Teacher Cheats on Student Achievement Tests. A Perris Elementary School teacher violated state testing procedures last spring by reviewing test questions in class, changing students' answers and completing one student's test, state education officials have reported.
The teacher's misconduct will invalidate the school's Academic Performance Index score and could keep the campus from getting off the state's list of "underperforming schools."
School officials investigated claims of wrongdoing and found evidence that the teacher:
· Reviewed at least 16 test questions with students, displayed the questions in class and had students work out the problems.
· Erased wrong answers and changed them to correct answers.
· Completed a student's test after the student went home during the exam.
The teacher's actions affected 46 of the 416 students tested. The students were sixth-graders taking the math California Standards Test.
The teacher, who is not identified in the state's report, was put on three weeks' paid administrative leave, pending further disciplinary action. The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported: "School officials would not answer questions about how the incident occurred or how it was discovered. They would not name the teacher or say whether the person was disciplined beyond the paid leave mentioned in the report." (Source: Riverside Press-Enterprise, August 5.)
Cal-Tax recommendation: Continue investigating, and increase oversight to avoid future problems.
Cal-TaxReports, August 9, 2010
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