The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

This is what I wrote back in June of this year~

“I have to admit that oftentimes I have mixed emotions anytime I hear about a school that has been doing poorly for years suddenly able to significantly able to raise test scores without making any major changes to the preexisting failing system.

Do I want to see kids improve? Of course I do. But I oftentimes find myself questioning if some of these reported “improvements” are really legit. Public schools are often under a lot of pressure to improve test scores any which way they can. People will be people and unfortunately folks will resort to anything to survive.”

Once again, ajc.com reports:

Statistically unlikely state test scores are showing up in more classrooms, suggesting the cheating investigation that has engulfed four schools might be about to widen.

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation found 19 public elementary schools statewide with extraordinary gains or drops in scores between spring last year and this year. A dozen were in Atlanta.

[...]

Atlanta’s West Manor Elementary made some of the most astonishing gains this year.

In fourth grade last year, students’ poor scores ranked 830th statewide on the math test. This year, fifth-graders not only caught up to their peers but sped past them; they scored the highest statewide.

Their average score grew by nearly 90 points year to year, data show. Statewide, the average rise was about 15 points.

Practice tests again suggest a disconnect with the CRCT. Sixty percent of West Manor fifth-graders were still scoring at the lowest level in February practice tests. Not only did every student pass the CRCT in April, but 89 percent scored at the top “exceeds” level. (more…)

So you shuffle these kids along in order to save the careers of a few. By the time these kids graduate, they will be forced to enter some remedial program in college just to get to college level.

A complete brain drain factory.