Pennsylvania Looking Into Possible Cheating On State Standardized Tests
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) - State education officials are ordering several dozen Pennsylvania school districts, including the city of Philadelphia, to take another look at assessment tests after a review of those tests turned up irregularities.
The concern is about a review of 2009 statewide assessment tests that discovered irregularities, such as excessive erasures on test forms or suddenly improved scores, that may be an indicator of cheating.
Tim Eller, spokesman for the secretary of education, says, "I would say he's very concerned, one, that the report was not acted upon two years ago [and] two, that this report does need to be followed through with and information needs to be looked at."
Eller says the secretary has ordered the school districts that were flagged by the review to do their own investigation and, based on that, the state will determine if follow up is necessary. Eller says the education department is already awaiting a report on allegations of cheating at one of the Philadelphia city schools flagged by the report, the Roosevelt Middle School.
Reported by KYW Harrisburg Bureau Chief Tony Romeo
Check out a follow up story on this report: Secretary of Education Gives Three Dozen School Districts To Conduct Investigations On State Standardized Tests Scores.
