Rhee, DC defends test investigation
In a statement to POLITICO, ex-DC school chancellor Michelle Rhee, the DC public school system and an independent educational consulting firm are pushing back against charges of possible cheating at one DC school during Rhee's tenure after a USA Today article raised the issue on Monday, and then questioned the District's internal audit of the suspicious results.
"This story is an insult to the dedicated teachers and schoolchildren who worked hard to improve their academic achievement levels," said Rhee. "There are many reasons for erasures and the presence of erasures does not mean someone cheated. In fact, it can mean that our students are being more diligent about doing well, yet to suggest that there is no way test scores could have improved for DCPS students unless someone cheated is absurd. At StudentsFirst we know dedicated teachers make a difference, a strong inspirational principal can turn a school around, and that children can perform at high levels when given the tools to do so."
The District was aware of a high erasure rate at some schools and hired the outside firm Caveon to investigate in 2009, interviewing administrators and teachers in schools with anomalous results. Critics have complained about the