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Here at Edspresso, we’ve grown tired of this complaining that high-stakes testing is responsible for the cheating done by teachers and administrators.

It almost seems that because as a society we demand and expect positive results – our children to be educated – we’re being unfair. It’s not their fault, they say, it’s the requirements. The stakes are too high.

But what exactly are these high stakes we hear about? We’re talking about children’s futures – it’s highly important that they are educated, right?

Well, no.

To teachers and administrators, high stakes means earning more money, accolades, getting tenure and ultimately keeping their job. But, don’t most people need to produce solid outcomes in their job to keep it?

Do we accept cheating elsewhere? Is it okay for the bank teller to shortchange you, so her daily numbers look higher? Is it okay for your doctor to cut corners so she can get you out of the office faster and see more patients? Was it okay when Wall Street put personal profits over the financial security of the public?

Why should we give teachers and administrators a pass? There are many quality teachers that produce high results without resorting to fraud. Because there are some that can’t, we’re supposed to turn a blind eye.

Now, we don’t only have to worry that our children are not getting the educational background they need to be prepared to succeed.

We’ve got to be concerned that those teaching them may feel that the end justifies the means at any cost, the line between right and wrong is a shade of grey and if you get caught blame someone else.