District in Grading Scandal Eases Its Graduation Policy

For the second consecutive year, Brea Olinda Unified School District trustees have reduced the number of credits needed to earn a high school diploma, a move that will allow as many as 19 seniors affected by last year’s grade-switching scandal to graduate on time next week.

The board’s action, taken late Monday night, was the result of a promise made last year to not penalize students who wrongfully received double credit for taking the same course twice, Assistant Supt. Peter J. Boothroyd said.

But the board’s action drew criticism from teachers, who were stung last year when it was revealed that more than 600 student transcripts were altered, including the switching of traditional letter grades to simple “pass” notations and the awarding of double credit for classes taken twice.

“I can’t believe this,” Brea Olinda Spanish teacher Donna Burgard said Tuesday after learning about the school board’s action. “I thought this was over and done with. Why would you lower the requirement just so students can graduate? What does graduation from Brea mean if you continue to lower your requirements?”

Last year, trustees lowered the district’s 240-credit graduation requirement to 200 just two days before commencement exercises to allow 55 seniors who were in danger of failing to graduate to leave school on time. The state requires a student to earn at least 200 credits in order to graduate.

In all, 287 students were affected by the grade tampering: 168 seniors, who graduated, 77 juniors, 40 sophomores and two freshmen.

District officials said that all the tampered transcripts were restored to reflect original grades and that double credits were deleted.

According to an investigation conducted last summer, former counselors made the alterations to student records over several years to improve student grades and boost grade-point averages without teacher consent.

John Johnson, who was principal of the school when the grade-tampering scandal was revealed, was transferred to a job in the district office. Johnson failed to tell his superiors about the illegal and widespread grade changes at the award-winning school, officials said.

A spokesman for the State Commission on Teacher Credentialing said Tuesday that the matter is still under investigation. Johnson and a former counselor, Geraldine Gordon, are being investigated and could face disciplinary action that includes loss of their credentials.

Boothroyd said the school district probably will lower its graduation requirement to 200 credits again next year when sophomores caught up in the scandal will be graduating seniors. He said the school board does not want any student to suffer the consequences of counselors’ actions.

But students who lost double credits or had failing grades restored--most of which were in math and foreign-language classes--were told at the beginning of this school year that they would have to take the classes needed to meet graduation requirements, Boothroyd said.

Teachers said such allowances send a clear message that students whose transcripts had been altered will not have to worry about earning passing grades in makeup classes.

“I have the hope that the new administrators we have now will take a firm stand, redefine Brea’s standards and stick to them, instead of lowering requirements,” Burgard said.