More on the Texas Testing "Miracle"

[Bob Schaeffer <bobschaeffer@earthlink.net>]

TEACHER SAYS HE LEAKED TAKS QUESTIONS TO COLLEAGUES

   Associated Press -- July 13, 2007

Amarillo, Texas -- By volunteering on a committee that helps select 
questions for the state's standardized test, an Amarillo teacher said he 
was able to leak writing topics to colleagues so their students could 
fare better, according to a state report.

Elementary bilingual teacher David Tamez told investigators he merely 
followed the lead of other committee volunteers who routinely smuggled 
test secrets back to their districts, according to a report released by 
the Texas Education Agency.

A TEA official dismissed his accusations as a "complete lie."

The allegations are the latest cast on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge 
and Skills. Last month, the state unveiled heightened security measures 
for the test, which came after a newspaper found that tens of thousands 
of students cheated by copying or having their tests doctored.

"You know good and well what people are doing," said Tamez, according to 
a recording of his interview with investigators. "They're writing down 
prompts; they're writing down information."

Agency officials disputed Tamez's allegations, though its inspector 
general's office is recommending a further investigation.

"We believe in the security of our current system," agency spokeswoman 
Debbie Graves Ratcliffe said.

According to the report, Tamez told colleagues the topic that 
fourth-graders would be asked to write about. Students must write a 
minimally satisfactory essay to pass TAKS, no matter how well they 
perform on the multiple-choice section.

Tamez told investigators that Amarillo students were "as deserving of 
prior knowledge of TAKS test information as students" in other 
districts. He said he learned of the writing topic after overhearing 
other educators at a meeting of teachers who evaluate questions for 
future tests.

Tamez no longer teaches in Amarillo but retained his teaching 
certificate by agreeing to cooperate with the agency investigation. A 
reprimand will appear on his record.

Some state officials said Tamez's allegations can't be true because, in 
part, the process for selecting the latest writing topic didn't begin 
until after Tamez attended the committee meeting.

"This is a complete lie," said Victoria Young, who heads development of 
the reading, writing and social studies portions of the TAKS at the TEA.

A recent analysis by The Dallas Morning News found that tens of 
thousands of students across Texas continue to cheat on the TAKS test, 
despite claims by the state educational officials that cheating on the 
standardized exam is a rarity.


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