Georgia has revoked the federal standing of more than 40 Atlanta elementary and middle schools named in a test-cheating scandal.
The schools could face sanctions under federal law and may have to return thousands of dollars in federal money for each year they reported inflated test scores. Most had their standing yanked for only 2009, but investigators suspected cheating as far back as 2001.
The Georgia education department said the schools would be marked as not making adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind law. The schools may have to offer extra tutoring, provide professional development for teachers, and allow children to transfer to higher-performing schools.
Five schools will have state monitors placed in them because they will have missed federal benchmarks for multiple years, and the schools will have to develop turnaround plans that outline how they will improve their standing.
