Third-graders at a Dallas elementary school helped propel their school to “exemplary” status, but unbeknownst to their parents, those stellar math and reading scores came at a high cost, McClatchy reports: The students learned only math and reading for most of the school year, while teachers were pressured to fabricate grades for science, social studies, and enrichment courses such as music. Field Elementary School principal Roslyn Carter is on paid administrative leave after Dallas Independent School District investigators found numerous cases of falsified grades at the school during the 2010-11 school year. Parents were never told about the phony grades and that their children missed nearly a whole school year of instruction in some subjects. The district’s Office of Professional Responsibility began investigating after receiving an anonymous tip in January. The investigators’ report details a principal’s determination to have her students pass the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills at all costs—an occurrence that has become more common as school leaders face enormous pressure to improve students’ test scores. Carter, who came to Field in the 2008-09 school year, could not be reached for comment but denied many of the allegations in her response to investigators…
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