Bytheville Elementary School was caught between a rock and a hard place. Having passing test scores versus monetary gain was a constant battle. The pressure from administrator Mr. Rodriquez and not letting her team down was a major concern with Ms. Tatum. “Managers routinely delegate unethical behaviors to others and not always consciously.” (HB62) She knew that unless she produced passing scores, the school would be in jeopardy; this was a difficult predicament for Ms. Tatum to be in. Her colleagues were already planning on how the money would be distributed. Unfortunately, in many districts standardized exam results have become the single most important indicator of school performance. As a result, teachers and administrators feel enormous pressure to ensure that test scores consistently rise. This …show more content…
The cheating scandal, which led to years of prison time for some of the offenders, has grown to symbolize the ills of America’s emphasis on standardized testing. Tell teachers their salaries are tied to test scores and there are some who will do whatever it takes to ensure those scores are up to par—even if that means fudging the numbers.
“The word ethics has its roots in the Greek word “ethos,” which means customs, conduct, or character.” (LE pg 250) Sadly, ethical breaches lurk around every corner and concerns of passing the standardized test include all stakeholders such as students, staff members, administrators, parents and community members. Leanette’s mother and president of the Bytheville School Board, Peggy Robinson, was overly concerned about her child making A/B honor roll and not passing her standardized test. Because her child failed, she was retained in the third grade. How could this happen, when her child was an A/B student? It just didn’t add up. Ms. Robinson was very