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• 525_44

  They’ll need a teacher, there’s one job.

• Anonymous

  This teacher not only cheated, he taught the children that it was okay to cheat.  And, he receives a severance package (in Lewiston Sun story).  Plus, the Supterintend compliments him, and his name is never mentioned in the investigation so he just goes onto somewhere else to teach.  What is right about this?

• Anonymous

  This teacher not only cheated, he taught the children that it was okay to cheat.  And, he receives a severance package (in Lewiston Sun story).  Plus, the Supterintend compliments him, and his name is never mentioned in the investigation so he just goes onto somewhere else to teach.  What is right about this?

• Anonymous

  This teacher not only cheated, he taught the children that it was okay to cheat.  And, he receives a severance package (in Lewiston Sun story).  Plus, the Supterintend compliments him, and his name is never mentioned in the investigation so he just goes onto somewhere else to teach.  What is right about this?

• Anonymous

  I would like to hear more about the test administrator, typically a principal or lead teacher, who oversaw the testing process.  That person should have known that this teacher was copying previous test material and not just using the released items.  Perhaps the less known, the better!

• Anonymous

  I would like to hear more about the test administrator, typically a principal or lead teacher, who oversaw the testing process.  That person should have known that this teacher was copying previous test material and not just using the released items.  Perhaps the less known, the better!

• Anonymous

  I would like to hear more about the test administrator, typically a principal or lead teacher, who oversaw the testing process.  That person should have known that this teacher was copying previous test material and not just using the released items.  Perhaps the less known, the better!

• Anonymous

  I would like to hear more about the test administrator, typically a principal or lead teacher, who oversaw the testing process.  That person should have known that this teacher was copying previous test material and not just using the released items.  Perhaps the less known, the better!

• Anonymous

  This teacher was exceptional with his students and he challenged them to look deeper and try harder  My son has signed up for an honors class because of this teacher and he has inspired many students to try harder and he held them accountable to do there work. He made a mistake in life as all of us have done and he is being held accountable. I hope he has the opprotunity to teach again and I am saddened that he will not be teaching my other two son’s.

• Anonymous

  Was he a coach?

• Anonymous

  Yes, interesting that the teacher (who should have been canned) is the only person to face consequences. The tests are delivered to the school and must be kept in a secure location by the administration. Why and how did this teacher have access to the tests a day before they were to be given. Where is the follow up article on that?

• Anonymous

  The real problem here is that the MEAs exist in the first place. If teachers were permitted and encouraged to actually give first place to teaching the subject matter, we would have a nation of reasonably well educated people. This was once the practice and in many respects the public schools didn’t do a half bad job. Today, instead, teachers are forced to spend entirely too much time coaching children how to take tests. The results speak for themselves. 

• Anonymous

  The real problem here is that the MEAs exist in the first place. If teachers were permitted and encouraged to actually give first place to teaching the subject matter, we would have a nation of reasonably well educated people. This was once the practice and in many respects the public schools didn’t do a half bad job. Today, instead, teachers are forced to spend entirely too much time coaching children how to take tests. The results speak for themselves. 

• Anonymous

  Yes, god forbid that we know how much our students know from one year to the next. You do realize that standardized tests DO help gauge student progress and guide teachers in helping students with areas of weakness. I think this is a case of a bad apple spoiling the bunch. These tests we give in Maine are not “high-stakes” so this guy had nothing to gain from cheating and nothing to lose if his students did poorly.

• Anonymous

  Yes, god forbid that we know how much our students know from one year to the next. You do realize that standardized tests DO help gauge student progress and guide teachers in helping students with areas of weakness. I think this is a case of a bad apple spoiling the bunch. These tests we give in Maine are not “high-stakes” so this guy had nothing to gain from cheating and nothing to lose if his students did poorly.

• Anonymous

  maine, open for business

• Anonymous

  The operative word is “standardized.” The MEAs change sometimes radically from year to year so comparing tests scores over time tends to be meaningless. The real function of the MEAs is to boost the power of administrators while downgrading that of teachers.

• Anonymous

  The administration of the either give him the test materials in advance or failed to secure them–either way an administrator shares some responsibility for this.   I wonder if any learning took place? 

• Anonymous

  “According to Braun, Brooks used materials from Maine Educational
  Assessments distributed in 2009 and 2010, and several students wound up
  recognizing the exam questions as ones that their teacher reviewed with
  them before the test.”

  School districts around the state do this including Bangor.  The MEA provides released items from years past to help students prepare for the types of questioning.  To take 13 and 14 year old’s perspective over the word of the teacher is absurd.  The MEA needs to take a long look at this procedure.  If the MEA’s are a standardized test, should there be standardized preparation?

• Anonymous

  “According to Braun, Brooks used materials from Maine Educational
  Assessments distributed in 2009 and 2010, and several students wound up
  recognizing the exam questions as ones that their teacher reviewed with
  them before the test.”

  School districts around the state do this including Bangor.  The MEA provides released items from years past to help students prepare for the types of questioning.  To take 13 and 14 year old’s perspective over the word of the teacher is absurd.  The MEA needs to take a long look at this procedure.  If the MEA’s are a standardized test, should there be standardized preparation?

• http://www.facebook.com/people/Gweneth-Rodering/100002068408537 Gweneth Rodering

  They release certain questions every year, but they don’t release the whole test!  And half the time the released questions have nothing to do with the actual test material.  He obviously had access to the whole 2009-2010 test.  You probably haven’t even taken the MEAs, so I think I would trust the 13 and 14 year old’s word. 

• Anonymous

   Assuming I havent taken them is a big assumption.  I am a teacher in Maine, I know the difference.

• Anonymous

  Sure, its a conspiracy against the teachers. Come on.

• Anonymous

  good lib. in the classroom.  Next generation will be all set for the potential job market.