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How Public Educators Cheat on Standardized Achievement Tests: the "Lake Wobegon" Report

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How Public Educators Cheat on Standardized Achievement Tests: the DOCUMENT RESUME ED 314 454 TM 014 317 AUTHOR Cannell, John Jacob TITLE How Public Educators Cheat on Standardized Achievement Tests: The "Lake Wobegon" Report. INSTITUTION Friends for Education, Albuquerque, NM. SPONS AGENCY Charles F. Kettering Foundation, Dayton, Ohio. PUB DATE 89 NOTE 125p.; Book is a follow-up to the report "Nationally Normed Elementary Achievement resting in America's Public Schools: How All 50 States Are above the National Average" by the Friends of Education. AVAILABLE FROMFriends for Education, 600 Girard Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106 ($15.00). PUB TYPE Reports - Evaluative/Feasibility (142) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC05 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Academic Achievement; Achievement Gains; *Achievement Tests; *Cheating; Elementary Secondary Education; National Surveys; *Norm Rererenced Tests; Public Schools; School Personnel; *Scores; *Standardized Tests; State Norms; State Programs; *Testing Problems; Testing Programs; Test Interpretation; Test Norms; Test Results; Test Use IDENTIFIERS California Achievement Tests; Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills; Iowa Tests of Basic Skills; Lake Wiegon Phenomenon; Metropolitan Achievement Tests; SRA Achievement Seri3s; Stanford Achievement Tests ABSTRACT American sc:iool officials almost invariably compare local and national achievement through one of the following norm-referenced tests: (1) the California Achievement Test;(2) the Stanford Achievement Test;(3) the Metropolitan Achievement Test; (4) the Science Research Associates Test;(5) the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills; and (6) the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. The vast majority of districts has shown steady improvement in norm-referenced test scores over the past 15 years despite the fact that other indicators of achievement do not reflect gains in American education. By early 1988 all 50 states were testing above the publisher's national norm, a phenomenon dubbed the "Lake Wobegon" effect, in reference to the mythical town where all children are above average. The s--;rvey conducted for this report in 1999 found 48 of the 50 states again scoring above the national norm, while 90% of elementary schools and 80% of secondary schools exceeded the national norm. The causes of this phenomenon (including possible cheating, deceptive testing practices, and misleading reporting methods) are discussed, and steps to avoid cheating are reviewed. A final chapter considers the effects of these inflated scores. Three appendices present: the test results from the 50 states; a survey of test security practices; and other indicators of state achieve:aent. (SLD) **********************************%********************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. THE "LAKE WOBEGON" REPORT How Public Educators CheatonStandardized Achievement Tests rai John Jacob Cannell U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Imnrovement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 34document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it r Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of new or opinton5 stated in this doCt rr.ent do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATtRIAL HAS BEENEN GRANTED BY Ice Tem,ehot)IUareL TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC). I 1 I I: I I. A I) () I IH t;. \ N Copyright e' 1989 by Friends of Education. All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written pc mission from the author Printed in the United States of America by Cottonwood Printing, Albuquerque, NM Cover art and illustrations by Carolyn Kinsman About Friends for Education Friends for Education is a non-profit, citizen's group working for improvements in America's public schools Contributions to Friends for Education are tax-deductible and sorely needed. Additional copies of this report can be obtained for $15.00 from Friends for Education, 600 Girard Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106. We have no staff, so all orders must be prepaid. Purchase orders cannot be accepted. I dedicate this book to my wife, Ina, whose love, encouragement, and patience is remarkable. