The Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal refers to the accusation that teachers and principals in the Atlanta Public Schools district cheated on state-administered standardized tests in 2009 and to the trial in 2014-2015. Roland Martin talks to Jodi Gomes, who produced the documentary about the situation called “One Child Left Behind.”
Gomes says that Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) measures how well the teachers and schools did that year, it does not determine if a child can move to the next grade or not. If students pass the tests the schools get money; if not teachers are fired and schools are closed. She calls the documentary “a cautionary tale about high stakes testing.”
In this situation, 12 teachers and administrators were arrested and hit with Rico charges, which is the same thing that drug dealers are charged with. 11 of the 12 are facing up to 30 years in prison and 1 of them is currently in prison. Gomes says, “the punishment does not fit the crime.”
She says we need to go back to “teaching the whole child,” instead of, “teaching to test.”
Visit onechildleftbehindmovie.com to sign up to host a screening in your area and have Q&A where you can talk about the issues in high stakes texting.
HEAD BACK TO THE BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM HOMEPAGE
Roland Martin: Teachers In Atlanta Are Facing Charges Due To Cheating was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
