In these high-stakes numbers games, we must be watchful

A Georgia elementary school principal has admitted to un-enrolling students before a key test date in an effort to boost scores.

Rock Chapel Elementary School principal Angela Jennings resigned in June, according to The Associated Press, but the basis for her departure was not publicly known until court documents regarding her actions were made public this week.

This is certainly not the first case of its kind. Last year, the principal of a lauded alternative elementary school in Virginia was cited for intentionally excluding students from standardized tests in order to pad the school's accreditation scores. 

The tip of the iceberg?

It is almost certain to be.

We absolutely applaud the notable increase in data-driven decision making at the local, state and federal level. Teachers, administrators, schools, school districts and states must be held accountable for the progress of their students — and the only way to achieve accountability is through measurement.

But when data is king, the kingdom can be an unscrupulous place. And some of those who have a stake in demonstrating successes at their schools will find a way to make the data say what they need it to say — even if it negatively impacts the lives of the very students they are supposed to be educating.

The game that Jennings was playing rests on a slippery slope. And it's certainly not unfathomable that, at some point, a principal like her might decide to simply un-enroll students and never invite them back. We already hear way too many stories about students like "T.C." whose teacher encouraged her to drop out of school because, T.C. tells us, "it would be easier on me and on her." 

We certainly don't want a return to the days in which data didn't seem to matter. But we must acknowledge that high-stake numbers games will encourage risky behavior. And we must be watchful.