in any schools where a high percentage of answers were changed from wrong to right, or if the investigation is still continuing.

The release of the Education Department's test erasure information comes in the midst of headlines about test cheating facilitated by teachers and administrators in several U.S. cities including Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington, Orlando, New York and Baltimore.

In 54 New Jersey schools, when results from all grades were combined, the wrong answers were erased and changed to correct answers at a rate significantly higher than the 2010 state average, according to the report.

Read the whole story: Asbury Park Press

Comments

[jrb359]

12:02 PM on 07/19/2011

A lot of these kids graduate and can't even read. What does the NJ supreme court say? Spend MORE tax payer dollars to fix the problem. They've been wasting money for years and it hasn't accomplished a thing. NOT fair to these kids that when they graduate. How will they get a job if they can't fill out an employment application?

[ironicisntit]

02:32 PM on 07/19/2011

If you want to spend tax dollars to fix schools here's what the 625 teachers in my district would like to see the money spent on:
1. Smaller class size. 35 to 1 benefits no one.
2. A qualified teacher tutor in each class, to take small groups, for several hours a day to help re mediate those who need it and accelerate those who are ready.
3. Adequate supplies and up to date technology. No begging for pencils and paper. You can't prepare students for our future with only a 1 hour computer lab each week.
4. A fully staffed room to send the continually disruptive student so the rest of the students can learn.
5. Project-based learning, teacher collaboration and teacher discretion over curriculum choices.

Notice we do not want more pay, merit pay, higher pensions, more vacation or standardized testing....We want the tools necessary to teach.
(Guess who does all these things.....Finland)

[El Chingaso]

09:10 AM on 07/19/2011

Just more disaster in public education. Nothing like taxpayers' dollars funding more fraud and more waste. Corruption is everywhere...and has become the norm. When a society embraces and/or accepts deception and criminal enterprise as "a standard"...the end is near.

[grammasher]

09:17 AM on 07/19/2011

Of course, we all know there is no corruption in the private sector.

[TggerJen]

11:53 AM on 07/19/2011

I think the phrase, "corruption is everywhere" probably covers the private sector too.

[vuduvampirninjawitch]

08:31 AM on 07/19/2011

I was just reading about teachers molesting students. All schools need to be investigated for all kinds of wrong doing. It only makes sense that they would fake grades to cover for their lack of job performance. Take away their unions and make them show their work. Put the paddle back in the schools.

[raven119]

08:25 AM on 07/19/2011

Above average erasures? Does that mean that schools with below average erasures have students who are smarter or dumber or simply without erasers?

As for the math of above average erasures, doesn't that total get added to the total number of erasures and simply raise the average and, therefore, void the assessment?

[grammasher]

09:18 AM on 07/19/2011

Don't ya know--statistics never lie.

[Hlynn]

11:36 AM on 07/19/2011

Since when do number of erasures determine guilt in cheating? What are the "other slices of data" used? Were there "cheating tips"? How many? Were they investigated to find out if they were reliable or not?

This looks like a jump to conclusions without solid evidence and sensational journalism. How about some real investigation to find out if cheating was done and, if any is found, report on that with facts and not merely suppositions? Of course, if there was no evidence of cheating, that should also be reported.

[TggerJen]

12:00 PM on 07/19/2011

Some of the questions you ask here are covered in the article above. Others may be answered in the full article (the link to that was provided in the article above). I think your reference to 'sensational journalism' is misplaced here. The journalists had to work to get the reports and the article specifically states that the investigation is ongoing. Some relevant info is quoted (from the article) below-

The Asbury Park Press and New Jersey Press Media Group successfully sued to get the reports from the state Department of Education. The test erasure reports, though, do not definitively label suspect schools as cheaters.
"This is one data point that we use to investigate schools for wrongdoing, among many other data points," said Justin Barra, a spokesman for the department. "We combine this data, along with other slices of data and cheating tips that we receive throughout the year, to investigate potential cases of wrongdoing. And this has been happening throughout the year."
It is not yet clear if the department took any action since 2008 in any schools where a high percentage of answers were changed from wrong to right, or if the investigation is still continuing.
The release of the Education Department's test erasure information comes in the midst of headlines about test cheating facilitated by teachers and administrators in several U.S. cities including Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington, Orlando, New York and Baltimore.
In 54 New Jersey schools, when results from all grades were combined, the wrong answers were erased and changed to correct answers at a rate significantly higher than the 2010 state average, according to the report.

 

[ironicisntit]

02:35 PM on 07/19/2011

Its the way the erasures ended up. It's the percentage of erasures that resulted in a change to a correct answer. The chances of that many student erasing their answers and changing it ALWAYS to the correct answer is what they are looking at.

[Thanks4Watching]

01:09 AM on 07/19/2011

The bottom line is, you can't punish the teachers. Take it from someone who graduated from high school this very year; there are some students who simply are beyond help. Even the best teachers in the world can't get through to them, because they flat out do not want to learn. They hated the fact that they were even there, and the only reason they hadn't dropped out yet was because the state won't let them until they're 18.

It's NOT the teachers' fault. It's the mindset of several students there.

[PirateJohn]

01:20 AM on 07/19/2011

Very true. In addition, there are a lot of parents who are either completely uninvolved with their child's education, or in fact actively hinder it, or there are parents who make every excuse in the book for their blatantly lazy kids. Either way, Annie Sullivan herself couldn't get through to kids like those.

[MG Metiva]

02:22 AM on 07/19/2011

I agree. Fanned and Faved.

[Timothy D. Slekar]

10:38 PM on 07/18/2011

Stop punishing the teachers. Hold all that put this monster (high stakes testing) in place accountable. Let's round up the reformers and tell them to "resign or be fired."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-d-slekar/its-not-cheating-its-sabo_b_901045.html

[grammasher]

09:21 AM on 07/19/2011

Amen!

[perlin]

07:04 PM on 07/18/2011

"It is not yet clear if the department took any action since 2008 in any schools where a high percentage of answers were changed from wrong to right, or if the investigation is still continuing..."
Do they also investigate a procentage of answers changed from RIGT TO WRONG ? .

It would be interesting to know this. Hmm..

[eric14]

06:32 PM on 07/18/2011

Over-testing leads to under-education.