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StumbleCheaters, helpers alike mar testing
Results of annual state analysis of hiccups in assessments are in
Friday, Sept. 4, 2009 | 2 a.m.
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- Tools change, cheats remain (9-9-2008)
- For cheaters, iPods are playing their song (9-6-2007)
- Cheating for grades (9-13-2006)
- Editorial: Inexcusable offense (1-9-2004)
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Beyond the Sun
A Mojave High School teacher didn’t just send her students off to the all-important math proficiency exam and wish them well — she sat down and took the test, too.
Oops. Not allowed.
That was one of 134 incidents of irregularities detailed in the state’s annual assessment of test security in Nevada’s public schools. Of those 134 incidents, 58 of them — 43 percent — involved student cheating.
The majority of incidents of cheating involved the high school proficiency exam, which students must pass to graduate. In addition to students caught using cell phones to text each other answers, there were cases involving more old-fashioned maneuvers, including peeking over the shoulder of the smart kid in the next row.
It’s not clear why the North Las Vegas teacher took the student proficiency exam in March, and the Nevada Education Department is looking into it. But there’s little question that such behavior violates the state’s test security regulations, said Sue Daellenbach, assistant superintendent of assessment and accountability for the Clark County School District. No one other than the students being tested — and especially not teachers or school administrators — is allowed even a glimpse of the actual questions, which are often reused several times before being retired.
Statewide testing irregularities ranged from allegations of cheating to misplaced answer sheets to interruptions by fire drills.
Nevada school employees who handle test materials must undergo annual training and attend refresher workshops during the year. Staff members are encouraged to report all testing irregularities, from minor mishaps to major breaches of state regulations.
Increased vigilance in recent years has resulted in an increase in reported irregularities, said Carol Mason, the state’s test security coordinator.
In the 2008-09 academic year, with more than 300,000 students taking part in multiple assessments statewide, testing irregularities increased 7 percent over the prior school year. The increase is despite fewer students being tested. (In 2007-08, more than 500,000 students took assessments. Last year’s decrease reflects the state’s decision to suspend one of its annual assessments as a time- and cost-saving measure.)
Still, the overall percentage of reported testing mishaps remains relatively low.
There were also instances of teachers providing students with extra help on tests. Several teachers elaborated on the written instructions they were supposed to read aloud, and in a few instances encouraged students to go back and try again on questions they had skipped, which violated guidelines. Such incidents were reported by test proctors, and, in some cases, by the teachers themselves once they realized they had erred.
“It should be an even playing field for everyone,” Daellenbach said. “That’s why you have to stick to the script.”
The increasing demands on schools to show student gains on standardized tests or be penalized is leading to the growing number of incidents of cheating, and of teachers breaking rules in attempts to help students, researchers and educators say.
“Teachers and principals need to keep their bosses happy in order to keep their jobs,” said Don Sorenson, vice president of Caveon Test Security, a Utah-based consulting firm that works with educational institutions as well as business and industry. “There’s no question the pressure has only increased on schools to do well on tests.”
Whereas electronic cheating once meant sneaking in a calculator for a math exam, cell phones and iPods are now the scourge of test security officers.
And as the devices continue to add new applications, students continue to come up with new ways to use them to cheat.
Until last year, many test centers nationwide had yet to ban iPods, because test givers didn’t realize it was possible to store visual images and text along with the expected audio files, Sorenson said.
But there’s also no shortage of low-tech cheating. At Basic High School, a student turned a blank page of scratch paper into a cheat sheet of sorts for the November 2008 math proficiency test, but apparently not for his own benefit. Rather, he copied his answers in extra-large print on both sides of the paper, apparently to make it easier for his friends to see from their own seats. An investigation determined six students in the testing room were in on it.
There were also a handful of cheating incidents involving elementary school students. That didn’t surprise Daellenbach, who said younger students aren’t immune to the anxiety that comes with testing.
“Most kids want to do well, no matter what grade they’re in,” Daellenbach said. “If they feel like they’re struggling, sometimes they make bad choices.”
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While this article places the principle blame on test on teachers and students themselves the administrators share a bigger responsibility. In the past state test booklets in the CCSD were stolen and given out to insure higher test scores; the result was a manditory change in test programs by state officials. That is why the TerraNova test is now being used statewide; the administrators in the CCSD were the princple culprets.
The fact that administrators now vie for high honors such as The Milken Family Educator of the Year Award, CCSD Hall of Fame, Administrator of the Year and having their names on new schools test cheating is not new, nor a surprise. Many have earned distinction through dishonesty at the test site level.
A certain Bonanza H.S. principal in the late 1970's demanded English and Math teachers teach to the tests repeatedly using test material...that is cheating also! In this way his evaluation was raised and this incompetent later became a district assistant superintendent of curriculum no less!
Statewide there needs to be spontaneous on the spot re-testing by independent, unannounced proctor teams. 100 or so students per school would be randomly re-tested spontaneously on an unannounced time and period after the original state exams have been taken. I wonder how many high scoring students would survive such a re-test fom an outside panel?
This process is done quite sucessfully in other countries such as India.
If you are interested in teaching as a second career, check out the Clark County Special Qualification License: http://nvteachers.doe.nv.gov/Special_Qua...
whyshould the kids study? there'll always be plenty of stripper and bartender jobs in Vegas.
LOL, it's obvious that when they passed out brains, they thought they said trains and they all missed it.
