This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
by Kevin McCorry for NewsWorks
After years-long investigations by both the Philadelphia School District and the state, 138 Philadelphia educators have been implicated in what’s become one of the largest high-stakes-testing cheating scandals in the nation.
Last week, the School Reform Commission fired three District principals, and further disciplinary announcements are expected soon.
The educators allegedly conspired and then acted to improve students’ standardized test scores from 2009 through 2011 by erasing wrong answers and replacing them with right ones.
The District’s first round of announcements concerned educators now working within the district as principals. A subsequent round will concern those now employed as teachers and other school staff, and a final round will consist of all those who no longer work for the Philadelphia School District.