Eleven Atlanta school teachers are convicted in cheating scandal after they were found guilty of inflating students test scores
- The teachers, testing coordinators and other administrators were convicted Wednesday of racketeering
- A racketeering charge could carry up to 20 years in prison and most of the defendants will be sentenced on April 8
- The cheating came to light after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in 2008 that some student's scores were statistically improbable
- Prosecutors said that the educators were motivated by the pressure to meet federal and local standards and to receive bonuses
A group of eleven Atlanta teachers have been convicted of cheating in a wide-scale operation which led them to inflate scores on students' standardized tests.
The defendants, including teachers, testing coordinators, and other administrators were convicted Wednesday of racketeering for their role in a wide-ranging conspiracy on students' standardized tests.
And the racketeering charge could carry up to 20 years in prison and most of the defendants will be sentenced on April 8.
Convicted: Donald Bullock, left, former Atlanta Public Schools Usher-Collier Heights Elementary testing coordinator, is led to a holding cell after a jury found him guilty in the Atlanta Public Schools test-cheating trial
Cheating: Former Atlanta Public Schools school research team director Tamara Cotman, center, is led to a holding cell after a jury found her guilty in the test-cheating trial
Jail: Former Deerwood Academy assistant principal Tabeeka Jordan is led to a holding cell after the verdict
They were motivated by pressure to meet federal and local standards to receive bonuses or keep their jobs in the Atlanta Public Schools district of about 50,000 students, according to prosecutors.
Only one teacher, Former Dobbs Elementary teacher Dessa Curb, was acquitted of all charges,
The case stems from an investigation carried out in 2011, which uncovered evidence that the educators gave answers to students or changed answers on tests after they were turned in.
Evidence of cheating was found in 44 schools with nearly 180 educators involved, and investigators found teachers who tried to report it faced retaliation.
The cheating is believed to date back to 2001, when scores on statewide skills tests began to turn around in the 50,000-student school district.
Between 2005 and 2009, test answers were altered and falsely certified, according to the 2013 indictment.
A grand jury indicted 35 educators in March 2013 on charges including racketeering, false statements and theft. Many reached plea agreements, and some testified at the trial.
However, Superintendent Beverly Hall never went to trial, successfully arguing she was too sick to mount a defense. She died last month of breast cancer.
Judge: Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter addresses the jury as he releases them from service after they found 11 former Atlanta Public Schools educators guilty of racketeering charges
Guilty: Defense attorney Robert Rubin, left, talks with his client, former Dobbs Elementary principal Dana Evans, center, before she is led to a holding cell after a jury found her guilty
Guilty: Former Atlanta Public Schools school research team director Michael Pitts, right, listens as a jury finds him guilty
Emotion: Donald Bullock, left, former Atlanta Public Schools Usher-Collier Heights Elementary testing coordinator, reacts as a jury finds him guilty in the Atlanta Public Schools test-cheating trial
Hall insisted she was innocent and had no part in any cheating.
But, the educators said she was among those pressuring them to inflate students' scores to show gains in achievement — which were needed to meet federal benchmarks tied to extra funding.
Hall, who served as superintendent for more than a decade, which is rare for an urban schools chief was named Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators in 2009 and was credited with raising student test scores and graduation rates.
Former Benteen Elementary testing coordinator Theresia Copeland, left, is supported by her defense attorney Ryan Walsh, listens as a jury finds her guilty and Former Dunbar Elementary teacher Diane Buckner-Webb, center, stands with her defense attorney Kevin Franks after a jury found her guilty
Guilty: Former Atlanta Public Schools school research team director Sharon Davis Williams, left, and her defense attorney Teresa Mann stand as the verdict is read in the trial, Wednesday, April 1, 2015, in Atlanta
Former Deerwood Academy assistant principal Tabeeka Jordan, left, stands with her defense attorney Akil Secret after a jury found her guilty
Former Dobbs Elementary teacher Angela Williamson, left, and her defense attorney Gerald Griggs stand as a verdict is read in the Atlanta Public Schools test-cheating trial, Wednesday, April 1, 2015, in Atlanta. Williamson and 10 other former Atlanta Public Schools educators were accused of participating in test cheating
In a video message to schools staff before she retired, Hall warned that the state investigation launched by former Gov. Sonny Perdue would likely reveal 'alarming' behavior.
Hall said: 'There is simply no excuse for unethical behavior and no room in this district for unethical conduct.'
Defense attorneys argued those convicted should remain free until sentencing because they don't have prior records, have community ties and showed up to trial every day.
Yet, only one was allowed to remain free on bond — teacher Shani Robinson — because she is expecting to give birth soon.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter said: 'They are convicted felons as far as I'm concerned. They have made their bed and they're going to have to lie in it.'
Overcome: Former Dunbar Elementary teacher Pamela Cleveland, second from right, gets a hug from her defense attorney Angela Johnson, right, as she led to a holding cell after a jury found her guilty
Distraught: Former Dobbs Elementary principal Dana Evans, center right, hugs her defense attorney Robert Rubin after a jury found her guilty
Verdict: Defense attorney Annette Greene reacts as the verdict is read for her client former Dunbar Elementary teacher Shani Robinson. Robinson and 10 other former Atlanta Public Schools educators were convicted for their part in a test cheating conspiracy that drew nationwide attention
Prosecutors said the 12 former educators on trial were looking out for themselves, seeking bonuses for higher test scores rather than worrying about the education of their students.
Defense attorneys argued that their clients were caught up in an overly broad prosecution that overreached in charging them with violating racketeering laws most often used for organized crime.
The months-long trial began in August with more than six weeks of jury selection, and testimony concluded in late February.
The criminal investigation by the Fulton County district attorney's office lasted nearly two years.
It only came to light after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in 2008 that some test scores were statistically improbable.
Legal team: Fulton County Senior Assistant District Attorney Clint Rucker, right, hugs Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard after a jury reads a guilty verdict in the Atlanta Public Schools test-cheating trial
Not guilty: Former Dobbs Elementary teacher Dessa Curb, left, with her attorney Sanford Wallack and her sister Aleesa Williams, leave the Fulton County Courthouse after a jury found her not guilty in the case
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