Cheating Scandel

This document contains responses to 5 discussion questions about a case study involving a teacher, Mr. Lewis, who falsified students' test scores. For question 1, potential reasons for Mr. Lewis' actions are given. For question 2, the stakeholders are identified as teachers and students, and what was at stake for each is described. For question 3, a plan of action is presented that Mr. Lewis should have taken by quitting his job or working with the principal. For question 4, the benefits and harms of falsifying scores are outlined, and cheating is not considered ethically justifiable. For question 5, a personal experience with cheating is described, and it is acknowledged that it was wrong.

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Anita Noah Melo

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Cheating Scandel

Uploaded by

Anita Noah Melo

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Submitted by: Noah Anita

Submitted To: Sir Abas

Discussion Questions

1. What are the reasons and rationalizations that could have prompted Mr. Lewis to
have moral myopia and avoid focusing on the fact that he was falsifying students’
test scores? Alternatively, what could have prompted Mr. Lewis not to have moral
myopia?
Answer: At this stage, I think there are many reasons that would prompted Mr. Lewis to
act that way. The first reason is that Mr Lewis could lose his Job because according to
the statement, it states that “Schools whose students did not make appropriate progress
toward the standardized test goals would result in the replacement of the faculty and
staff”, so maybe he don’t want to lose his Job.
Also Lewis feared that his students would lapse into “why try” attitudes. They would
lose their neighbourhood school and the community that had developed within.

2. Who are the stakeholders in this case study, and what was at stake for each party?
How might each have influenced Mr. Lewis’ actions? Explain.
Answer: stakeholders would be the teachers and the students. The stake was the
teachers don’t want to lose their jobs and the students don’t want to transfer to another
school.
The unreasonable pressure to meet passing rate targets led Mr. Lewis to cheat and act
immoral. The top Administrators main goal is to make sure their schools had passed the
rate or the test just to get honour and pride other than satisfying targets created an
environment where achieving the desired end result was more important than the
students’ education.

3. Assume Mr. Lewis decided to break away from moral myopia and gave voice to his
values. What do you think he should have done and why? Your answer should
include, but not be limited to, the arguments that Mr. Lewis should have made, to
whom, and in what context. Present a plan of action.
Answer: In my Opinion, I think Mr. Lewis should quit his Job and look for another job in
different school or if he really cares about his students he should have talk to the
Principal and come up with different ideas as to how to help his students improve their
learning capabilities. Who knows the students might improve and pass the passing rate.

4. In this case study, what were the benefits of falsifying students’ test scores? What
were the harms? Do you think cheating can ever be ethically justifiable? Why or
why not?
Answer: The benefits is Mr. Lewis will keep his job including the other teachers as well
and also the students will keep their school. The arms were they have been caught by
the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. This has caused the teachers who had confessed or
been accused of cheating were placed on Administrative leave, including Mr. Lewis and
later that year, Lewis employment was terminated.
In my opinion, I think that cheating can ever be ethically justifiable. In some cases
cheating can be ethically justifiable like sharing your answers to your friends. For
Instance, students felt that the lessons were not taught properly by the teachers which
has caused them to cheat or share answers because they don’t understand the
questions in the test. When examining the many different principles that can be used to
support the moral judgment that cheating is ethically wrong, it becomes rather easy to
understand and accept why cheating is nearly always thought to be something that
humans cannot do. It all depends on the type of morally behaviour that a society
accepts. For example, stealing from the rich to feed the poor’s could be ethically
justifiable even though stealing is unethical.

5. Have you ever been in a situation in which you were presented with the
opportunity to cheat on a test or other assignment? Describe the situation. What
did you do and why? Looking back, would you have done anything differently?
Why or why not?
Answer: I have been in this situation where I cheated on a test. It was back in my high
school when I was in 11th grade. We had a test on our history class. Our teacher has
been absent in class for almost two weeks and when he came back to school after the
two weeks, he decided to give us test which we didn’t knew about and the questions
were hard. So all of us decided to cheat from an answer sheet thinking that it’s not our
fault that we are cheating but it’s our teachers fault.
Looking back, I think what I did was wrong. We should have talk with our teachers not to
take the test today but instead give us more time to study.