New Orleans schools have comparatively high rate of testing irregularities on standardized tests
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Looked at from several different angles, New Orleans public schools have a comparatively high percentage of possible cheating on standardized tests, The Lens has found after reviewing the most recent state data available.
Testing experts who reviewed and approved of The Lens’ methodology offered a broadly accepted rationale: cheating tends to increase when standardized tests are used for rewards and punishments of schools, teachers or students. For a variety of reasons, New Orleans schools have more riding on the outcome of test scores than public schools elsewhere in the state.
“I suspect that when there are pressures around test performance, it’s more likely that there is going to be a pressure to alter test scores,” said Heather Koons, director of consulting and development for the private educational consulting company MetaMetrics.
The Lens analyzed information from the end-of-year tests for 2010-11, and some leaders of schools that had serious testing irregularities that year said they’ve since tightened their security. Others, though, have said the problems didn’t prove that anyone cheated.
Though New Orleans schools far outstripped others statewide in instances of possible cheating, the problem was by no means rampant in the city that year. Only six schools, or 7 percent of the city’s 92 campuses, had major incidents that led to test scores being voided. But that’s still much higher than elsewhere.
In reviewing data from the Louisiana Department of Education, The Lens found:
- New Orleans public schools had a rate more than three times higher than the rest of the state for serious testing irregularities.