By Steve Gunn
EAGnews.org

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – The teachers of the Fairfax County school district have been given a new challenge to improve their classroom performance.

At least some of them are reacting to that challenge by threatening to cheat to make it appear that their students are learning more than they actually are.

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Yes, these are the type of people that some schools have in their classrooms.

The Fairfax County district implemented a new teacher evaluation system this year, with 40 percent of ratings based on student achievement data, according to the Washington Examiner. The new evaluation system was required as part of a waiver that the state of Virginia received from the federal No Child Left Behind program.

Teachers helped administrators design the new evaluation system, but some of them are clearly unhappy about being held accountable for their work. They are threatening to cheat to improve their evaluations.

“My job is on the line so what do I do to make my students perform well,” one teacher wrote anonymously on a survey taken by the local teachers union. “Guess what, this is GOING to lead to some staff cheating and/or cutting corners.”

Other teachers reportedly wrote similar messages, according to the news report.

None of this is particularly surprising. Scandals are popping up all over the nation involving teachers and administrators cheating on student standardized tests.

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Of course the message they’re sending their students is that it’s okay to cheat if you don’t agree with a new work rule, but still accept a paycheck as though you did the job properly.

We’re certain that many Fairfax County teachers will do what they are supposed to do, within the rules. If any are caught cheating or “cutting corners,” they should be immediately fired and their teaching certification revoked.

Any reasonable person would agree with that assessment. Unfortunately the local union would probably defend the cheaters to the point where they are allowed to keep their jobs, or at least walk away with a big severance check and a positive recommendation from the district.

This is how screwed up our public education system has become. Could anybody honestly argue that a complete overhaul is not in order?