ATLANTA, July 14 (UPI) -- Atlanta schools that cheated on test scores to obtain federal monetary awards may be compelled to repay more than $950,000, Georgia investigators said.
Matt Cardoza, a spokesman for the Georgia Department of Education said the 44 schools in the Atlanta public school system, in which falsified test scores are suspected on the 2009 Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests, were named Title I Distinguished Schools, indicating they made sufficient progress three years in a row, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Wednesday.
A 10-month state investigation showed evidence of widespread cheating, the Journal-Constitution reported.
The 800-page report from the investigation indicated former Superintendent Beverly Hall, in her zeal to meet annual academic goals, overlooked rampant cheating, coverups and obstruction over the course of her 12-year tenure, the newspaper reported.
The report named 178 educators, including 38 principals, involved in erasing and correcting errors on students' answer sheets, the newspaper reported.
Approximately 80 APS employees admitted to cheating, the newspaper said.
Investigators said they discovered cheating in 44 of 56 schools examined. The school system has 104 schools.
