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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

D.C.'s Noyes School Joins Others Under Investigation For Suspicious Standardized Test Patterns

D.C.'s Noyes School Joins Others Under Investigation For Suspicious Standardized Test Patterns

D.C.'s Noyes School Joins Others Under Investigation For Suspicious Standardized Test Patterns

Standardized Testing

Posted: 03/29/11 07:59 PM ET

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In the last few years, Crosby S. Noyes Education Campus in D.C. has become the poster child for education reform, with its remarkable increase in standardized test scores. But Monday's investigation by USA Today about the possibility of cheating on the school's standardized tests may burst that bubble.

USA Today reports that from 2006 to 2008, the percentage of Noyes students who scored "proficient" or "advanced" on math standardized tests increased from 10 percent to 58 percent; reading scores followed the same trend. The dramatic improvements prompted a number of accolades: the U.S. Department of Education named the school a Blue Ribbon School; then-Chancellor of D.C. Schools Michelle Rhee rewarded Noyes' staff with bonuses for boosting scores and made the school a symbol of how her education