HOUSTON – What would the future of education look like if teachers were reduced to cheating to get their students to score better on state tests?
It’s an idea grandparents like Andrew Wilson at Cullen Middle School simply can’t live with.
“I don’t think that’s right,” Wilson said. “I think children need to take care of their own business because if you pass me, and I can’t read; I don’t believe that’s right.”
FOX 26 News has learned at least two teachers at Cullen Middle School have been removed for allegedly cheating.
And they are not alone. The Houston Independent School District also confirms two more teachers at Ryan Middle School are also being investigated for cheating.
The instructors were preparing their students for state tests like the STARR using the benchmark exam.
Gayle Fallon, president of the local teachers union, said the tests, “give you an idea of, are your children learning? Are they progressing where they should be? It gives you an idea how they will do on the state accountability test.”
Fallon represents those teachers accused of cheating, and maintains the number of teachers removed could be as high as six.
But Fallon said there is no reason for her members to want to cheat on a test that doesn’t really count.
“How can you cheat on a benchmark test when it’s really a diagnostic tool?” she asked. “It doesn’t have the rigid guidelines that a state test has, and it’s not something on their permanent record as a student.”
But the cheating allegations are enough to have the teachers removed from campus. It is also enough to cause concern amongst parents in the community.
Sylvia Smith, a retired teacher, hopes those certified teachers will not be replaced by substitutes who will “babysit” their children.
“The children need to be with one person because the children are our future,” Smith said.
HISD issued this statement:
“HISD officials have removed two teachers from Ryan Middle School and two from Cullen Middle School due to cheating allegations. Because these teachers were removed in the middle of the academic year, the principals have replaced them with current certified teachers from that school until further notice.
“Only one position was replaced with a retired certified teacher instead. These decisions were made by the individual principals with the students’ best interest in mind. The quality of education these students continue to receive has not been affected by these transitions.
“At HISD all cheating allegations and testing proprieties are taken very seriously.”
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