Recently, the former Superintendent
of the El Paso School District was sentenced to 42 months in prison for
participation in a conspiracy to improve the tests scores of the High schools
in his district. By removing low performing
students from classrooms, the superintendent inflated the district’s test
scores by preventing hundreds of sophomore students from taking state
accountability exams[i].
By inflating the test scores, the
district was rewarded with additional federal funds and the superintendent
received personal bonuses totaling $56,000.
The district’s overall rating improved from “academically acceptable” to
“recognized, which is the second highest rating a district can receive[ii].
What is disturbing about this scandal
is that the superintendent was investigated by the Texas Education Agency and
was cleared of any wrong doing. It
wasn’t until the local news paper requested records under the Freedom of
Information Act and a ruling by the Attorney General that the conspiracy was uncovered. To add insult to injury, the superintendent
was also found guilty of misleading the district so that his girlfriend could
receive a no-bid contract for $450,000 and six additional individuals are under
investigation for aiding the superintendent.
As
more testing scandals are being uncovered in districts across the country, lost
in all these scandals is the damage that has been done to children by the
leaders who are responsible for their education. None of these leaders seemed to care about
the children. These leaders only cared
about test scores, increasing their stature and obtaining bonuses. After being caught and the scandal exposed,
not one superintendent has apologized to the children they defrauded.
As
the educational leader of a district the superintendent is the face of
education. The superintendent encourages
students to do their best, follow the rules and graduate. Unfortunately, when the superintendent is
caught in a scandal, the children are lost in the sensationalism of the scandal
by the media. Lost in the story are the
victims; the children.
How
much damage is done to children when they learn of these scandals? What message are children learning about how
their educational leader values their education? Lastly, how do these scandals impact
students’ beliefs about cheating or being dishonest in order to obtain rewards?
If we want our children to become
adults of integrity, we have to make sure the adults who in the district are
adults of integrity. This can only be
done if the bonuses and accolades that come with improving tests scores are
removed. Superintendents are paid enough
money, so they should not be rewarded for doing what they were hired to
do. Any reward should be given to the
school to be used for the children who worked hard to increase the test
scores. Additionally, principals,
teachers and parents should be recognized for supporting the efforts of
children to increase test scores.
It is time to get back to the
mission of education which is to prepare children for their future adult
lives. While testing does have a place
in the mission of education, testing should not be the determining factor of
success. Test scores should not be incentivized
because there have been too many instances where the monetary incentives and
accolades have tempted superintendents to do things that are not in the best
interest of children.
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