Pressure to Change Assessment Scores and a Co-Teacher's Social Media Post
You are a lead teacher in a publicly funded pre-K. It is April, and the program's funding depends on showing that children made 'measurable gains' on the state's early learning assessment. Your director hands back your spring assessment packets and says, 'A few children look flat. Can you re-score the ones who were close? No one will know, and we need the numbers.' You used a published developmental checklist in October and again in April. For one child, Amari, you marked 'not yet' on 6 of 10 literacy items in both fall and spring, although your anecdotal notes show he now writes his name and recognizes 12 letters. You also learn that a co-teacher posted a photo of Amari on her personal Instagram with his face visible and a caption about 'my difficult kiddo.' The program has a social media policy in the handbook. You meet with the director tomorrow.
1. How do you respond to the director's request, and what do you do about the assessment data itself?
Read the worked answer
Refuse to re-score for the purpose of showing growth. Changing scores to influence funding is falsification. It misrepresents children's learning, can invalidate the program's data, and may violate the state assessment protocol and the program's ethical obligations. Say this plainly and privately: 'I can correct a scoring error if there is evidence, but I cannot change scores because the pattern is inconvenient.' Offer legitimate alternatives: review the evidence, check whether the October or April checklist was scored accurately, use multiple measures, and report progress qualitatively with work samples and observations.
For Amari, the discrepancy is your responsibility. Your checklist says 'not yet' while your notes show name writing and 12 letters. That suggests the checklist was completed from memory or at a single point in time, not from evidence. Gather dated work samples, running records, and photos. Meet with a colleague to moderate the evidence against the checklist criteria. If the evidence supports a higher rating, change the rating and note the date and basis for the correction; do not backdate it or erase the original. Keep both the original and the corrected record so the process is transparent. If the tool's items do not capture what Amari can do, say so in the narrative and use a second source.
Before the meeting, put your concerns and proposed corrections in writing. If the director continues to pressure you, escalate to the program's supervisor, board, or ethics hotline. Bring the assessment manual and the program's policy. The goal is accurate data, not favorable data.
2. How do you handle the co-teacher's social media post and the confidentiality issues? What do you tell Amari's family?
Read the worked answer
Act quickly and proportionately. Ask the co-teacher to remove the post immediately and preserve a screenshot first. Do not argue publicly or post a response. Tell her why: the photo identifies a child, the caption labels him negatively, and the program's social media policy prohibits posting identifiable children without written family consent. Even with consent, 'my difficult kiddo' is disrespectful and could follow him. Remind her that confidentiality applies to all children and families, not only to written records.
Report the incident to the director in writing, as the policy requires. If the director is the person pressuring you about scores, report the social media issue to the next level, such as human resources or the board. Recommend a documented conversation, review of the policy, and staff training. Do not minimize it as a personal mistake; it is a privacy breach and a professional ethics issue. Check whether other posts or devices contain images of children and whether the program's photo consent records are current.
Tell Amari's family promptly, in person or by phone, with an interpreter if needed. Describe what was posted, that it was removed, who was informed, and what corrective action is being taken. Apologize without making excuses. Ask what they need and whether they want to file a complaint. Do not share other families' information. Document the notification. Follow up in writing. Review your own practices: classroom photos should stay on program devices and approved platforms, and children's full names and identifying details should not appear. The professional obligation is to the child and family, not to the co-worker's comfort.