Feds "looking into" Atlanta schools cheating

In a July 13, 2011 photo, students at Emma Hutchinson School in Atlanta leave after the day's classes. Hutchinson was one of 44 schools involved in a test cheating scandal. / AP Photo/John Bazemore, File

ATLANTA - U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Monday he has been in contact with the department's independent investigative arm about test cheating scandals in schools, including a widespread one in Atlanta.

Duncan said he believes the office is "looking at them" but stopped short of saying whether an investigation was under way. His office referred further questions to the Office of Inspector General, which declined to comment.

"We've been in conversation with the inspector general about these cheating scandals," Duncan said in a statement.

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The federal Education Department also works with states where cheating has occurred to ensure officials address the issues. If the response is not considered adequate, the department can withhold funding or put conditions on the money, though the move is rare.

School officials in Washington, D.C., have said the federal department is investigating cheating allegations in the city's school district. Atlanta's test cheating scandal is the nation's largest, with 178 educators named in a state investigation that revealed widespread improprieties on standardized tests as far back as 2001.

"Atlanta Public Schools will cooperate with any federal investigation, just as it has in the past with the state investigation into testing allegations," district spokesman Keith Bromery said.

State investigators revealed July 5 that educators at nearly half the district's 100 schools had changed answers on tests or given answers to students. The tests are used to measure whether districts are meeting federal benchmarks under the No Child Left Behind law, and schools can receive thousands of dollars a year for improved scores.

The state Department of Education is investigating whether the 44 Atlanta schools in the report will have to return any federal money they received since 2001.

In Washington, D.C., test results for three schools have been tossed out over proven cases of cheating.

The city's inspector general began investigating after USA Today reported in March that more than 100 D.C. schools had unusually high rates of erasures on exams between 2008 and 2010. The Washington Post reported earlier this month that federal investigators had joined that probe.

In Atlanta, the testing problems first came to light after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that some scores were statistically improbable. The state released audits of test results after the newspaper published its analysis.

CBS affiliate WGCL Atlanta reported Monday that teachers and principals implicated in the cheating scandal have the option to either retire or resign, according to school district officials.

"Today through Wednesday, they have an opportunity to come to our facility between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to separate from the district," Stephen Alford, the school district's communications director, said. "They can either retire or resign."

He said only one of the implicated persons had resigned so far.

[guest173]

at least the media exposed this and did some good rather than so much of the useless gossip and ads they call news. It took some journalists to expose this by figuring the odds of their improvements and test scores were just physically impossible. That's a good thing about freedom of the press, take note of that Mexico (who is having too many journalists live in fear and being murdered by being in cahoots with the stupid worthless cartels)

[oldman67]

It seem that the most students pass the more money the education system appropiates. It should be the quality of the education recieved that is important. Most teacher do care and have not only a difficult task but a dangerous job as well. Maybe they deserve hazardous duty pay. No child left behind doesn't mean passing a child so the schools can revieve more funds. This is unfair to the child. Maybe the programs need to be studied more closely. Our teacher are not meant to be these childrens mother but educators.

[you_MAY_be_right]

Meanwhile De Soto Texas hired Dr. Kathy Augustine who was allegedly involved in this Atlanta mess. and they did it knowing she was likely involved.

[pohd1]

Nothing will happen to the Atlanta School District. Shows the Dept. of Education is a joke but an expensive one for the tax payers. If the DoE does nothing but write up a report and give excuses then the DoE should be shut down.