A city principal and four teachers have been charged with cultivating a culture of cheating on standardized tests over a five-year period in Philadelphia, Philly.com reported.
The five Cayuga Elementary School educators allegedly promoted cheating on standardized tests by changing student answers, providing answers to students and improperly reviewing questions prior to administering the tests, prosecutors said.
Attorney General Kathleen Kane said Thursday that the defendants are accused of "perpetuating a culture of cheating" on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, the Associated Press reported.
A dramatic drop of scores by a percentage of students was reported by a grand jury after the cheating had stopped in 2012, authorities said.
Following an investigation, three high school principals were fired in January by the School Reform Commission, an appointed board that oversees the district. Dozens of teachers and administrators would be getting disciplined.
According to the AP, the educators worked at Cayuga Elementary School in the Hunting Park section of North Philadelphia. Charged were principal Evelyn Cortez, 59, and four teachers: Jennifer Hughes, 59;Lorraine Vicente, 41; Rita Wyszynski, 65; and Ary Sloane, 56. Cortez lives in the suburb of Dresher and Hughes in Jeffersonville. The other three are from Philadelphia.
While the Cayuga teachers were encouraged to bring the exams home to familiarize themselves with the tests, others who declined to participate would be reprimanded by Cortez, state officials said.
During the exams, students were allegedly tapped by Cortez, who went from room to room, to change their answers to the right one, the AP reported.
Cortez, Vicente and Hughes are charged with felony racketeering, records tampering, perjury, forgery and criminal conspiracy. Sloane and Wyszynski are charged with records tampering, forgery and criminal conspiracy.
"Cheating robs children of a good education and hurts kids and families," Kane said in a statement. "The alleged misconduct by these educators is an affront to the public's trust and will not be tolerated."
Due to the peril of public officials threatening to close down underperforming schools and restrict funding, test cheating scandals have recently been reported in Atlanta, Nevada and other districts around the country.
