Senator: Make Tampering w/ CRCT Scores a Crime

The CRCT testing scandal has officials considering whether to make it a crime to tamper with standardized test scores. Head of Georgia's Senate Education committee Dan Weber wants educators to know just how serious it is to mess with them.

"If you cheat and change answers... there should be criminal sanctions for that," said Senator Weber(R-Dunwoody), "These people, they're professionals. They're put in a position of trust and these families and our state rely on them to do the right thing or else the kids are cheated."

The Republican from Dunwoody is calling for the new law after a state audit of four schools revealed answers were changed on 5th grade CRCT tests to improve scores.

The Governor's office is evaluating whether a new law is necessary.

"There's clearly a law on the books that makes it illegal to tamper with government documents," said Governor's spokesperson Bert Brantley. "There's not one specifically for school documents and if we need to look at that we'll be glad to work with Senator Weber."

The investigation continues. So far, one principal has resigned from a Dekalb County school where tampering is suspected.

State Senator: CRCT Cheating Should Be Crime

The head of Georgia’s Senate education committee says it should be a crime for educators to change answers on students’ standardized tests. Dunwoody Republican Senator Dan Weber wants the new law in the wake of an audit last week that showed answers had been changed on some fifth-grade CRCT’s at a handful of elementary schools. The Governor’s office says Sonny Perdue may be open to supporting such a measure if prosecutors feel current statutes are not enough. A Perdue spokesman tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution those found cheating could be charged under an existing law prohibits tampering with state documents.

Cheating Sparks Law Debate

The head of the state's Senate education committee wants to create a law that would levy criminal charges against educators who change answers on standardized tests. Sen. Dan Weber is calling for the new law in response to an audit released last week by the state showing that someone altered answers on the fifth-grade Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests to improve scores at four elementary schools last summer. At one of the schools - Atherton Elementary in DeKalb County - the principal resigned and the assistant principal was reassigned late last week after officials discovered they tampered with the tests. The higher scores helped all four schools meet federal No Child Left Behind standards.

(Associated Press)