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Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Probe: Widespread cheating on tests detailed in Atlanta - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Probe: Widespread cheating on tests detailed in Atlanta - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Probe: Widespread cheating on tests detailed in Atlanta

Widespread cheating on 2009 standardized tests in Atlanta Public Schools — despite “significant and clear” warnings — harmed thousands of students and resulted primarily from “pressure to meet targets” in a data-driven school system, according to results of an investigation released Tuesday.

Of the 56 schools that were examined, cheating was discovered in 44 of them — that’s more than 78 percent — and 178 teachers and principals were found to have cheated on standardized tests, according to a statement released by Gov. Nathan Deal and first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Eighty-two confessed, while half a dozen others pled the Fifth Amendment, which is an implied admission of wrongdoing under civil law.

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