3 More Southland Elementary Schools Among Cheaters: Honig

State Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig said today that three additional Southern California elementary schools were among the 16 statewide that tampered with student answers on the 1986-87 California Assessment Program Test of academic skills.

The state found too many wrong answers changed to right ones on test booklets from Lincoln Elementary in Compton Unified, Liberty Elementary in Riverside Unified and Rancho San Diego Elementary in Cajon Valley Union school districts.

Also on the list were six Los Angeles Unified School District schools already named by district officials last month.

Honig said that the scores for all 16 schools have been invalidated and that investigations by the districts into the cause of the tampering are in progress.

The Los Angeles district plans to appoint an independent investigator to determine who was responsible for changing answers on CAP test booklets at 24 district schools over the last three years.

“We will not tolerate any level of cheating or test manipulation in our schools and will continue to crack down on violators,” Honig said in a written statement released today. “However, it is very important that Californians not lose sight of the 99.9% of teachers and administrators who do what’s right.”

The 16 schools were among about 4,000 elementary schools statewide that give the CAP exam annually. At least 50 schools statewide were found to have tampered with test answers on the 1985-86 exam.