Search Results for “cheating” – Page 2

TEA wants full list of suspect schools; But expanded inquiry into TAKS cheating not certain, state says

Posted on July 26, 2006 by jbenton

Reversing course, the Texas Education Agency said Tuesday that it wants a complete list of schools with suspicious scores on last year’s state exams. But officials made no promises to investigate those additional campuses.

Officials said Tuesday they have asked for the names of all schools that were flagged as suspect by Caveon, a Utah test-security company. The agency hired Caveon to look for evidence of possible cheating on the 2005 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.

On Sunday, The Dallas Morning News reported that the TEA’s list of suspected cheaters left off at least 167 schools that Caveon had flagged. Neither the TEA nor the schools knew which campuses they were.

Last week, agency officials said they did not ask Caveon for the names of the additional schools because they did not consider them worthy of investigation. That’s because Caveon used a different type of analysis to identify the additional schools.

“I think that over the weekend, people thought about the situation and just realized we need the complete list,” said Debbie Graves Ratcliffe, a TEA spokeswoman.

“And whether we take further action – we’ll have to decide once we see that list.” […]

TAKS online testing option raises concerns; Aim is to save money, time, but cheating, fairness are worries

Posted on June 22, 2006 by jbenton

If you own stock in a company that makes No. 2 pencils, now might be a good time to sell.

After a few years of tiptoeing, Texas is preparing to take its first big step into online testing. School districts have the option to administer next spring’s TAKS test by computer.

“Students have become more and more accustomed to a computer environment,” said Susan Barnes, associate commissioner for standards and programs at the Texas Education Agency. “That has become the mode of how they interact.”

Some worry that the shift, designed to eventually save money and time, could have substantial implications for the tests’ fairness. Not every school has access to the same quality or quantity of computers.

It could also be a solution to Texas’ cheating problems – or make them worse, depending on who’s talking. […]

Signs of cheating at 114 area schools; State asks campuses to check ’05 TAKS scores that raised suspicions

Posted on June 9, 2006 by jbenton

A state-sponsored analysis has flagged 114 North Texas schools as having suspicious scores on the 2005 TAKS test – scores that could suggest cheating by students or teachers.

Dallas, the area’s largest district, led the way with 39 schools. Plano ISD, with nine schools on the list, had the area’s second-highest total. Fort Worth ISD had seven, the Lewisville and Richardson school districts each had six, and McKinney ISD had five. Five charter schools also made the list.

Texas Education Agency officials are quick to point out that inclusion on the list is not conclusive evidence that cheating occurred.

“We’re not pointing a finger,” said Shirley Neeley, the state education commissioner. “We’re just saying, ‘Folks, once again it’s been pointed out there may be some testing irregularities.’ We’re asking them to just double-check.” […]

Analysis suggests cheating on TAKS; TEA consultant cites suspicious scores in 1 in 12 Texas schools in ’05

Posted on May 23, 2006 by jbenton

About one in 12 Texas schools had unusual TAKS results that suggest cheating occurred last year, according to a consultant hired by the Texas Education Agency.

The consultant, a Utah test security firm named Caveon, was hired after a Dallas Morning News series found suspicious scores in nearly 400 schools statewide, based on 2003 and 2004 testing results.

Caveon’s analysis, using 2005 TAKS results, found even more: 609 schools, or 8.6 percent of the state’s campuses.

But state officials say even those numbers are not a sign of cheating in Texas schools.

“Given the size of this program and the size of this state, yes, we had 600 campuses identified,” said Gloria Zyskowski, TEA’s director of test administration. “But we have over 5,000 campuses where the test was administered.

“While we take very seriously any allegations of cheating – we don’t take any of that lightly – I believe that for the most part these tests are being administered according to the guidelines provided by the state.” […]

Firm to look for TAKS cheating; Company says it will search for patterns in Texas students’ results

Posted on July 20, 2005 by jbenton

By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 4A A Utah company has been hired to investigate the test scores of Texas schools and determine which ones are cheating. The decision to hire Caveon was prompted by a series of stories in The Dallas Morning News last winter that found highly unusual swings in test scores at […]

Monitors descend for TAKS testing; 70 at Wilmer-Hutchins called agency’s biggest anti-cheating effort ever

Posted on February 23, 2005 by jbenton

By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B More than 70 state employees turned out at Wilmer-Hutchins schools on Tuesday to ensure that there was no cheating on the first day of TAKS testing. State officials said it was probably the largest test-monitoring effort the Texas Education Agency has launched. “We wanted to give the kids […]

State plans TAKS cheating inquiry; TEA also will hire expert to help prevent, detect deceit

Posted on January 11, 2005 by jbenton

By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A AUSTIN – The Texas Education Agency will begin analyzing test scores for unusual gaps and swings, modeling the effort on a Dallas Morning News investigation that found suspect scores at nearly 400 Texas schools. The state’s education commissioner, Shirley Neeley, also announced Monday that the agency will hire […]

Celebrated school accused of cheating; Exclusive: TAKS results too good to be true at Houston elementaries

Posted on December 31, 2004 by jbenton

By Joshua Benton and Holly K. Hacker Staff Writers Page 1A Houston’s Wesley Elementary may be the most celebrated school in Texas. When George W. Bush, running for governor in 1994, wanted to declare education his No. 1 priority, he went to Wesley, where desperately poor students outscored children in the wealthiest suburbs. When Oprah […]

Cheating allegations at Wesley go back to 2003; Teacher had addressed HISD board meeting about problem

Posted on December 31, 2004 by jbenton

By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 2A The fact there might be cheating at Wesley Elementary is not news to Houston officials. In June 2003, former Wesley teacher Donna Garner stood before a meeting of the Houston school board and directly accused officials of cheating at Wesley. “I was instructed on how to cheat and […]

Tools may stem cheating; Test scores, analysis available, but TEA doesn’t use information

Posted on December 20, 2004 by jbenton

By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A Last of two parts Education researchers are clear: The vast majority of teachers are honest people and wouldn’t think of doctoring their students’ results on a standardized test. But unfortunately, “the vast majority” doesn’t include everybody. In a high-pressure, high-stakes environment, some teachers are going to cross an […]