In around the years 1999-2000 there were 13,000 teat booklets missing. They weren't sent to the teachers , but the school principals. Some teachers used them out fo fear of the administrations. Thhe administrators used the test to raise scores to secure higher positons, awards , and the possiblity of havng a school named after themselves.The principals also used test scores to make some teachers look like they were doing a poor job along side of the teachers who had copies of the test in the filing cabinet.. You can thank Asssemlyman Wendell Williaams and Senator Bill Raggio for passing laws to demand cheating stop. The school district sent out personnel to defend the administrators innocence, while all along they knew the true story. I do not believe the test scores results , especially the stories of of the truly wonderful schools that exceed all expectations, In truth mos of the time they did'nt.
years ago when I was in grade school, there were no booklets for tests. the good nuns made the tests up themselves. the only time it was a preprinted test was when it was necessary such as in the 7ty grade you had to take the Constitution test. other than that, all we got was a test warning and we had no choice but to study. the good sisters did it all and not only did we learn we all passed the tests too!
this is our bright future guys, bunch of retards who can't pass a basic test in high school.
Too much emphasis on standardized testing nation-wide. Too much class time spent on preparing for the test rather than actually teaching....
The "No Child Left Behind" program started out with good intentions but has gotten out of hand.
It's not surprising that some cheating is going on. The pressure placed on students, teachers, administrators, and schools to do well on these tests leads to abuse....
The emphasis placed upon nation-wide testing reminds me of a dog chasing its tail.....It's never successful in achieving what its attempting to do....
One of the major problems in public education is the great amount of grade inflation that goes on....it varies from class room to class room and school district to school district, but it's alive and well nation-wide. There's great emphasis placed upon the grade earned and very little emphasis placed upon learning the material...
For example, Johnny and Jane both have 3.5 GPA's (B+/A-average) but can't pass the state competency test.... Billy has passed every class with "flying colors" but can't write a simple sentence or fill-out a job application.
Ellan works at a fast food restaurant but can't make change. Brad is a nice kid and often tries hard but can't follow instructions and is generally talking when he should be listening....
There's much more but I think you get the idea...
Regarding my original comments above I was wrong in stating that the Terra Nova is the test that replaced the state's original testing instrument; it was the Iowa Test that replaced the Terra Nova as a result of district wide cheating in the CCSD.
I believe the push for standardized testing to measure teacher effectiveness by assessing student achievement and as a tool for merit pay for teachers arose sometime when Reagan was campaigning or when he was president; it may even go back to the days of Richard Nixon.
With the G.W. Bush 'Federal No Child Left Behind Mandate' standardized testing is now the most regimented education/teaching policy in use; this is also intended to eventually measure teachers for merit pay. It has proven to be a boondoggle for the creative, inventive teacher with initiative and desire. It has all but stymied and stopped creative lesson plans; the idea of most administrators is to show success in their school even if it means teaching to the letter of the test.
Rote memorization of facts, data has replaced the teaching of qualitative and quantitative thinking, analysis and individualized student learning. Student creativity is not encouraged as there is only time for teaching to the test and to raise the test scores of the lowest student achiever in the class. The minimum has become the maximum as far as achievement and real learning is concerned.
Shut down the public school system and go to internet based classes. We will save billions in taxes. Fire all the teachers except for the top in each field and pay them to do internet class rooms. No more property for public schools or buses needed. No more law suits from the teachers molesting the kids. Each kid will have the ability to progress on his own. Kids would stay home and I would not be forced to pay for these overpriced "baby sitters" they call teachers. Each member of the household could take courses and advance. Its time those of us without kids no longer have to pay for those that have chosen to have them. No more fat cat salaries for the teachers and administrators. No more health care for life or full retirement paid for by the taxpayer. They could even do it fee based.
LasVegas2009......
There's an idiot born every minute. You just validated that belief....Thank you!
Vegas 2009: your are a bitter, negative incomprehensible and dispictable moron if you blame everthing bad in American education on the teachers. Teachers to not make policy: politicians (ie. school trustees) and administrators do that. Teachers have no absolute control over budget expenditures, the politicians and administrataors do that.
You would deny a decent workable wage to dedicated teacher-educators who give the best years of their lives, and often their own money, to help students learn about the world around them. How many local, truly dedicated teachers have used their own finances to buy paper, pencils,other consumable supplies while district officials squander the money on other nonsense items?
You dream of destroying public education and requiring all to do it a home and over the internet. Well, what about impoverished parents who can barely struggle to put food on the table for their children? How could they afford a computer and internet connection? DREAM ON, YOU MORON!
Schools that are in needs of improvement and then score excessively high need to be looked at. There is major cheating going on here because administrators need to keep their jobs. This is human nature - no one wants to give up 100K plus a year as a principal - so they cheat. Come on State Board of Testing - get a life.
vsestini,
Virgil. Is that you? Rancho Rancho!! I have a suggestion. Since CCSD is one of the largest in the nation and we don't seem to be pumping 'em out like we used to nor can we control the environment, break it up into smaller pieces.Sorta like they did in the early 70's with LVPD and the Sherrif's Dept.Let's go one step further and annex ALL the Strip Hotels into the City and quit letting the county take all the glory for the name Las Vegas. I hate it when I see the name on the signs at the airport that say McCarren Airport, Clark County Nevada. The county is too big for their britches.