Schools Matter: As the Stakes Rise, So Does the Cheating

Schools Matter: As the Stakes Rise, So Does the Cheating:

As the Stakes Rise, So Does the Cheating

by Jim Horn

From the NY Times:

Complaints of tampering with the state Regents exams have ballooned since Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg took control of New York City’s schools, newly released data show, placing in stark relief the conflict between allowing teachers to grade their own students’ tests and raising the stakes on the results.

As the city and state turned test scores into make-or-break indicators of school and student success, the portion of city public high schools facing allegations of test tampering rose to 7 percent in the 2009-10 school year, from 1 percent in 2002-3. Over all, the state has recorded complaints of cheating by educators in more than 100 city high schools, about a fifth of the total,