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my appreciation and respect for The Kettering Family Foundation of Dayton, Ohio, which awarded a $25,000 grant that made this study possible. They supported our efforts to bring accountabilityto public education with full realization of the controversy surroundingour work.Eighty other prominent American foundations denied our request for support. I also wish to express my admiration for the faculty of the Departmentof Psychiatry of the University of New Mexico, especially Dr Eberhart Uhlenhuth,Dr. Robert Hendron, and Dr. R,,ert Kellner. They have been mostsupportive in their attitude and constructive in thecomments, in spite of the controversial natureof this publication. However, the reader should not infer that this study necessarily reflects the opinions of either the Department of Psychiatry of the University of New Mexico, or the staff and trustees of The Kettenng Family FoundationThe opinions expressed in this study are solely those of the author. In addition, I wish to express my appreciation to Julie Dunham, Amy Nixon, and Jamie Sercie for their help in obtaimngdata and revisingthe manuscript. Special thanks also to Liesi Meyers of The Desktop Press and to GingerGriffin of Le Griffe Editorial, both located in Albuquerque, New MexicoTheir help was professional, expert, and invaluable Finally, I have botiowed for my titleGarrison Keillor's magical placename "Lake Wobegon." In his inspired Swiftian way, likea modern Gulliver, Keillor has gently and humorously exposed the weakness, foibles, and failures ofthe current American scene. REVIEWERS Before publication, this study was reviewed by testing andmeasurement authorities, adult and child psychiatrists, and concerned citizens. Their contribu- tions improved the report immensely. Some of the reviewers took alternative viewpoints of both the problem and its solutions. Theirnames and addresses are listed below. The reader should not infer that the followingpersons agree with our conclusions or endorse our solutions. Mr. Roy Casto Professor Walter Haney Professor William Mehrens Public School Teacher College of Education Education Department Woodrow Wilson High Boston College Miciugan State University School 500 Mc Cum Hall 462 Erickson Hall Briarwood Road Chesnut Hill, MA 02167 East Lansing, MI 48824-1034 Beckley, WV 25801 Dr Allan Hartman Dr. John Mendenhall Mr. Walter Faithorn Director of Research Department of Psychiatry Retired Business Executive Massachusetts Department University of New Mexico Stuart-Warnei Corporation ofEctcation School of Medicine 3800 Underwood Street 1385 Hancock Street 2400 Tucker, NE Chevy Chase, MD 20815 Quincy, MA 02169 Albuquerque, NM 87131 Mr. Chester Finn, Jr Dr Robert Hendron Professor Jason Millman Director Director Education Department Educ Excellence Network Division of Adolescent Cornell University 1112 Sixteenth Street, NW and Child Psychiatry 301 Roberts Hall Suite 300 University of New Mexico lthica, NY 14853-5901 Washington, DC 20036 School of Medicine 2400 Tucker, NE Professor E. Uhlenhuth Dr. Thomas Fisher Albuquerque, NM 87131 Residency Director Director, Testing dr Department of Psychiatry Evaluation Professor Robert Linn University of New Mexico Department of Education College of Education School of Medicine 506 Knott Bldg University of Colorado 2400 Tucker, NE Tallahassee, FL 32399 Box 249 Albuquerque, NM 87131 Boulder, CO 80309 CONTENTS Acknowledgements ii Reviewers iii Preface v Introduction 1 Chapter 1 How Can Everyone Be Above Average 6 Chapter 2 "High Stakes" Tests 9 Chapter 3 Cheating? 12 Chapter 4 Test Security in the 50 States 19 Chapter 5 Deceptive Testing Practi:es 24 Chapter 6 Misleading Reporting Methods 27 Chapter 7 Suspicious Patterns in Test Scores 30 Chapter 8 Inexpensive Steps to Avoid Cheating 33 Chapter 9 The Effect of Inflated Test Scores 39 Appendix I Nationally Normed Test Results of The 50 States . 42 Appendix II Survey of Test Security Practices in The 50 States .100 Appendix III Other Indicators of State ALinevement ....103 Selected References .................... ..... .........110 About The Author 114 IV '7 PREFACE "Education is a companion which no misfortune can depress, no cnme can destroy, no enemy can alienate, no despotism can enslave. At home a friend, abroad an introduction, in solitude a solace, and in society an ornament. It chastens vice, it guides virtue, it gives, at once, grace and government to genius. Without it, what is man? A splendid slave, a reasoning savage " Joseph Addison: The Spectator, November 6,1711 Iam neither a professional educator or a testing expert. I am a physician. For ten years I hau a general practice in West Virginia.I am now a resident psychiatrist at the University of New Mexico. I have seen and continue to see many adolescent patients with serious self-esteem problems. Drug abuse, delinquency, teenage pregnancy, teenage depression and, most sadly, teenage suicide are the common presenting signs and symptoms of low self-esteem. As a General Practitioner in West Virginia, I referred these patients to a clinical psychologist for an evaluation which routinely included grade level testing for academic ability The
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