Saturday, February 22, 2014

Atlanta Public Schools cheating case: 21 take pleas; 13 headed... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

Atlanta Public Schools cheating case: 21 take pleas; 13 headed... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:



Atlanta Public Schools cheating case: 21 take pleas; 13 headed for trial, Beverly Hall among them. 

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Key figure in APS test-cheating scandal to plead guilty
KENT D. JOHNSON / AJC
Former APS educator Christopher Waller greets a well wisher after his hearing Monday. Judge Jerry Baxter presides over the first of several days of motions hearings in the APS criminal case, Monday November 4, 2013. Thirty four former APS educators are indicted for crimes associated with cheating on standardized tests. On Monday, three defendants tried to suppress statements they gave GBI agents and special investigators and more will try and do the same on Tuesday. Next week, a number of defendants are trying to sever the case into multiple trials and former APS superintendent Beverly Hall’s motions will be addressed. KENT D. JOHNSON / KDJOHNSON@AJC.COM

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By Maureen Downey
Back from a week’s vacation with kids and grandmom. We have lots to catch up on, although I was delighted to see many issues already discussed, including comments on the new pleas this week in the APS cheating case.
The AJC reported that 21 defendants have now taken plea deals, leaving 13 headed to trial this spring in a high-stakes racketeering prosecution.
Among the 21 was Millicent Few, who once headed the school system's human resources department and was a trusted adviser of former Superintendent Beverly Hall.
The AJC reports:  Few, 55, pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of malfeasance in office. She was sentenced to 12 months on probation and ordered to perform 250 hours of community service and to pay $800 in restitution. Because she pleaded guilty as a first offender, Few will not have a conviction on her record if she successfully completes the terms of her probation. Few, who is a lawyer, also will be able to keep her law license, said her attorney, Dwight Thomas.
The prosecutors now consider Few a vital witness in their case against Hall. 
According to the AJC:
Few's testimony will establish that Hall was aware of test cheating throughout APS, Deputy District Attorney Fani Willis said. Perhaps her most damaging testimony could be her account of what happened after concerns were raised by the Governor's Office of Student Achievement about improbable test score gains by students at Deerwood 






APR 16 2013

Clayton County school board chair: Today marks culmination of long road to making schools better
Dr. Pam Adamson, chair of the Clayton County Board of Education, expects SACS to deliver a key report to the district this afternoon. (Jason Getz jgetz@ajc.com) Dr. Pam Adamson, chair of the Clayton County Board of Education, wrote this piece in anticipation of this week’s visit by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The SACS accreditation team has been in Clayton since Monday. By Pa
4 by Maureen Downey / 311d 
Boston tragedy: A picture that says 1,000 words and inspires thousands more tears
This 8-year-old boy is one of the victims of the Boston Marathon attacks. His name is Martin William Richard. His mother and sister were also seriously injured. Many people, including the folks at the Georgia Department of Education are posting this touching photo of Martin on Facebook in which he holds a sign that reads: “No more hurting people. Peace.” His dad Bill Richard released this statemen
2 by Maureen Downey / 311d 
Schoolhouse to courthouse: Three DeKalb officials indicted
The AJC’s Ty Tagami reports today that three former school administrators were indicted by a DeKalb County grand jury on charges they manipulated tests or attendance records to improve measures of school performance. According to Tagami: Just two weeks after a Fulton County grand jury indicted 35 former Atlanta Public Schools educators in an alleged cheating conspiracy, the DeKalb grand jury accus
by Maureen Downey / 311d 
Florida teachers file lawsuit today to stop evaluations that rely on test scores
The controversy over basing teacher evaluations on student performance now moves to a courtroom in Florida after teachers there filed suit today contending the review process violates their rights. Filed in the District Court of the United States for the Northern District, the lawsuit targets a new evaluation system that tries to measure how much value a teacher has added to a student’s learning —
29 by Maureen Downey / 311d 

APR 15 2013

A college degree may someday be as essential as a high school diploma
Dhathri Chunduru is a former Fulton County special educator. She works for an educational non-profit and supports the development of teachers and instructional coaches. In this piece, she addresses the growing sentiment that too many people are going to college, that not everyone needs high education. She makes an interesting point: A century ago, we said the same thing about a high school diploma
6 by Maureen Downey / 312d hide  //  save
A teacher explains: Why I won’t resign. A letter of resolution.
I have shared some very passionate teacher resignation letters on the blog, including an incredible one from former local teacher Jordan Kohanim. (If you missed her piece, read it here.) But here is a letter from a teacher explaining why she is not resigning. New York teacher Christine McCartney published this letter on her  “An Educator’s Re-education” blog. McCartney has been at the University
18 by Maureen Downey / 313d 
New calls to probe cheating allegations in Washington under Rhee
PBS’s John Merrow recently revealed a 2009 confidential memo pointing out troubling test answer erasures in Washington, D.C., schools, which were led at the time by Michelle Rhee, now the head of  the national advocacy group StudentsFirst. Merrow reported that the erasure concerns raised in the memo by an outside data consultant failed to prompt any investigation by top officials in the district.
by Maureen Downey / 313d 
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