Secretary Duncan's Data Integrity Warning Misses the Point
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has issued a warning to state-level school leaders telling them:
I am writing to urge you to do everything you can to ensure the integrity of the data used to measure student achievement and ensure meaningful educational accountability in your State. As I'm sure you know, even the hint of testing irregularities and misconduct in the test administration process could call into question school reform efforts and undermine the State accountability systems that you have painstakingly built over the past decade.
He goes on to say,
The successful implementation of Title I and other key programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education (Department) relies heavily on using data that are valid, reliable, and consistent with professional and technical standards.
The letter then describes a series of steps the Department of Ed wishes states to take to ensure the integrity and security of test data.
Unfortunately, Mr. Duncan is missing the biggest threat to the validity of the data being secured. It is the very high stakes that his policies place on these
