The schools may have to return federal money they received for passing muster on No Child Left Behind measurements. And one of the schools, Burroughs-Molette in Glynn County, may have to offer tutoring and allow students to transfer to higher-performing schools because of consistent poor performance on federal benchmarks.
An audit released by the Governor's Office of Student Achievement in June shows that someone changed answers on fifth-grade math tests last summer in four districts after the students' had turned the exams in to teachers. State officials do not believe students are responsible for the changes.
``The board and I want to send a clear message that cheating will not be tolerated and we will take action, if necessary,'' state schools Superintendent Kathy Cox said. ``Ultimately, the ones who are hurt by cheating are the students.''
The state school board vote was taken during a board meeting Thursday in downtown Atlanta, just down the street from where the Georgia Professional Standards Commission was voting to investigate educators believed to be responsible for the tampered tests. The commission, which oversees the licensing of teachers in the state, voted to investigate two DeKalb County elementary school administrators, former Atherton Elementary principal James Berry and assistant principal Doretha Alexander.
The two were arrested last month and charged with tampering with state documents, a felony. Berry resigned his job after the audit came out, and Alexander was reassigned pending the outcome of the state's investigation.
Both could face losing their teaching licenses in Georgia if they are found guilty by the commission. Neither have returned repeated calls for comment.
One district is challenging the audit.
Atlanta Schools Superintendent Beverly Hall sent a letter to the Office of Student Achievement saying the district ``strongly disagrees'' with the allegations. The audit named Atlanta's Deerwood Academy as one of the four schools where cheating may have occurred.
The three other districts are not disputing the allegations.
A Glynn County internal investigation revealed ``test improprieties,'' but district officials have declined to say who they think is responsible. Fulton County, whose Parklane Elementary was named in the audit, conducted an investigation into the cheating allegations, but the findings were ``inconclusive,'' district officials said.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2009/7/221694