L.A. Schools Issue Reprimands Over Cheating on Tests

Despite an inability to fix blame in the CAP-test cheating scandal, the Los Angeles Unified School District has sent disciplinary letters to several teachers, administrators and classroom aides, chastising them for contributing to a “breakdown in the testing protocols” that allowed test-tampering to occur.

The letters went to employees who worked at schools where cheating was alleged to have occurred on California Assessment Tests given from 1986 to 1988. In most cases, students’ incorrect answers were erased and changed on the tests, which were later invalidated because of the tampering.

“While we have no direct evidence of your involvement, and you have denied any wrongdoing, it is the district’s best judgment that you are, at least in part, responsible for a breakdown in the testing protocols and procedures in the administration of the test,” the letters, which were sent last week, state.

Considered formal reprimands, the letters will be placed in personnel files, though teachers union officials say some teachers may file grievances to keep the letters from marring their records.

Many teachers have called the union, saying they are “incensed at the blanket accusation by the district, without any foundation at all,” said United Teachers-Los Angeles spokeswoman Catherine Carey. The district officially closed its 18-month investigation into the test-tampering incidents this week, announcing that appropriate action had been taken against those involved and that security surrounding test administration had been tightened to prevent future cheating.

The investigation found that district procedures surrounding administration of the standardized tests were so lax that it was difficult to determine who had altered the answer sheets.

Until safeguards were agreed upon by the district and teachers union in December, 1988, tests were commonly stored in unlocked areas, answer sheets were left in the hands of teachers and aides for several days before or after tests were given, and an array of school employees were allowed to “clean up” answer sheets by erasing student doodles or writing over student responses to make them more legible.

New procedures call for closer supervision during the testing process and for tests to be placed in sealed plastic bags immediately after they are completed.

The CAP tests are administered each year to students in third, sixth, eighth and 12th grades throughout the state to measure the effectiveness of school districts in teaching basic skills.

The state detected the cheating in 1987 when a computer check of student answer sheets found an abnormally high number of erasures on forms turned in by 40 schools across the state. Further investigation found irregularities on answer sheets at 25 Los Angeles schools.