A scathing report on grade inflation at Chicago Public Schools has prompted City Hall to investigate.
On Sunday, the Sun-Times reported that more than a third of high school teachers felt pressure to change grades to give students higher marks. And 5 percent of Chicago Teachers Union teacher’s believe that someone else changed a grade they had given to a student.
"I had students fail, yet they were passed!'' wrote one teacher in the survey. "Who pays the price, next year's teacher and the student who is already frustrated.''
Mayor Daley lambasted the grade-changers.
"It's unacceptable,'' Daley said. "I don't care how much pressure you have. Don't do it.''
Now he’s commissioned the Chicago Public School’s Inspector General to investigate 13 problem schools.
"First of all, you have to find out who all the teachers are [who] would do that. That's No. 1,'' Daley said. "Then, they're gonna go and get those teachers, investigate those teachers and say, 'Why would you cheat a student?' . . . It all starts with the teachers.''
Spokesman Monique Bond said CPS also will audit last school year's grades for "anyone who had a role in tampering [with grades] or gaming the system.''
