DC Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Kaya Henderson today released the Office of Inspector General (OIG) report on the 2010 DC CAS investigation. The report, requested by Henderson in March of 2011, found that there is no widespread cheating at DCPS, among other findings. The report did confirm cheating at Noyes Education Campus. Henderson’s statement is as follows:
“Today, I received the report from Office of the Inspector General’s investigation into alleged cheating on the 2010 DC CAS test. I am very grateful to the Office of the Inspector General for its hard work on this important investigation. Our team is in the process of reviewing the findings and recommendations. While it will take some time for us to evaluate the full report, three findings are very clear.
“First, the report explicitly states that there is no evidence of widespread cheating at DCPS. This is consistent with all previous studies of DCPS results and confirms what I have long held to be true. I expect that this study will put to rest claims about widespread wrong-doing.
“Second, the Inspector General’s investigation found there were definitive instances of testing impropriety at Noyes Education Campus. It is disappointing that a handful of staff would think so little of their profession and of their students that they would do anything to compromise results. I am dismayed by the actions of these staff. And moreover, I am deeply saddened that their actions have compromised the integrity of our entire teaching corps and caused people to question the abilities of our 47,000 students. We employ the best teachers in the world. I am proud of them day after day, but the staff implicated in this report do not represent what we stand for as a school system.
“Finally, the OIGs report provides thoughtful recommendations for improving test integrity at DCPS. I am proud to say that we have already implemented many of these recommendations during our 2012 test administration. For example, on the 2012 DC CAS, we improved test monitoring, engaged with a new investigative firm, and increased security around testing materials.
“DCPS will continue to improve testing protocols to ensure that our data on student performance is reliable and to hold our staff to the highest standards. The OIG’s report confirms what we have long suspected: the vast majority of our staff did nothing wrong; our gains and our losses are real and no longer tainted by false allegations. This report provides important information that identifies one instance of wrong-doing in the past and allows us to move forward to improve testing in the future. When school starts in three short weeks, I am confident this report will be behind us and we can move forward with the business of providing a world-class education to the students of the District of Columbia.
Contact: Melissa Salmanowitz | 202-535-1096