ATLANTA (AP) — Testimony has concluded in the trial of 12 Atlanta Public Schools educators who were indicted in a standardized test cheating conspiracy.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1D8IWbu) that Judge Jerry Baxter sent jurors hearing the trial home until March 16, when closing arguments are scheduled to begin.
A federal indictment initially implicated 35 educators in the test cheating scheme. Prosecutors have already reached plea agreements with many of them.
Educators have said they faced pressure from supervisors including former superintendent Beverly Hall to inflate students' scores. Hall's trial has been delayed while she battles cancer.
The newspaper reports that Baxter thanked the jurors for their diligence in hearing the case — which began in August with more than six weeks of jury selections.
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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com
